National Trust - Wordsworth House and Garden

It looks modest from outside, but what a treasures are inside. Good for exploring with kids as well as quite stroll in stunnning garden. Where you can listen to birds, volunteers, audio of poetry.

Wordsworth House and Garden gives you an insight into the life of William's childhood home.William Wordsworth was one of 5 children, born in the house back in 1770. When you arrive in Cockermouth, you're best bet for parking will be either one street parking (Mon-Sat 1 hour only) or Lidl car park, 90 minutes for free.The house and gardens are available for viewing at this National Trust, allowing you to explore 10 notable locations throughout the house. There are interactive experiences dotted around the interior, allowing kids and adults to dress up and play with wooden toys, consistent with those played with by William and his siblings back in the day.The 1st floor of the house also offers an exhibition room, usually hosting subjects linked to nature, landscape or language.In the walled garden to the back of the house, you'll find lots of wonderfully coloured plants to catch your gaze, along with a view across the river.The house and garden offers much more than meets the eye from the roadside and is a fantastic insight into William Wordsworth's life.AT.

A small National Trust property in the centre of Cockermouth. We parked in the pay and display carpark on the opposite side of the river (£2.80 for 2 hours), and crossed the bridge to get to Wordsworth House which was about a 2-3 minute walk from the carpark.Although the property is small, it is full of interesting things and history of William Wordsworth's childhood. Some rooms have a 'no touch' policy, but in others you are encouraged to explore the items on display - the free map provided, and the helpful staff and volunteers, make it clear which rooms have which policy. During our visit there were several rooms set up with dressing clothes for children and adults, a room with a quill pen and ink to try writing with, and some wool and beads to decorate cardboard Easter eggs. In the garden there were skittles, hoopla, and lots of painted pebbles to make your own (very daft) poems! The garden was well stocked with beautiful and unusual plants, and had beautiful views over the river. There was an exhibition in the house with memories from people who'd lived in the house in more recent times before it came to the National Trust. I'd definitely visit again!

We made a point of heading north from where we were staying (near Bootle) up to Cockermouth to visit Wordsworth's house and it was well worth it!The house is brilliant, furnished with authentic items from the time, although mostly not originally belonging to the family.We learned so much from our visit! The Wordsworth family tale is somewhat tragic at times, but fascinating at the same time. We had the guide all to ourselves, so it was like a private tour. The guide was animated and enthusiastic, bringing the story of William Wordsworth and his family to life. We even tried on some of the period costumes in one of the bedrooms! The garden at the back is filled with flowers, herbs, trees and vegetables, backing onto the river Derwent. You'll find quotes from Wordsworth (and others) dotted around, which is a nice touch.Entrance is via the main street, to one side of the gates. There's a small gift shop and the toilets are just outside the back doors, just before you enter the gardens.Overall, the house really gives an insight into life at the time, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time here.As well as the Wordsworth family, there's also information about more recent residents, which is equally fascinating (particularly the recordings of one elderly lady recounting her experiences as a child).Cockermouth itself seems quite a pretty little town from what we saw, with plenty of eating places, shops and galleries. We parked behind Wordsworth's house and crossed the footbridge, as this is the closest and easiest place.

Hidden in the town centre, this little gem is an amazing, well kept property.

Friendly staff abound,Wordsworth's life and works profound,Knowledge all around.Garden's serene view,Cooking apples, flowers too,River in full view.Inkpen, pot to try,Harpsichord notes fill the sky,No-touch, else rooms lie.History, nature blend,Literature, a close friend,A must-visit end.

A really nice building and garden with friendly staff. An activity for the kids to find things in thr house and garden. Some rooms where you're encouraged to pick things up rather than everything behind a rope. Not totally sure on value for money as we are members but was a nice experience.

Staff were brilliant with me needing disabled access which does only go to the first floor but there is an audio guide for the second floor of the house if needed. With me being able to walk shirt distances I did not use the audio guide. The tour guide had a lot of information about the house and the Wordsworth's life while living there. The garden is not really suitable for wheelchairs at the moment but the house do have a wheelchair with larger tires that does work in the garden if pulled backwards.

This was our first visit to the childhood home of William Wordsworth and it was excellent. Our guide was friendly, informative and kept us interested for the duration of our tour, which lasted about 30 minutes. Thereafter, we were able to wander through the house at our own pace and even got to play dress up with some costumes (there were even costumes for adults!) so everyone could get involved.It wasn't busy, but as we visited during term time on a weekday, I have no idea how busy it does get at the weekends or during school holidays.There are toilets on-site and a small gift shop too, however there is no parking, but the nearest car park is only 300 yards away, we paid £4.70 for 6 hours (12/09/23) which isn't too bad considering how much some places charge these days! There is no cafe either but Cockermouth has several cafes, pubs and restaurants which aren't too far so you'd be spoilt for choice if you fancied something to eat.All in all, a lovely way to spend an afternoon - learning about one of the greatest poets our country has ever had.

Great bit of history neatly placed in the heart of Cockermouth. Access friendly and audio guides available should you need one. The walled garden was rustic yet beautiful, and the old apple trees laden with fruit ready to harvest in the coming months.