The Wordsworth Trust
Press release March 2014 – for immediate release
Dove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum
Dove Cottage was the home of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth and his family from 1799
until 1808. During this time the household grew: relatives and friends, including many celebrities of
the time made extended visits and, in 1802, Wordsworth married his childhood friend Mary
Hutchinson. With the birth of three of their five children the house became a family home.
It was during this time that Wordsworth wrote most of his famous and best-loved poetry. Settling in
Grasmere gave him the opportunity to explore the inspirational landscape around him.
When a growing family meant that the Wordsworth family had to move from Dove Cottage, William
wrote, bemoaning his loss of inspiration and modern scholars agree that after 1808, his best years as
a poet were gone and all that he did was to tinker with existing work. After this time, he
concentrated on making money to support his family and became a political conservative, earning
the disdain of his friends.
Dove Cottage, its garden, and the landscape that surrounds it remain much as they were during the
Wordsworths’ time. Visitors can still warm their hands by his fireside, see the chair he sat in to write
and stroll in the garden William and Dorothy lovingly created.
An entertaining guided tour of the house (available in several languages) provides an insight into the
daily lives of the poet and the exploits of his family and friends as well as revealing the sources of
Wordsworth’s inspiration.
Many of the Wordsworths’ personal belongings are on display in Dove Cottage and in the museum
that stands beside it. Here, and in the Wordsworth Museum a few yards away are the only places in
the world where Wordsworth’s hand-written manuscripts, letters and personal possessions can be
seen on display together.
A programme of special exhibitions runs every year in The Wordsworth Museum. Have a look at our
website or contact us for details.
Group visits are always welcome at Dove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum and pre-booked
groups qualify for a substantial discount. Please contact us for details. Allow at least an hour for a
visit – more if your customers want to explore the garden and special exhibition.
Premier Tours are available for groups who would like after-hours exclusive use of Dove Cottage &
The Wordsworth Museum with a once in a lifetime opportunity to examine and talk about items
which are not on display to the public.
2014 sees a major new exhibition in The Wordsworth Museum, Wordsworth and Basho: Walking
Poets
Matsuo Basho is as famous in Japan as Wordsworth or Shakespeare is in Britain. Although he lived
over a century before Wordsworth, the two poets had much in common. They both pioneered the
use of everyday language in poetry; they both used the natural world to express their ideas; and
they both composed their poetry as they walked.
Our exhibition is based on manuscripts written by Matsuo Basho, William Wordsworth, and
Wordsworth’s sister Dorothy. Each found creative inspiration in nature, and for each, the act of
walking itself was a creative process.
Seeing their words, whether in small notebooks or on scrolls, tells us much about how they
perceived and wrote about the world around them.
The exhibition also features new works by contemporary artists working in a wide range of media,
responding to these writers’ work and manuscripts and showing them in a new light.
ENDS
For full details of the Wordsworth Trust and its events and exhibitions programme go to
www.wordsworth.org.uk
For further information or to arrange a press visit, please contact Paul Kleian at
p.kleian@wordsworth.org.uk or phone 015394 35544.
Notes for Editors:
 Dove Cottage & the Wordsworth Museum are open daily from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm (last
admission 5 pm).
 The Jerwood Centre is open by appointment to all with a research interest. Tours of the
Jerwood Centre are available subject to staff availability.
 Exhibitions at the Wordsworth Museum are assisted by a grant from the Northern Rock
Foundation.
 The work of the Wordsworth Trust is funded by a combination of income from visitors to
Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum, donations from private and corporate sponsors
and trusts, and Arts Council England.