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Dove Cottage

Dove Cottage in Grasmere was built in the early 17th century, with an oak-panelled hall and Westmorland slate floors, and for over 170 years it was a small inn called the Dove and Olive-Bough. Dove Cottage, like many buildings in Lakeland, is made from local stone, with whitewashed walls and slate roof tiles.

The reason that the cottage attracts around 80,000 visitors a year is that it was the home of the great poet William Wordsworth between 1799 and 1808, during which time he wrote some of his most enduring work. It was also whilst living at Dove Cottage that Wordsworth's sister, Dorothy, kept her famous Grasmere Journal (1800-1803). Much of the Wordsworth's life at Dove Cottage was centred around the garden and the orchard, into which they put many, many hours of hard work, and it remains today very similar to how they created it. Although Wordsworth loved Dove Cottage, it eventually proved to be too small to house his growing family and the many visitors they received, forcing them to leave the beautiful cottage in May of 1808.

Dove Cottage has been open to the public since 1917, and the house is full of Wordsworth's personal items, and an award-winning museum, opened in 1981, has exhibits tracing the poet's life, including a stunning collection of books, manuscripts and paintings. Guided tours of Dove Cottage last approximately 25-30 minutes.

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