Wordsworth’s birthplace
Found just outside the Lake District, Cockermouth is a lovely market town, offering plenty to see and do. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here in 1568 after her defeat at the Battle of Langside and Fletcher Christian of Mutiny on the Bounty fame was born in nearby Eaglesfield. But perhaps it is most famous as the birthplace of William and Dorothy Wordsworth.
Born on the 7th April 1770, William was the second of the five children of John Wordsworth and his wife, Ann Cookson. It seems to have been a happy family home until the death of their mother, Ann, in 1778. William, who later described his mother as the ‘heart and hinge of all our learnings and our loves’, was devastated and the family separated. Dorothy was sent to live with family in Halifax and Richard and William became pupils at Hawkshead Grammar School. When their father died in 1783, the children left this house for ever.
The house is presented as it would have been when the Wordsworths lived here. A private home until the 1930s, the house was nearly demolished when the local bus company bought it with a view to building a bus station on the site. Thankfully, enough money was raised for the town to buy it back and it was handed over to the National Trust in 1938. The house suffered severe flooding to the basement, garden, reception area and shop in 2009, but fortunately the main house and its furniture were relatively unscathed by water.
Although William Wordsworth and his family lived here for only a short period of time, the house in Cockermouth is a lovely place to visit, with beautiful gardens and a welcoming atmosphere. I last visited in 2021, but it is a favourite location and we’re sure to visit again soon!
