Bespoke immersive courses
A once-in-a-lifetime experience designed and led by our specialist curators
Our unique immersive courses can be experienced online or in-person and are perfect for university students. From in-depth sessions exploring manuscripts, tours of Dove Cottage, guided walks, group online exhibitions and more, we will tailor the course content to the studies and interests of your students.
Workshops
Spend time with one of our expert curators and discover some of our most treasured manuscripts and books. The Jerwood Research Centre, our state-of-the-art library and archive next door to Dove Cottage, is home to the world’s single greatest collection of William Wordsworth’s original verse manuscripts, Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere journal, as well as manuscripts and books by other figures of Romantic literature. There is also a matchless collection of watercolours and books relating to the ‘Discovery of the Lake District’ from 1750 onwards.
All these can be drawn upon for tailor-made workshops to suit your students. The teaching style is interactive, academic enquiry combined with the investigation of two-hundred-year-old artefacts; the outcome is discovery and enjoyment, and new ways of seeing. With the guidance of our experienced curators, students gain a new appreciation for the value of manuscripts and what we can learn from them; the enquiring approach they need to find meanings beyond the words on the page. For some, the experience is an emotional one – seeing the original manuscript of a much-loved work. It is also an insight into the work of a leading museum; of how collections are managed and cared for, and the many ways in which (to quote William Wordsworth), its work can ‘live and do good’.
Dove Cottage and the Museum
Explore Dove Cottage with an expert guide as they take you on a tour around the humble Lake District cottage that Wordsworth and his family lived in from 1799-1808.
Today, Dove Cottage has been brought back to life and the sights, sounds and smells evoke memories of over 200 years ago. It was whilst living here, amongst the hustle and bustle of daily life, that Wordsworth wrote many of his greatest poems and his sister Dorothy kept her fascinating Grasmere journal.
The Museum tells the story of Wordsworth’s radical and creative life through a collection of handwritten manuscripts, journals, letters, published poetry and personal items. It features contemporary voices from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage to people living and working in Cumbria today.
Discover the stories to be found within these special places, and learn more about the Reimagining Wordsworth project, which involved both the conservation and reinterpretation of Dove Cottage and the expansion and redesign of the Museum. The project was completed in 2021.
Testimonials
“Jeff’s virtual tour of Dove Cottage and the new museum (including the Dorothy Wordsworth exhibition) and his manuscript workshop were inspirational for our undergraduate and postgraduate students. They informed the subsequent undergraduate classes and the students’ research and were perfectly pitched to draw them in to the exciting world of archival research during this period when direct access to the material is challenging because of the pandemic.”
– Michael Rossington, Professor of Romantic Literature, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Newcastle University, UK
“It was such a treat to explore the cottage and its grounds as well as the artifacts, manuscripts, and remnants of the Wordsworths’ lives. Jeff did such a wonderful job relating every object to not only their daily habits and creative work, but also to the art of museum curation. A great experience all around!”
– Sophie Thomas, Professor, Department of English, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
Contact us
The above examples are only some of the experiences that we offer. Prices for immersive courses begin at £60 per person. Outside your budget? Send us an email at enquiries@wordsworth.org.uk and we’ll see what we can do. Courses can take place either in-person at Wordsworth Grasmere or online using Zoom.
View the leaflet here.
