What’s On in Wordsworth Country OCTOBER 2016 – MARCH 2017
Readings, workshops and more – be inspired this autumn/winter! www.wordsworth.org.uk
Welcome What does it mean to ‘reimagine’ Wordsworth? For some it will be encountering the lives and works of William and Dorothy Wordsworth for the first time; for others it will be countering offputting experiences at school and a sense of ‘poetry not being for me’; and for some, it may be looking at a loved but familiar subject afresh. Whichever applies to you, we are sure there is something in the programme for you, your family and friends. All events are led by friendly people, passionate about their subject. William Wordsworth by Benjamin Robert Haydon © National Portrait Gallery
Where better to start than with Wordsworth’s Prelude? His greatest poem – and (almost) his longest. 8,000 lines composed and revised over a 40year period. There can be no better way to enjoy this poem than in the monthly classes led by the Wordsworth Trust’s President, Pamela Woof. Being winter time, we again invite you to spend Tuesdays sitting by Dove Cottage houseplace fire with tea, toast and good conversation. ‘No fireside is like this’, wrote Dorothy. Can we imagine how the house was once filled with the voices of William, Dorothy and Coleridge discussing topics of the day? Lucy Crispin and Hazel Clarke will lead relaxed and friendly workshops focusing on the central concerns we all have as humans: what we do, where, with whom, and why. In a second series of workshops about love, Lucy will offer a space to reflect on what, and who, we love, and on how that is expressed in our words and our lives. Wordsworth’s – and other – poetry will be at the heart of these conversations.
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To book please visit www.wordsworth.org.uk
or call 015394 35544
There are good things for Saturdays too – talks on Wordsworth’s influence on John Ruskin and Seamus Heaney; on 150-year-old photographs and little known places of ‘Wordsworthshire’; on portraits of brilliant 18th-century women. We invite you to share close-up experiences with 200-year-old prints (especially those of James Gillray) and books in the Jerwood Centre library. And we invite you to prepare Dove Cottage for Christmas in the company of food historian John Crouch – how much fun will that be? We welcome visitors of all ages, and hope to see lots of children and young people coming to take part in our fantastic family activities. From storytelling and singing to exploring the local area to making colourful artwork, we’ve got events to entertain and educate taking place every school holiday.
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LITERATURE CLASSES
DOVE COTTAGE TUESDAYS
The Prelude 1805 What great poem ever began with such joy, with such an exhilaration, such a sense of freedom, of release. It’s as though we have stepped outside and can take deep breaths at last. The poem to Coleridge has all the ease of sharing something with a loved friend. It was never called ‘The Prelude’ by Wordsworth; his wife Mary gave it that name after Wordsworth’s death – perhaps because the poem to Coleridge in a sense was a prelude, a prelude to something that would never be written, The Recluse, a highart philosophic poem envisaged by Coleridge. The introductory poem to Coleridge allowed Wordsworth all the spontaneous freedom of his moods – all his leaps into ideas and his jumps into his country’s history, Europe’s history and his own; all his passion for beauty and the physical natural world; all his interest in how the mind works, the deep subconscious darknesses within himself as well as the everyday delight in the goings-on of daily life; all his love for the people he loved and his grief at loss. Because the poem was casual and seemed at once occasional as well as epic – for, like Topsy, the poem grew – the uninhibited quality of its being addressed to a friend meant that Wordsworth, without fear, could fully, or as fully as psychological investigation went – and never did it go so far before in poetry – 4
reveal his deepest self. This is the most private poem in a public form. We shall discuss it book by book, taking into account its beginnings and some of the changes Wordsworth made. Present time and the lost time of memory mingle and affect each other, and over it all beckons the future. We will meet between 2.15 and 4.00pm roughly once a month and take as many months as are needed, beginning in October. Wednesday 19 October, Thursday 17 November, Wednesday 14 December, Wednesday 11 January, Wednesday 15 February, Wednesday 15 March The Jerwood Centre, £10 per session or £50 for six
To book please visit www.wordsworth.org.uk
‘I have attended several events this year and enjoyed them all, especially the marvellous little meetings around the fire in Dove Cottage. I shall always remember one on a dark, wet February day, by candlelight and firelight, and the buttered toast made the day! More please.’ We are very privileged to be able to use the houseplace of Dove Cottage as the Wordsworth family did – as a place to share a cup of tea and slices of toast together accompanied by lively conversation and an opportunity to learn something new. There are ten Dove Cottage Tuesdays talks this winter, four in December and six in February, and each discussion will be led by Wordsworth Trust staff and friends on a topic of their choice.
or call 015394 35544
We will hear about art and music, about Wordsworth’s poetry, about the local area, and about the life of the house and its residents. The refreshments are included in the cost of the ticket; all produce is local and the toast will be made over the fire in the kitchen during the talk. Tuesday 6 December, 13 December, 7 February, 14 February, 28 February Each talk lasts for approximately an hour, 11.00am – 12.00pm or 2.00pm – 3.00pm. Please see at the Diary section for details of each one. Tickets are priced at £7 – booking in advance is essential as the maximum capacity is 12.
