Although Wordsworth ended his life at Rydal Mount just up the road, it was at Dove Cottage that he spent the early part of his creative life. Restored to how it was in the early-19th century, the house stands as a memorial to the great poet, while the nearby museum is dedicated to Wordsworth, the Romantics and the Lake District.
Dove Cottage was home to William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy when they returned from a tour of Germany in 1799. Over the eight years spent in the house, William married his childhood friend Mary and their children were born. As Wordsworth's fame grew, the cottage welcomed some great men: aside from his friend Coleridge, he was visited by such luminaries as Sir Walter Scott and inventor Humphrey Davey.
Even today, the fine garden and orchard (open, weather permitting) and the views across the spectacular panorama of the Lake District remind visitors of Wordsworth's devotion to nature. His poems were inspired and composed as he roamed the rugged countryside - he returned to his study at Dove Cottage only to commit the verses to paper.
In 1890 the Reverend Stopford Brooke formed the Wordsworth Trust and bought Dove Cottage "for the eternal possession of all those who love English all over the world." Drawing upon the Trust's unique collection of manuscripts, books and paintings relating to Wordsworth, the Lake District and the great age of British Romanticism, the museum depicts period life in Grasmere, the life and works of Wordsworth and his contemporaries, including fellow Romantics, such as Sir Walter Scott, Coleridge and De Quincey, including a manuscript of the latter's Confessions of an English Opium Eater, which is on display.
The Trust also appoints an Artist in Residence and runs an annual programme of special exhibitions, residential courses, prize-winning facilities for schools and regular poetry readings.
Even today, the fine garden and orchard (open, weather permitting) and the views across the spectacular panorama of the Lake District remind visitors of Wordsworth's devotion to nature. His poems were inspired and composed as he roamed the rugged countryside - he returned to his study at Dove Cottage only to commit the verses to paper.
In 1890 the Reverend Stopford Brooke formed the Wordsworth Trust and bought Dove Cottage "for the eternal possession of all those who love English all over the world." Drawing upon the Trust's unique collection of manuscripts, books and paintings relating to Wordsworth, the Lake District and the great age of British Romanticism, the museum depicts period life in Grasmere, the life and works of Wordsworth and his contemporaries, including fellow Romantics, such as Sir Walter Scott, Coleridge and De Quincey, including a manuscript of the latter's Confessions of an English Opium Eater, which is on display.
The Trust also appoints an Artist in Residence and runs an annual programme of special exhibitions, residential courses, prize-winning facilities for schools and regular poetry readings.