The Romantic Homes of William Wordsworth

Take time out for a brief tour of the cottage . Check out the Newspaper Room and spend a little time in the garden, too.

Rydal Mount Rydal, Ambleside Cumbria LA22 9LU Telephone: 015394 33002

This scenic Tudor cottage was built in two stages, the earliest portion dating back to 1574. Records indicate that the drawing room and library were added in 1750. Wordsworth moved here with his family in 1813 and remained here until his death in 1850. The house is now owned by descendants of the poet and is open for public tour daily except January 8-31.

Here, again, Wordsworth took an active part in the landscape and design of the garden. He planted shrubbery, daffodils, bluebells, and rhododendrons much the same as tourists see today. The small field between the house and the main road is covered with hundreds of daffodils that Wordsworth planted as a tribute to his daughter Dora who died in 1847. Dora's field now belongs to the National Trust and presents a grand showing for tourists.

St. Oswald's Church Grasmere, Cumbria

William Wordsworth's church is said to be one of the most visited literary shrines in the world. Here thousands of admirers and scholars come to pay tribute to the influential poet. A glass case near the organ contains Wordsworth's prayerbook, and tombstones in the churchyard mark the graves of Wordsworth and several family members.

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