Wordsworth House and Garden

Wordsworth House is a Georgian townhouse in Cockermouth, Cumbria. Built in 1745 of stone with Doric columns at the door, it stands on Main Street. The house was home to the Wordsworth family for generations. William Wordsworth was born here in 1770 and spent his early years in the building. It is now owned by the National Trust and protected as a Grade I listed building. The small garden at the front completes the setting. The house is worth visiting because it was the birthplace of William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. Their father John Wordsworth lived here as agent for the Earl of Lonsdale. The family left in 1778 after their mother’s death. Later the house was emptied and nearly lost to a bus station plan. A national campaign saved it and it passed to the National Trust in 1938. Inside, visitors find rooms arranged as they were in the 18th century. Volunteers rescued many artefacts after the 2009 floods. The garden offers a quiet view of the street. The house shows how a family of modest means lived in the 18th century. It stands as a record of Wordsworth’s early life before he became a poet.