Wordsworth House and Garden opens for the 2023 season on April 1st with a free weekend for locals at the poet’s welcoming family home on 1 April. Why not bring the family for an Easter egg hunt through the spring blossoms in the garden and some creative crafts activities? 

The new exhibition for 2023, "Much favor'd in my birthplace": memories of a house and a town, tells the story of how local people saved the site from becoming a bus station, it’s time as a doctor’s surgery and how it has been the home of many throughout the C20th. Past residents of Wordsworth House share their memories of this special place and other local people tell stories of school, fun and work in this much-loved market town. 

Zoe Gilbert, Wordsworth House’s visitor experience and operations manager, said: “It’s been a joy working with the Heritage Group at Kirkgate Arts and local people on this exhibition. We’ve found out so many new stories about the house and town. We’re hoping that people may have more tales and photos to share with us throughout the year.” 

Wordsworth House and Garden is offering free entry to anyone with a Cumbrian postcode on both Saturday 1 April and Sunday 2 April so locals can enjoy what’s on their doorstep. 

The Easter Egg trail runs from Saturday 1 April until Sunday 16 April. Opening days are Saturday to Wednesday, 10am-4.30pm, with last entry at 4pm. The price of the trail is £3 per child. Rainforest Alliance chocolate eggs are the prize for all your hard work, with a dairy free alternative available. 

Evening talks with coffee and cake start on 20 April, kicking off with award-winning author and RSPB Haweswater Manager Lee Schofield for Wild Fell, as he shares the personal and professional challenges involved in working at the coal-face of nature conservation. Join us for an evening with Professor Penny Bradshaw of the University of Cumbria on 13 May as she shares her passion and knowledge of the literary landscape of the Lake District with a talk on Place and Poetic Identity: An Introduction to the 'Lake Poets'. For more information and to book, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wordsworth-house