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POETRY SUNDAYS
1 People: friends and family (11 September)
1 A ffections and pleasures (8 January)
2 Place: home and community (2 October)
2 F riends and lovers (i): when it’s going well... (12 February)
3 Work: occupation and identity (6 November)
3 F riends and lovers (ii): when it gets tricky... (12 March)
4 Meaning: what really matters? (4 December)
‘What Wordsworth knew’: words, wisdom and the art of living well What really matters in life? How can poetry help us make sense of things? Wordsworth knew that great writing explored what he called ‘the goingson of the universe’, and believed that poetry could teach us ‘to see, to think and feel’. Reading a selection of the Wordsworths’ writings, and those of other authors – from the 16th century to the present day – we’ll consider the central concerns we all have as humans: what we do, where, with whom, and why. We’ll have a chance to enjoy a range of great writing, and to explore, share and reflect on our own experience. The topics to be discussed at each session are:
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All are welcome at this series of friendly, informal workshops, which will be facilitated by Lucy Crispin and by Dove Cottage’s Senior Guide, Hazel Clarke. No previous experience of poetry is required – just a desire to talk, think, and eat delicious homemade cake. Copies of all texts discussed will be provided. The workshops are designed as a series, but each stands alone. The cost is £15 per session, or £52 for a season ticket for all four. Buying any single ticket entitles you to a discounted visit to Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum; a season ticket also entitles you to 25% off a day exploring the Wordsworth Trust’s unique collection.
To book please visit www.wordsworth.org.uk
4 S oul and spirit (9 April)
Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry Love is celebrated by so many poets – but what can we learn from the literature of love? In public poetry and private letters, Wordsworth wrote about all sorts of loves – people, places, ideas and beliefs. He had a deep conviction that poetry could help us live, and understand what it is to be human. Exploring his writing, alongside a wide range of poetry written across five centuries, these workshops will offer a space to reflect on what, and who, we love, and on how that is expressed in our words and our lives. We’ll savour some wonderful words about loves small and large, private and public – from the everyday to the exceptional and life-changing. Our discussion topics are:
or call 015394 35544
All are welcome at this series of friendly and relaxed workshops, which will be facilitated by Lucy Crispin. No previous experience of poetry is required – just an interest in life, love, literature and (of course) cake. Copies of all texts discussed will be provided. The workshops are designed as a series, but each stands alone. The cost is £15 per session, or £52 for a season ticket for all four. Buying any single ticket entitles you to a discounted visit to Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum; a season ticket also entitles you to 25% off a day exploring the Wordsworth Trust’s unique collections.
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WORDSWORTH WEDNESDAYS AT BROCKHOLE
FAMILIES
Our Education team will be very busy again this winter leading family-friendly events and activities at Dove Cottage and across Cumbria. There are two regular events designed for younger children:
Our Education team are visiting Brockhole, the Lake District National Park Visitor Centre, during the October and February half-term holidays.
Rucksack of Rhymes In Rucksack of Rhymes we explore a short poem by Wordsworth, and a theme such as nature or wildlife, with a rucksack full of toys and games for children aged 6 months to 5 years to play with. We sing songs and rhymes and tell stories for 30 minutes, then play for another 30 minutes. Tales for Tots In these fun and creative sessions we meet the people and animals who lived in Dove Cottage through stories and crafts. We have 30 minutes of storytelling followed by 30 minutes of craft activities where you can make something bright and colourful to take home. Suitable for children aged 6 months to 5 years.
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For children aged 3+ we offer a series of seasonally themed art and crafts sessions which explore aspects of Romantic poetry and teach them about life in Dove Cottage in the Wordsworths’ time. Please see the Diary section for details. All family events are free with admission to Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum. Every event is led by our enthusiastic, experienced Education team.
