The project will take place in the hamlet of Town End in Grasmere, and transform the existing conservation area into an exceptional visitor site with opportunities for learning, creativity and community activity.

William Wordsworth lived at Dove Cottage in Town End, along with his sister Dorothy, from 1799 to 1808. The house also played host to literary figures such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Thomas de Quincey. The site is unique, in that nowhere else in the world can so much of a writer’s work, in its original form, be explored in the place where it was written.

The main aim of this project is to build on work already carried out to boost visitor numbers and improve the site. Historic buildings, including Dove Cottage, will be sympathetically restored and interpretation of the site improved to make it attractive to wider audiences.

The trust has also expanded opportunities for people to volunteer their time and learn new skills, through a co-ordinated volunteer programme.