Grasmere Tourist Information Lake District England

William Wordsworth. His earlier home Dove Cottage, Grasmere

Dove Cottage, a charming little cottage home of Mr Wordsworth from 1799 to 1808, dates from the early 17th century. This period is said by some to be his 'peak'. Approximately eighty thousand visitors come to Dove Cottage and its gardens every year, a reminder of Wordsworth's continuing popularity. Bet there's a few school trips in there! The cottage remains very much as it was when Wordsworth was living there with his sister Dorothy and wife Mary, with frequent visitors like Coleridge and Thomas De Quincey. There's a superb guided on-line tour on the website, giving you a flavour before your visit.

Visitors undertake a guided tour of the house as part of their visit, taking in various personal possessions, and artefacts of the poet, and the adjacent garden is open to the public in good weather. Alongside the cottage is the Wordsworth Museum which displays important Wordsworth, Coleridge and De Quincey manuscripts. Portraits of Wordsworth are scattered about, and special exhibitions change throughout the year. There's a well stocked shop with much of Wordsworth's poetry on-site, plus the Dove Cottage Tea Rooms and Free parking alongside the cottage. The cottage itself unfortunately only has partial access. Open daily from 9.30am-5.30pm, closed mid Jan to mid Feb.

The Wordsworth Trust, Dove Cottage, Grasmere, Cumbria LA22 9SH, Tel: 015394 35544

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