To book please visit www.wordsworth.org.uk
Rucksack of Rhymes 11.00am – 12.00pm An hour of singing, stories and play for under 5s (see ‘Families’ page for more detail) Explore the Lake District with Wordsworth 12.30 – 1.00pm A 30 minute introductory talk for adults highlighting special places in the Lakes through beautiful images and poems and showing what it would have been like for the Romantics 200 years ago.
or call 015394 35544
Family Fun with Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum 2.00 – 3.00pm An interactive hour of craft activities, object handling and stories about the life and work of Wordsworth and the landscape of the Lake District. For children aged 3 and over. Wednesday 26 October, Wednesday 22 February All events are free and unticketed
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OUT & ABOUT IN CUMBRIA
DIARY
SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER
In the Moment These regular sessions combine art and literature in innovative and engaging ways for people living with memory problems and their families and friends. Local artists help and support the group in creating beautiful artwork in a fun, relaxing setting. The wonderful work produced has been displayed at museums, libraries and events around Cumbria. Talks, Visits and Pop-up Poetry
In addition to all the events we hold at Dove Cottage, we have a dedicated Community Outreach team offering activities and workshops across Cumbria: What are Words Worth? Our small, friendly reading groups for people living with dementia, their friends and families, and anyone who enjoys poetry, tea, cake and conversation. The groups meet regularly in cafés and community halls around the county. Why not join us in Keswick, on the Solway and the Northern Fells, in Windermere or Kendal?
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If you belong to a community group or society that would welcome a talk about the Wordsworths, or an event coming up which could do with a splash of poetry, we’d be delighted to join you. We also visit day centres, sheltered housing and retirement homes – wherever there are people who enjoy listening to, talking about or writing poetry. We can also arrange for groups to come and visit us at Dove Cottage. Wordsworth Goes West
‘What Wordsworth knew’: words, wisdom and the art of living well Sunday 11 September, 2.00 – 4.30pm A series of workshops with Lucy Crispin and Hazel Clarke
1. People: friends and family The first of four sessions exploring how poetry can help us make sense of the world. See our ‘Poetry Sundays’ page for full information. Foyle Room, £15 per session or £52 for the series
Come along for an evening of poetry, conversation and maybe even some live music as Wordsworth takes to the road. Bring along your favourite poems to share or simply enjoy hearing others read aloud. You’re also welcome to read your own poems. It is very friendly, good fun and not a bit scary! Please check our website for dates and locations.
‘What Wordsworth knew’: words, wisdom and the art of living well Sunday 2 October, 2.00 – 4.30pm
To find out more contact Susan Allen at enquiries@wordsworth.org.uk or 015394 35544.
Foyle Room, £15 per session or £52 for the series
To book please visit www.wordsworth.org.uk
A series of workshops with Lucy Crispin and Hazel Clarke
2. Place: home and community The second of four sessions exploring how poetry can help us make sense of the world. See our ‘Poetry Sundays’ page for full information.
Thursday 6 October, 2.00 – 4.30pm Pop-up Poetry Café A celebration of National Poetry Day ‘Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart’, encouraged Wordsworth, and generations of poets and writers have done just that ever since. On National Poetry Day we encourage you to think about poetry – about rereading old favourites or discovering new ones or having a go at writing your own. We hope that you will choose to come and do that with at our pop-up café, even if you find poetry difficult or have been put off by memories of school lessons. There will be plenty of tea, home-made cake and lively conversation to enjoy all afternoon – drop in when you are able. Foyle Room, free 11
OCTOBER
DIARY
Grasmere Book Weekend Saturday 8 – Sunday 9 October We are very pleased to be partnering with the Antiquarian Booksellers Association to bring you a weekend celebrating the love of and appreciation for books. The Antiquarian Booksellers Association will be holding a book fair in Grasmere Village Hall, where a wide variety of rare and antiquarian books, maps and manuscripts will be exhibited by association members from around the country. The fair will be open both days and entry is free. During the book fair we are holding a number of events at Dove Cottage on Saturday 8 October which are designed to help you look at books in a new light.
