Rydal Mount facts for kids
Rydal Mount is a special house located in the small village of Rydal. This village is close to Ambleside in the beautiful Lake District area of England. Rydal Mount is most famous because it was the home of the well-known poet William Wordsworth. He lived there from 1813 until he passed away in 1850. Today, you can visit Rydal Mount as a writer's home museum, which means it's kept just like it was when he lived there.
Contents
The Story of Rydal Mount
Wordsworth's Early Life and Homes
William Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth in Cumberland in 1770. He knew the Lake District very well from his childhood. He left the area to study at the University of Cambridge in 1787. After college, he traveled around Britain and Europe for 12 years.
He later lived for over eight years at Dove Cottage in nearby Grasmere. This was from 1799 to 1808. However, his family grew bigger, and he had many visitors. Because of this, he needed a larger home. After a short time in Allan Bank in Grasmere, the Wordsworth family moved to Rydal Mount in 1813. This house remained their home for the rest of their lives.
Wordsworth's Gardens and Writing Spot
From the hillside gardens of Rydal Mount, you can see two beautiful lakes: Grasmere and Windermere. William Wordsworth himself designed how the gardens at Rydal looked. He often said that these gardens were his "office." He preferred working outside rather than in the large writing room inside his house.
On the higher part of the grounds, hidden away from the main house, he built a "Writing Hut." This hut looked over both the gardens and the two nearby lakes. It was just a bench with a small roof. But it gave him shelter from the frequent rain and a quiet escape from the house. He spent most of his writing time there. His friend, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, often visited him. Coleridge would walk from his home in Keswick to see Wordsworth.
Rydal Mount Today
William Wordsworth passed away in 1850, and his wife Mary died in 1859. In 1969, Mary Henderson, who was William's great-great-granddaughter, bought Rydal Mount. The house is still owned by the Wordsworth family. It has been open to the public since 1970. Rydal Mount is a very important historical building, known as a Grade I listed building.
Gallery
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A wide view of Rydal Mount.
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The beautiful gardens designed by William Wordsworth.
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A special plaque inside the poet's house, made by John Shaw.
More to Explore
- Rydal Hall
- Rydal Water
- Dora's Field
