The Trust, based in Grasmere, operates one of the Lake District’s most important cultural venues, Wordsworth Grasmere, with the house at Dove Cottage where Wordsworth first lived in the Lakes.

Now Rydal Mount’s future is safe thanks to a landmark acquisition by them working in partnership with the Julia Rausing Trust and the Charlotte Aitken Trust.

The historic property at Rydal, just north of Ambleside, which had recently been placed on the market by Wordsworth’s descendants, faced an uncertain future after the rising costs of operating the attraction in its current format became unsustainable. The purchase ensures that Rydal Mount will be preserved for public benefit and protected for future generations.

The UK’s Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage said: “Wordsworth pressed the reset button on poetry, and his work retains its power and relevance today. I’m delighted that the Wordsworth Trust, an institution I have close connections with, is acquiring the iconic home of one of my heroes and forefathers as Poet Laureate, and that Rydal Mount will continue to be a place of creativity and inspiration.”

Commenting on the purchase, Wordsworth Trust Director, Michael McGregor said: “We are delighted that there is going to be continued public access to Rydal Mount. The news of its sale came as a cautionary tale of how precarious the Wordsworths’ heritage in the Lake District has become. Having worked closely with the owners of Rydal Mount for many years we were able to have early and open discussions with them regarding its future.

“However, the purchase would not have been possible without the Julia Rausing Trust and the Charlotte Aitken Trust, whose generosity has enabled us to save and protect this important Wordsworth property for future generations. Acquiring Rydal Mount gives us an opportunity to tell a much richer story about the lives and works of William and Dorothy Wordsworth.”

The Wordsworth Trust has been the custodian of Dove Cottage since it was founded in 1891. It also looks after an internationally significant archive, with the vast majority of William Wordsworth’s verse drafts and Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere and Rydal Journals at its heart.

Mr McGregor said: “What many people are unaware of is that the Wordsworth Trust does so much more than simply manage Wordsworth Grasmere, the visitor attraction based at Dove Cottage. As a charity, we deliver educational and community programmes for people of all ages and backgrounds. We plan in time to expand this offer through Rydal Mount.”

Wordsworth’s descendants Christopher Andrew and Simon Bennie said: “Since our grandmother bought Rydal Mount back into the Wordsworth family, we have worked hard to keep the house open, allowing the public to enjoy its unique family atmosphere. We have been lucky and proud to be the guardians of the house and its remarkable contents over the last 57 years.

"Over the years we have had a very good relationship with the Wordsworth Trust, and so it was with great relief that, at the beginning of the sale process, it became clear that Rydal Mount was likely to pass into their safe hands. Whilst we are sad to be leaving the Lake District, we retain a host of happy memories. We would like to thank the multitude of visitors who have passed through the house and also, particularly, all the staff who have worked with us over the last five decades to keep the house and garden such a special place.”

The next phase of the project is to explore sustainable options for Rydal Mount’s future operation, but the purchase confirms that the property will be preserved for public use in some form. As a much larger house with extensive grounds, Rydal Mount offers a different perspective to Dove Cottage and presents exciting opportunities to further explore the Wordsworths’ deep connection to nature and the environment.

The visitor attraction Wordsworth Grasmere is centred on Dove Cottage, where William Wordsworth wrote much of his greatest poetry and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth kept her celebrated Grasmere journal. Wordsworth Grasmere was shortlisted for the 2023 Association for Heritage Interpretation Awards and it was named 2023 ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ by Cumbria Tourism.

The Wordsworth Trust was founded in 1891 after a public appeal to buy Dove Cottage for ‘those who love English poetry all over the world’. Today, the Wordsworth Trust also looks after many of Dove Cottage’s neighbouring historic buildings, and an archive, library and fine art collection dedicated to Wordsworth, Romanticism and the cultural history of the Lake District. Its events and activities, at Wordsworth Grasmere, online and in schools and community settings, help fulfil Wordsworth’s own wish: that his poetry would ‘live and do good’.

The Wordsworth Trust will be making further announcements in due course with regards to future plans for Rydal Mount. However, for the immediate future the house and grounds will remain closed to the public, while essential maintenance work is carried out.