Treasures of the Trust 11.00am – 1.00pm An introduction by Jeff Cowton ‘Bound in the skin of some favourite animal’ – so Mary Wordsworth wrote in Wordsworth’s own copy of Paradise Lost, published 1674. But which animal? (The family dog, Pepper?) This is one of the many stories held within the remarkable collection of books in the Jerwood Centre. Join Curator Jeff Cowton as we take volumes from behind the glass doors of the Reading Room and discover the beauty of the 200-year-old books and reveal the tales they hold. Jerwood Centre, free
Illustrating The Prelude, 2.30 – 3.30pm A talk by James Engell and Michael Raymond Fine art is the fastest growing area of our collection – hundreds of paintings and sketches of the Lake District are held in the Jerwood Centre alongside the manuscripts and rare books. We are very pleased to help launch a brand new edition of The Prelude which brings the two together. James Engell, Harvard University, and Michael Raymond, a life-long lover of Wordsworth, have spent several years editing and illustrating the poem the poem using manuscripts and art work from our collection. Come along to hear more about how they undertook this challenge and see the beautiful final product. Jerwood Centre, free Photographing Wordsworth Country 4.00 – 5.00pm A talk by Tom Mole Many of earliest photographs of the Lake District were taken to illustrate guide books written for the increasing number of visitors to the area during the Victorian period, at that time often referred to as ‘Wordsworth Country’. Tom Mole, Director of the Centre for the History of the Book at the University of Edinburgh, and his colleague Tess Goodman have carried out fascinating research into these early photographically illustrated guidebooks and curated a special exhibition in our museum. Today, they will tell us about their findings and give a guided tour of their exhibition. Jerwood Centre, free
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The Prelude 1805 Wednesday 19 October, 2.15 – 4.00pm A literature class with Pamela Woof The first of six sessions looking in detail at Wordsworth’s greatest work. See our ‘Literature Classes’ page for full information. Jerwood Centre, £10 per session or £50 for the series Tales for Tots Tuesday 25 October, 2.00 – 3.00pm An hour of family fun See our ‘Families’ page for full information. Family Room, free with admission Wordsworth Wednesday at Brockhole Wednesday 26 October, 11.00am – 3.00pm Fun for all the family at the Lake District National Park Visitor Centre See our ‘Families’ page for full information. Brockhole, free with admission 13
OCTOBER
Autumnal Arts for the Big Draw Thursday 27 October, 2.00 – 4.00pm An afternoon of family fun William and Dorothy Wordsworth both wrote about the changing of the seasons and the effect on the landscape here in the Lake District. William wrote of autumn as having a ‘pensive beauty’ as ‘ripening fruits and forest leaves all brighten on the bough’. In this fun afternoon activity session for children aged 3 and above, we will explore some more seasonal poetry then create some drawings and crafted art works in response, including little autumn hedgehogs made from clay and conkers. Foyle Room, free with admission
‘A Revolution in Female Manners’: Women, Politics and Portraiture in the late 18th century Saturday 5 November, 3.00 – 4.00pm A talk by Lucy Peltz During the 1780s, the ‘proper’ place of women became increasingly restricted. While women who wrote sentimental fiction or poetry were considered acceptable, a backlash occurred against women asserting their political views in print. Lucy Peltz, Curator of Eighteenth-Century Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, explores the portraiture, reputation and reception of Catharine Macaulay, Mary Wollstonecraft and Hannah More and their female peers. Jerwood Centre, £5
NOVEMBER
‘What Wordsworth knew’: words, wisdom and the art of living well Sunday 6 November, 2.00 – 4.30pm A series of workshops with Lucy Crispin and Hazel Clarke
The Prelude 1805 Thursday 17 November, 2.15 – 4.00pm
3. Work: occupation and identity
A literature class with Pamela Woof
The third of four sessions exploring how poetry can help us make sense of the world. See our ‘Poetry Sundays’ page for full information.
The second of six sessions looking in detail at Wordsworth’s greatest work. See our ‘Literature Classes’ page for full information.
Foyle Room, £15 per session or £52 for the series
Jerwood Centre, £10 per session or £50 for the series
Romantic Poetry and ‘the Existing State of Things’ Tuesday 15 November, 6.00 – 7.00pm The 2016 London Lecture with Michael Rossington In November 2015, the only surviving copy of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Poetical Essay on the Existing State of Things (1811) became the Bodleian Libraries’ 12 millionth book and was published for the first time in over 200 years. It had been feared lost for ever until discovered in a private collection in 2006. Michael Rossington, Professor of Romantic Literature at Newcastle University, was one of the first academics to be able to closely study and write about the book. This talk will reflect on the engagement of the poetry of the Romantic period (including that of Wordsworth and Southey) with social and political crises of various kinds prompted by ‘the Existing State of Things’.
