Discover the life of William Wordsworth at Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum located in Grasmere where you’ll find a collection of material relating to the life and works of William Wordsworth. The former home of Wordsworth from 1799 to 1808, Dove Cottage is where he wrote much of his poetry including “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” and where his sister Dorothy wrote her “Grasmere Journals”.
The cottage was built in the early 17th century and for over 170 years was used as in Inn before Wordsworth and Dorothy moved into the house in 1799. His three eldest children were also born at the cottage – John in 1803, Dora in 1804 and Thomas in 1806. They moved out of Dove Cottage in 1808 when it became too small for their growing family.
The white limewashed walls and slate tiled floors are typical of the Lake District and inside visitors may explore the downstairs rooms – living room, kitchen and buttery, while upstairs you can look around William’s study, Dorothy’s bedroom and the children’s bedroom. There is a 20 minute guided tour of the house which takes you through each room and you are then free to explore and wander at your leisure.
Next door to Dove Cottage is the award winning Wordsworth Museum which opened in 1981 and is home to a variety of displays and exhibitions including historic artefacts, original manuscripts and artworks. The collections were previously held in the original museum in a converted barn opposite the cottage in 1936. It was the growth of the collection that meant a new, larger home was required and so a two storey coach house was developed.
