Trust buys home of poet William Wordsworth
SuppliedThe final home of poet William Wordsworth has been bought by the trust set up in his name.
The Romantic writer lived in Rydal Mount, in Ambleside, Cumbria, from 1813 until his death in 1850 and it was put on the market by his descendants last year.
The Wordsworth Trust, which bought the property with The Julia Rausing Trust and the Charlotte Aitken Trust, said the purchase meant it would be preserved for public use "in some form".
Wordsworth's descendants Christopher Andrew and Simon Bennie, who have been guardians of the house for the past 57 years, said they were sad to leave the property, but relieved it had passed into "safe hands".
The Grade I listed house was put up for sale for offers over £2.5m.
The poet never owned Rydal Mount, but designed the gardens.
It was the third Lake District house Wordsworth lived in and where he resided the longest.
Wordsworth Trust director Michael McGregor said it was "delighted" there would 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," he said.
"Acquiring Rydal Mount gives us an opportunity to tell a much richer story about the lives and works of William and Dorothy Wordsworth."
SuppliedThe Wordsworth Trust has been the custodian of Dove Cottage, the Wordsworths' first Lake District home, since it was founded in 1891.
It also looks after an internationally significant archive.
Chief executive of The Julia Rausing Trust Simon Fourmy said he hoped the acquisition would help the Wordsworth Trust expand its educational and community programmes.
The project is now going to look into sustainable options for Rydal Mount's future operation.
The house and the grounds will remain closed for the immediate future while maintenance takes place.
Andrew and Bennie said they had worked hard to keep the house open since their grandmother bought it back into the Wordsworth family.
"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," they added.
"Whilst we are sad to be leaving the Lake District we retain a host of happy memories."
