Addison Way, named after: Joseph Addison 1672-1719
- Playwright, poet, journalist, politician
- Affiliated with the Whig faction in Parliament; member of the Kit Kat Club
- MP from 1708 until his death
- Founder, with Richard Steele, of The Spectator, a political daily newsletter
Joseph Addison was born in Wiltshire in 1672. He went to Charterhouse, where he met Richard Steele, and Oxford University. He went on the Grand Tour, under the patronage of the then Whig government, during which time he wrote poetry and published his Letter from Italy, which attracted much attention. Back in England he initially had no regular employment other than freelance writing. His poem about the Battle of Blenheim, Campaign, was well received in government circles. Addison was a member of the Kit Kat Club, an association of Whig leaders and prominent writers. He held various political offices and was a member of Parliament from 1708 until his death. He is best known as the founder, with Richard Steele, of The Spectator in 1711. It was published daily; each edition which usually ran to about 2,500 words. They managed 555 daily editions before decreasing the publication’s frequency. Their hope was that The Spectator would ‘enliven morality with wit and temper … to bring philosophy out of the closets and libraries, schools and colleges to dwell in clubs and assemblies, at tea tables and coffee houses.’ Addison also contributed to Steele’s The Tatler and his play Cato was hugely successful.
