At Grasmere

Dove Cottage

Dove Cottage

Grasmere is a small village located amidst green sloping plains and many lakes. The distance from Windermere to Grassmere is just ten miles. The road wound through an array of dense greenery and spacious pastures where flocks of sheep and herds of cattle were grazing. The houses looked very simple and small with stone-built  construction and gabled roofs. No busy crowds and no rushing vehicles. We found Scottish wilderness and sylvan surroundings here also as this place was just a few miles away from the Scottish border. At first we made our way to St.Oswald's Church where we could see the family graves of Wordsworth. None was seen inside the church as we reached there a little bit early. A bundle of books and pamphlets were seen neatly stacked in rows. I thought about the renowned poet who used to frequent this place and who planted eight yew trees in the churchyard premises. In the shade of one of these yew trees we saw the the tombs of the poet and his wife, Mary Hutchinson. Nearby we saw the graves of his sister, Dorothy, and his children, Dora,William,Thomas and Catherine along with Mary's sister, Sarah Hutchinson. This church is named after St. Oswald, a Northumbrian King, of 7th century A.D., who had preached on this site. Every year on the first Saturday nearest to St.Oswald's Day(5th August), the floor of the church was covered with rushes(Leaves), a custom started when the floor of the church was made of earth. In 1841 the floor was covered with stone slabs.The church built in 13th century appeared strong and solemn with serene atmosphere and greenery.The poet selected a beautiful spot for his final resting place, I thought.

Inner view of St.Oswald Church

The Family Graves of William Wordsworth

 Next we went to "Dove Cottage" the first dwelling place of William Wordsworth from 1799 to 1808. The cottage was located in the scenic surroundings with a spacious backyard. The custodian was an aged lady who spoke eloquently about Wordsworth and his family. When I introduced my self as a student of literature, she felt very much excited and complimented me about my knowledge of the great poet though I spoke very little about his poetry. After a period of disillusionment, William Wordsworth left London and selected this place where he found domestic bliss and much inspiration to compose many of his famous lyrics and poems like"Daffodils", "Ode to Duty", "Intimations of Immortality"and 'When my heart leaps Up" etc. Originally this cottage used to be an inn called "The Dove and the Olive" started in 1617 and later was closed in 1793. William Wordsworth took it on rent from John Benson of Grasmere paying five pounds a year.Dorothy wrote her "The Grasmere Journal", a diary during her stay here. She began writing this journal in May 1800 and kept her record of the journal almost for three years just to preserve the happy and memorable events for her brother to read and enjoy. Earlier she wrote Alfoxden Journal during 1797-98 when her brother and she were near the residence of Coleridge in Somerset. Now a part of that journal is available. In these journals she vividly described places and people they happened to meet along with realistic descriptions of natural scenes and objects. Many of her topics later became material for inspiring the poet to write his famous poems like "The Daffodils" and "The Leech Gatherer" etc.

    There are four rooms on the ground floor.--a drawing and dining  room, a bed room, a kitchen and a store room covered  with oak panels and stone slabs. In the upstairs there were four rooms -- one as Wordsworth's study room, and the remaining as bed rooms. Water had to be carried over from a nearby well. William and Dorothy took keen interest in tending the garden in the backyard without disturbing their wild appearance. There was a shaded shelter on the mound where Wordsworth used to sit with sage-like contemplation and  compose poetry. Dorothy wrote her well-known journal " Grasmere Journal"(1897) during her stay here. Many friends of the poet like S.T.Coleridge, De Quincey, Walter Scott, Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb used to come and spend their time in the company of the learned seer and votary of Nature. Wordsworth's first three children, John(1803), Dora(1804) and Thomas(1806) were born here. This cottage though pretty, could not accommodate so many persons. So Wordsworth moved first to Allan Bank in 1808 but did not like it much. In 1813 he shifted his family to "Rydal Mount", his final place of residence from 1813 to 1859, until  Mary Hutchinson's death. Thomas De Quincey, the famous author of "Confessions of an opium-eater" occupied this cottage after Wordsworth left this place.and stayed here till 1835. In 1890  The Wordsworth Trust under  the supervision of Reverend Stopford Brooke, bought this cottage for 650 pounds. In Dove's Cottage we can see the portraits of Wordsworth, Coleridge and Dorothy.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

Dorothy Wordsworth ( 1771-1855)  )

In the nearby building we saw Wordsworth's Museum where we looked at the manuscripts of the poet's famous poems like "Daffodils", "Immortality Ode"," The Prelude" etc. There was also an exhibition of Shelly's Memorials and manuscripts in the  same building for a limited period from 7th July to Oct.30 2011. These collections were preserved by Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley in 1822. Later these valuable and relics and documents were handed over to Bodelian Library. We saw the manuscripts of Shelley's famous poems like "To the West Wind", "Epipsychidion", "Ozymandias" and also his letters. Mary Shelley's personal diary -- where she recorded her intense agony after Shelley's death-- moved us very much. Keats's letter declining Shelley's invitation to join him in Pisa(Italy) was also kept there. The Correspondence between Godwin and Shelley was also seen there. The pictures of Shelley, Wordsworth, Keats and Mary were also displayed. On audio I listened to recitations of Keats' famous poem "Bright Star" and Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan". Other exhibits include Mary Shelley's dressing case, Shelley's spy glass and his lock of hair. This exhibition was jointly organized by the Bodelian Library and New York Library. It was a unique opportunity for us to be there when  this exhibition was open.  As we were going out, the immortal lines of the Cumbrian bard echoed in my heart:

                                         "For oft when on my couch I lie
                                           In vacant or in pensive mood
                                           They flash upon that inward eye
                                           Which is the bliss of solitude:
                                           And then my heart with pleasure fills
                                           And dances with the daffodils."  (Daffodils)

                                        " I listened motionless and still;
                                           And as I mounted up the hill
                                           The music in my heart I bore
                                           Long after it was heard no more." (The Solitary Reaper)

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        10th October, 2013                                                 Somaseshu Gutala