Rydal Mount
Rydal Mount lies between Ambleside and Grasmere and was home to William Wordsworth from 1813 after leaving Allan Bank to his death in 1850 at the age of 80. It is a beautiful house, dating from the 16th century, and still owned by descendants of the poet.
Visitors are welcomed to the house by a knowledgeable guide who offers an introduction to the house and Wordsworth’s work and time at the property. After a tour of the ground floor rooms, visitors are free to wander around upstairs at their leisure. The house is full of Wordsworth’s possessions, letters, photos and pictures, offering a real insight into his life and work.
Upstairs are the family bedrooms of William and Mary, Dora, their daughter, and Dorothy. Although married, Dora returned to Rydal Mount to be nursed by her mother when she became ill with tuberculosis. She died in there in 1843 and William was distraught. ’She is ever with me and will be to the last moment of my life,’ he said and he, Mary and Dorothy planted a field of daffodils below the Rydal Mount gardens. Dora’s field as it is known can be entered via a metal gate from the church.
Wordsworth’s attic study, which he used when he was Poet Laureate. It was during his time at Rydal Mount that William wrote ‘The Prelude’.
The earth was all before me. With a heart
Joyous, not scared at its own liberty,
I look about; and should the chosen guide
Be nothing better than a wandering cloud,
I cannot miss my way.
The 5-acre garden here is beautiful, remaining very much as William designed it. On one of the paths is a simple hut, built with sides open to the fresh air and this became William’s writing room as he grew older, a place to escape to think and write. I spent quite some time sitting in this hut, contemplating the beauty of the garden and wishing that I could come up with a poem worthy of the great man himself!
