William Wordsworth was one of the first writers to reject fast-paced city life. During England’s Industrial Age, hearts were muzzled and brains ruled.
Science was in, machines were taming nature, and factory hours were taming humans. In reaction to these brainy ideals, a rare few – dubbed Romantics – began to embrace untamed nature and undomesticated emotions.
Back then, nobody climbed a mountain just because it was there – but Wordsworth did. He’d “wander lonely as a cloud” through the countryside, finding inspiration in “plain living and high thinking.”
Today the Romantic appreciation of the natural world thrives as we tourists continue to inundate the region.
Following a recent renovation, Dove Cottage re-opened in the spring of 2020 with a new name (Wordsworth Grasmere) and new galleries and displays to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Wordsworth’s birth. For literary types like me, this visit is the top sight of the Lake District. 🙂
We took a short tour of William Wordsworth’s humble cottage, explored its excellent museum, which displays original writings, sketches, personal items, and fine paintings, and wandered the garden and orchard.
The poet whose appreciation of nature and a back-to-basics lifestyle put this area on the map spent his most productive years (1799-1808) in this well-preserved stone cottage on the edge of Grasmere. After functioning as the Dove and Olive Bow pub for almost 200 years, Wordsworth’s family bought it.
This is where Wordsworth got married, had kids, and wrote much of his best poetry. The place comes with some amazing artifacts, including the poet’s passport and suitcase and his own furniture.
Even during his lifetime, Wordsworth was famous, and Dove Cottage was turned into a museum in 1891 – it is now protected by the Wordsworth Trust.
Wordsworth’s appreciation of nature, his Romanticism, and the ways his friends unleashed their creative talents with such abandon are appealing. The cottage tour and adjoining museum, with lots of actual manuscripts handwritten by Wordsworth and his illustrious friends, are both excellent.
The garden where the poet was much inspired is lovely. It inspired me to climb to his overlook and do a little poetic reading myself.
Make sure you give this fine sight your attention if you find yourself in the South Lakes District. Who knows… you may be inspired as well!
