William Wordsworth's House

(See also Cockermouth)

His birthplace, a late Georgian style house sits on Cockermouth's wide, tree-lined main street. The house was built in 1745 for the High Sheriff of Cumberland and later purchased by Sir James Lowther. William Wordsworth's father was an agent to Sir James and lived in the house during his marriage and the birth of his five children. Although altered over the years, a few original features and furniture are on view. There is a panelled drawing room, and the library contains Wordsworth's bookshelves and secretaire. On the street just across from the house is a bronze bust of Wordsworth, dated 1970. Wordsworth refers to his home at Cockermouth in one of his poems.

"A little croft we owned - a plot of corn,
A garden stored with peas, and mint, and tyme,
And flowers for poises, oft on Sunday morn
Plucked while the church bells rang their earliest chime,
Can I forget our freaks at shearing time!
My hen's rich nest through long grass scarce espied;
The cowslip-gathering in June's dewy prime;
The swans that with white chests up reared in pride
Rushing and racing came to meet me at the waterside"

Guilt and Sorrow - XXIV

William Wordsworth's House
Main St, Cockermouth, CA13 9RX
Tel: 01900 824805
Email: wordsworthhouse@nationaltrust.org.uk

Photos by Barbara Ballard and Julian Thurgood

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