The great 19th century English poet, William Wordsworth, was born in the Lake District and lived there all his life but, of the many homes he made, Rydal Mount was the place he loved best. It is not difficult to understand why. The house, originally a 16th century yeoman's cottage, was enlarged during the mid 1700s to provide a largish family home. Now home to Wordsworth's descendants, this charming house has been little altered in the last 150 years.

It was in 1813 that William Wordsworth moved to Rydal Mount, following the tragic loss of two of his children whilst living at Grasmere. Wishing to put some distance between them and their sad memories, the Wordsworth family, including his sister and his sister-in-law, came to this idyllic spot overlooking the serenity of Rydal Water. Preferring to work among the natural beauty of his surroundings, William Wordsworth loved to be outside, and the spectacular gardens created by him at Rydal Mount could not fail to inspire even the most unimaginative mind. A profusion of trees, wild flowers and cultivated flower beds are brought together by the sloping lawns, and at the far end of the top terrace he built a summer house. From this outdoor study, William Wordsworth could look out across the vast expanse of Rydal Water, breathe in the fresh air, and let his mind clear in readiness for the poetry to flow freely. Once noted down, he could then walk along the top path to stand at the edge of the fell where he could recite aloud his new compositions.

Inside the house is simply, but tastefully, furnished, and the labyrinth of rooms within this extended cottage display many personal possessions, family portraits, and numerous extracts from letters, poems, diaries and other documents. William Wordsworth's 'study' was a converted attic room, thought to have been created in the late 1830s, but this seems to have been the only structural change made to the house during his lifetime. Never finding it easy to sit at a desk to work, or remain indoors for any length of time, it is doubtful that william Wordsworth spent much of his time in this room.

As an intelligent and amusingly social man, Wordsworth delighted in entertaining many guests from the literary world, but his most distinguished visitor was Queen Adelaide, whom he was proud to welcome to Rydal Mount in 1840. When Willaim Wordsworth was appointed Poet Laureate in 1843, portraits of Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales were presented to him, and these still hang in the bedroom.

Exactly 200 years from the date that William Wordsworth was born, Rydal Mount was first opened to the public, and the house and gardens must surely remain a constant source of fascination because they are so revealing of the many facets of his character.