Wordsworth House and Garden

About the museum

Wordsworth House in Cockermouth was the birthplace and childhood home of the poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. In 1765 the young lawyer John Wordsworth moved into the grand Georgian townhouse, which came rent-free with his job as agent for the Cumberland estates of Sir James Lowther. He and his wife Ann had five children, and William later remembered the years here with great warmth, especially the freedom to play outdoors and the books in his father's library.

The family's happy life ended when Ann died in 1778. The children were sent to live with relatives, and after their father died in 1783 the house was emptied and the family left for good. In the 1930s the house was home to the Ellis family, a doctor's household that came close to losing it more than once through accidental fires.

In 1937 the house was sold to a local bus company that planned to build a garage on the site. When people in Cockermouth heard it might be demolished, they formed a committee and raised money from around the world. They bought the building back for £1,625 and handed it to the National Trust. Today the house is presented as it would have looked in Wordsworth's childhood, and the riverside garden is planted with 18th-century varieties of vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers.

Highlights

• Georgian townhouse presented as in Wordsworth's childhood
• Guided tours led by volunteers
• Walled garden with 18th-century plant varieties
• River Derwent and terrace walk behind the house
• Short films about Wordsworth in the Discovery Room
• Second-hand bookshop

Permanent exhibition

• Wordsworth House – A Georgian townhouse furnished as it was in the poet's childhood, visited on a volunteer-led tour.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Standard admission is £6.00 for adults and £3.00 for children; prices with Gift Aid are about 10 per cent higher (£6.60 and £3.30). Free for National Trust members, who should pay or show their card on arrival. Under-5s are free. Pre-booking is not needed, but timed tickets may be used on busy days. Guided tours are included in admission; a suggested donation of £3 for a tour includes a pin badge.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A lift to the ground floor is available for guided tours, and there is an accessible toilet. A full access guide is published on the AccessAble website. Only assistance dogs are allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Children can write with a feather quill, add to a story quilt and follow a free garden trail with the character Fletch the perch-crow, available at the front desk. Toilets and baby changing are in the back courtyard. Pushchairs can be used in the garden, and hip seats are available for use in the house. Under-5s are free.

Getting there & parking

Off the A66, on Main Street in Cockermouth. Satnav postcode CA13 9RX. The entrance is on Main Street, not the side gate on Low Sand Lane. The Sea to Sea (C2C) cycle route and the Reivers Cycle Route pass through Cockermouth.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Museum shop

There is no café on site, but many local cafés are within easy walking distance. A free-to-enter second-hand bookshop raises money for the property. Toilets are in the back courtyard.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The property is listed as available for functions; no details are given on the visitor page.

Plan your visit