Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Wordsworth House

Top choice in The Lake District


The poet William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 at this handsome Georgian house at the end of Main St. Built around 1745, the house has been meticulously restored based on accounts from the Wordsworth archive: the kitchen, drawing room, study and bedrooms all look much as they would have to a young William. Costumed guides wander around the house for added period authenticity. Outside, the walled kitchen garden was mentioned in Wordsworth's autobiographical epic The Prelude.

The house also has some interesting hands-on experiences: you can try using a quill pen in the former clerk's office, play some chords on a harpsichord and (if the maid is in residence on the day you visit) watch meals being prepared over the kitchen's blazing fire. Exhibitions document the Wordsworth family's story and William's poetic legacy.


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby The Lake District attractions

1. Jennings Brewery

0.2 MILES

Real-ale aficionados will be familiar with the Jennings name – it has been brewing beers since 1874 and its pints are pulled at pubs all over the Lake…

2. Lakes Distillery

5.09 MILES

The first craft distillery in the Lake District has made a big splash since opening in 2014. It's located on a 'model farm' built during the 1850s and was…

3. Whinlatter Forest Park

7.28 MILES

Encompassing 4.6 sq miles of pine, larch and spruce, Whinlatter is England's only true mountain forest, rising sharply to 790m about 5 miles from Keswick…

4. Derwent Pencil Museum

9.97 MILES

Reopened after being badly damaged in the 2015 floods, Keswick's oddest museum is devoted to the charms of the humble pencil – with exhibits including a…

5. Keswick Museum

10.32 MILES

Keswick's quirky town museum explores the area's history, from ancient archaeology through to the arrival of industry in the Lakes. It's a diverse…

6. Lodore Falls

11.49 MILES

At the southern end of Derwentwater, this famous waterfall featured in a poem by Robert Southey, but it's only worth visiting after a good spell of rain…

7. Castlerigg Stone Circle

11.6 MILES

Set on a hilltop a mile east of town, this jaw-dropping stone circle consists of 48 stones that are between 3000 and 4000 years old, surrounded by a…

8. St Nicholas Church

11.88 MILES

Whitehaven's red-brick Victorian church was burned to the ground during a huge fire in 1971. Only the clock tower remains, but the nave is now a pleasant…