Wordsworth House
Wordsworth House, which is situated in Cockermouth, which forms part of the Western Lakes, is a Georgian townhouse in which the famous poet and Poet Laureate, William Wordsworth was born. His father, John Wordsworth, moved to Cockermouth as agent to Sir James Lowther in 1764. He married Anne Cookson in 1766 and moved rent free into what is now known as the Wordsworth House. John and Anne Wordsworth had five children of whom William was the second and Dorothy the third. In total there were four boys and one girl. Unfortunately, Anne Wordsworth died when William was eight and thereafter he spent most of his time with relatives in Penrith. His father, John, died five years later and in 1784 all the children finally left the house to be cared for by relatives.
The house was a private residence until the late 1930’s, when the Cockermouth Library tried to raise funds to buy it. However, a local bus company bought it with the intention of demolishing the house to erect a new bus station in it’s place. Fortunately, with the assistance of the national media, enough funds were raised for the town to buy back the house. The house was then handed over to the National Trust by Cockermouth, and on 3 June 1939 it opened as a memorial to Wordsworth. The house became a Grade 1 listed building.
The National Trust, along with skilled craftsmen, conservators and historians, have restored Wordsworth House to give the visitor a glimpse into the childhood years of William Wordsworth. This interesting Georgian townhouse is open to the public, however, it is advisable to check the Wordsworth House website for events and opening times.
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