Wordsworth Grasmere

Creative Tourist

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Wordsworth Grasmere

Dove Cottage, Grasmere, LA22 9SH
015394 35544
  • Tuesday10:00am - 4:00pm
  • Wednesday10:00am - 4:00pm
  • Thursday10:00am - 4:00pm
  • Friday10:00am - 4:00pm
  • Saturday10:00am - 4:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Gareth Gardner
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Nestled in the beautiful historic hamlet in Grasmere, overlooking the lake, sits Dove Cottage, home of the great English poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. Here in the early 1800s, William Wordsworth wrote many of his greatest poems and his sister Dorothy kept her famous Grasmere journal, and Wordsworth Grasmere tells the story of this remarkable time in their lives. Discover Wordsworth’s radical and creative life in the Museum, enjoy views of Grasmere from the Viewing Station or visit the café, which serves locally sourced food and drink.

Regular events take place in situ and online, and include open mics, showcases by the Dove Cottage Poets writing group and contemporary poetry readings, often hosted by Forward Prize- winning Kim Moore (including the likes of George Szirtes and Holly Hopkins). As the website says: ‘From book launches to writing groups to poetry nights, there’s always something going on at Wordsworth Grasmere.’

What's on near Wordsworth Grasmere

Rose Condo
LiteratureKendal
Verbalise at Kendal Brewery Arts

Rose Condo is a multi-award-winning poet and spoken word artist, who carefully blends poetry and prose to create live shows she performs with aplomb.

From £11.00
A large mechanical puppet controlled by multiple people. Encounter Festival in Preston
FestivalsLancashire
Encounter Festival in Preston

Expect a jam-packed day of outdoor performance, live music, family fun – plus Preston’s iconic Torchlight Procession and fireworks finale.

Free entry
MusicBlackburn
Confessional Festival

Blackburn’s Confessional Festival turns ten, celebrating with two days of live music set beneath the stained glass and vaulted stonework of Holy Trinity Church.

From £20

Where to go near Wordsworth Grasmere

Cumbria
Museum
The Wordsworth Museum

Next door to Dove Cottage, Wordsworth’s first family home, is the Wordsworth Museum, which houses an unsurpassed collection of the Wordsworths’ letters, journals and poems.

Dove Cottage, Grasmere, image courtesy of venue
Cumbria
Museum
Dove Cottage

Dove Cottage is where William Wordsworth lived and wrote, and where the Wordsworth Trust continues that work today with poets in residence and public programmes.

Cumbria
Shop
Sam Read Bookseller

Award-winning small bookshop in the Lake District. Est. by Sam Read in 1887. Run by Will Smith and Polly Atkin.

Forest Side Restaurant
Cumbria
Restaurant
Forest Side Restaurant

We love the fantastic Forest Side Restaurant. Attached to the historic Forest Side Hotel in Grasmere, this is one of the best places to eat in Cumbria.

Allan Bank, Grasmere, image courtesy of Visit Cumbria
Cumbria
Museum
Allan Bank

Once home to William Wordsworth, this historic villa now combines a small, informal art gallery with a giant indoor mural space.

The Merzbarn today, courtesy Littoral Arts Trust
Cumbria
Gallery
Kurt Schwitters’ Merzbarn

Tucked away in a remote corner of the Lake District is Kurt Schwitter’s Merzbarn, an artistic epitaph to the avant garde ‘godfather of modern art’.

The Armitt Museum
Cumbria
Gallery
The Armitt Museum

Full of interesting and unusual objects, The Armitt is a museum that shares the history and heritage of Ambleside and its people.

Cumbria
Restaurant
Fellini’s

Fellini’s does fancy ‘Vegeterranean’ food and films. What better way to treat yourself after a hard tramp in the Lake District?

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