Grasmere (lake)

Grasmere is one of the smaller lakes of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It gives its name to the village of Grasmere, famously associated with the poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth, which is immediately to the north of the lake. The lake is 1680 yd (1540 m) long and 700 yd (640 m) wide, covering an area of 0.24 mi2 (0.62 km2). It has a maximum depth of 70 ft (21 m) and an elevation above sea level of 208 ft (62 m). The lake is both fed and drained by the River Rothay, which flows through the village before entering the lake, and then exits downstream into nearby Rydal Water, beyond which it continues into Windermere. The waters of the lake are leased by the Lowther Estate to the National Trust. The waters are navigable, with private boats allowed and rowing boats for hire, but powered boats are prohibited. The lake contains a single island, known as Grasmere Island or simply The Island. In 2017 this island was bequeathed to the National Trust. This gift has particular significance to the National Trust, as the organisation was founded in response to the sale of the same island to a private bidder in 1893. Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley felt that such a location should instead be in public ownership, and soon afterwards started the National Trust with Octavia Hill and Robert Hunter.

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Dove Cottage

Dove Cottage is a house on the edge of Grasmere in the Lake District of England. It is best known as the home of the poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth from December 1799 to May 1808, where they spent over eight years of "plain living, but high thinking". During this period, William wrote much of the poetry for which he is remembered today, including his "Ode: Intimations of Immortality", "Ode to Duty", "My Heart Leaps Up" and "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud", together with parts of his autobiographical epic, The Prelude. William Wordsworth married his wife Mary in 1802, and she and her sister joined the Wordsworths at Dove Cottage. The family quickly expanded, with the arrival of three children in four years, and the Wordsworths left Dove Cottage in 1808 to seek larger lodgings. The cottage was then occupied by Thomas De Quincey for a number of years, before being let to a succession of tenants. The cottage was acquired by the Wordsworth Trust in 1890 and opened to the public as a writer's home museum in 1891. The house is a Grade I listed building, and remains largely unchanged from Wordsworth's day. The site also includes Jerwood Centre containing manuscripts, books and art work as well as a museum that opened in 1981.

Kelbarrow

Kelbarrow is a hamlet in Cumbria, England. It is located in close proximity to Grasmere, with views of Grasmere Lake.

St Oswald's Church, Grasmere

St Oswald's Church is an active Anglican parish church in the village of Grasmere, in the Lake District, Cumbria, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building and is notable for associations with the poet William Wordsworth and his family, and for its annual ceremony of rushbearing. The church is in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle.

Dale Lodge Hotel

Dale Lodge Hotel in Grasmere is a building of historical significance. It was built in the early 1800s and was a private residence until about 1900. It was used mainly by the Townsend-Farquhar family and particularly by the two dowager ladies Lady Maria Farquhar followed by her daughter in law Lady Erica Farquhar. When the second Lady Farquhar died the property was sold and it became a hotel.