The Garden
Reviving the Garden
William Wordsworth’s memories of his early life in Cockermouth are dominated by happy times
spent exploring the garden of his father’s house. The garden was more than just an exciting
playground, however. It also provided a vital source of food and other supplies for the
household. The garden has been recently replanted to show how the Wordsworth family might
have used it during the 1770s.
These changes have been made following a programme of research, looking at how the garden has altered during the last three hundred years. This investigation included a geophysical survey and an archaeological dig, and a study of local maps.
Today, both the front and rear gardens are laid out according to the findings of our research and are planted with varieties of plants likely to have been available to the Wordsworths. The main rear garden is planted with fruit trees, vegetables, cut flowers and herbs – all used in the house, as they would have been in the past.