Dove Cottage & the Wordsworth Museum

Grasmere, Cumbria

The home that inspired William Wordsworth's greatest poetry

I n 1799 William Wordsworth went on a walking tour of the Lake District with his friend and fellow poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He fell in love with Grasmere and Dove Cottage and within a few months he had set up home here with his sister, Dorothy, to live the life of a poet, at one with his surroundings.

While living in this inspirational setting Wordsworth produced the most famous and best-loved of his poems including, 'I wandered Lonely as a Cloud', and Dorothy wrote her famous 'Grasmere Journals'. Even now, it is easy to see how they were influenced by the beautiful landscape and simple way of life.

Today, you can cake an informative and entertaining guided tour of Dove Cottage and hear about the Wordsworths' daily life and their many famous visitors. You can visit the Wordsworth Museum and Art Gallery and experience a changing programme of displays and exhibitions.

The collection includes over 90% of Wordsworth's surviving manuscripts and a superb collection of rare books and art by over 4,000 writers and artists. For 118 years, Dove Cottage, and the Wordsworth Museum and Art Gallery has been a living memorial to the Romantic Poets, inspiring countless thousands of visitors from around the world.

As a charity, the Wordsworth Trust relies on visitor admission fees and the generosity of out supporters to continue our award-winning work. For more information on how you can support our work, go to our website or ask for a leaflet when you visit.

Open
Daily, 9.30am to 5.30pm. Last admission 5pm. Closed from beginning of January to beginning of February, and 24-26 December inclusive.

School & Group Visits
Discounts are available for all pre~booked groups (ten people or more). Our award~winning schools programmes include tours, workshops and guided walks (please contact us for further details).

Restaurant
Enjoy morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea in a welcoming atmosphere. Open for evening meals throughout the summer. Telephone 015394 35268.

Facilities
Free parking for visitors. Partial access to Dove Cottage for the disabled. Induction loops, large print guides and audio guides available in the museum. Please contact us for full access details.

Location
South of Grasmere village, on the A591 Kendal to Keswick road. An open-top bus (no. 599) operates from Windermere to Grasmere every 20 minutes during the summer and an hourly bus service (no. 555) throughout the year. Cycle bars are located next to the Dove Cottage restaurant.

Visit website: www.wordsworth.org.uk

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