Wordsworth Trust

Dove Cottage

A former inn called 'The Dove & Olive Bough', Dove Cottage was Wordsworth's first family home. He moved in with his sister, Dorothy in 1799.

Step inside to get a sense of that time: stone floors, dark panelled rooms, glowing coal fires and the family’s own belongings. Little has changed in the house since the Wordsworths lived here.

Buy your tickets online and save time when you arrive.

Events for everyone

From talks, walks and contemporary poetry readings to family activities, behind-the-scenes tours, festivals and introductions to Romanticism, our events programme is varied and has something for everyone.

Browse our event listings

Funding announcement

Mixed results for the Wordsworth Trust as Arts Council England funding is announced.

We are delighted to announce that Arts Council England will continue to fund the Wordsworth Trust for another three years from April 2015 as a Major Partner Museum.  This will allow us to build on our achievements since 2012 as a partner in the Cumbria Museums Consortium.

Obviously we are disappointed that Arts Council England is unable to continue its support of our contemporary literature programme through its National Portfolio programme.  We appreciate that Arts Council England has had difficult decisions to make, against a background of reduced government funding for the arts.

The Trustees of the Wordsworth Trust meet soon to consider the implications of this decision.