Twilight Tales in Dove Cottage Thursday 27 October, 5.00 – 6.00pm An evening of family fun When the wind whistles through the shutters and the candles flicker on a dark autumn night, Dove Cottage can be an eerie place to be. Join us after dark this pre-Halloween night to find out more about the spooky stories and hidden histories of the house and what it was like to live here over 200 years ago without modern comforts. There will be Grasmere Gingerbread and hot chocolate to enjoy, as well as the opportunity to dress up in Georgian clothes. For children aged 3+ Dove Cottage, free with admission Mary Wollstonecraft (Mrs Godwin) by John Chapman, 1798, © National Portrait Gallery, London
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DIARY
Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU, free
Percy Shelley © National Portrait Gallery, London
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DIARY
A Wordsworthian Christmas Saturday 3 December, 10.30am – 1.00pm
DECEMBER
‘A daily text-book from youth to age’: Wordsworth’s influence on Ruskin Saturday 3 December, 3.00 – 4.00pm
‘What Wordsworth knew’: words, wisdom and the art of living well Sunday 4 December, 2.00 – 4.30pm
A talk by Stephen Wildman
A series of workshops with Lucy Crispin and Hazel Clarke
Wordsworth was an inspirational and influential figure during his own lifetime and had a particularly profound impact on fellow Lake District poet John Ruskin, who made his home at Brantwood near Coniston. Stephen Wildman, Director of the Ruskin Library and Research Centre at Lancaster University, will examine the personal and literary connections between these two great figures, from their only meeting at Oxford in 1839 to the writing of Praeterita 50 years later, in which Ruskin confessed his lifelong inspiration from the poet.
The last of four sessions exploring how poetry can help us make sense of the world. See our ‘Poetry Sundays’ page for full information. Foyle Room, £15 per session or £52 for the series
‘Keen was the air, but could not freeze, Nor check, the music of the strings’ Tuesday 6 December, 2.00 – 3.00pm A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Simon Davies
Jerwood Centre, £5
A hands-on workshop with John Crouch
Romanticism and Photography Tuesday 6 December, 11.00am – 12.00pm
Although Christmas was not celebrated to the same extent as today in Georgian times, we know from William’s poetry and Dorothy’s journals that the Wordsworth family marked the occasion by decorating Dove Cottage with greenery, baking Christmas pies and dancing to festive tunes from travelling fiddlers. In this hands-on workshop John Crouch, local food historian, will show us how to make some traditional Lakeland recipes and Georgian-style decorations to bring this history to life. We will take some across to Dove Cottage and begin to decorate for the festive period – please do join us.
A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Charlotte Davies and Camilla Taylor During the final decade of Wordsworth’s life, with the invention of the calotype in 1840, commercial photography was on the rise and was increasingly used in place of traditional portraiture. Charlotte and Millie, Collections Trainees, will explore how this affected the Romantic poets, explain how portrait photography became an important symbol of status and celebrity, and show us some of the photographic gems found in the Wordsworth Trust’s collection.
Foyle Room, £5 © Ruskin Foundation (Ruskin Library, Lancaster University)
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4. Meaning: what really matters?
‘I have been summoned to the kitchen to dance’, writes Dorothy Wordsworth to Lady Beaumont in her Christmas letter of 1805, telling her friend of how the Grasmere Fiddler visited the house and played music for the local children to dance to. Hearing this tale has inspired Simon, Community Outreach Trainee, an accomplished flute player, to find out more about music in the area at the time. He will talk about and perform some traditional Cumbrian tunes, such as may have been played on that occasion, found in the notebooks of 19th-century Langdale fiddler William Irwin. Dove Cottage, £7
Dove Cottage, £7 17
DIARY
DECEMBER – JANUARY
Tuesday 13 December 11.00am – 12.00pm ‘We have summoned up our hearts, and done everything...’
Tuesday 20 December, 2.00 – 4.00pm Winter Wonderland An afternoon of festive family fun
A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Madeleine Goodall The women of Wordsworth’s circle had rich inner lives, suffering and celebrating alongside their more often remembered male friends and relations. Considering figures such as Dorothy Wordsworth, Mary Lamb and Edith Southey, this talk by Maddy, Education Trainee, will explore how the experiences of these women retain resonance and intrigue almost two centuries later, even though the world we live in is so very different to theirs. Dove Cottage, £7
Tuesday 13 December, 2.00 – 3.00pm Discovering Wordsworth Country A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Sophie Yaniw William Wordsworth was just a young boy, chasing butterflies in the garden of his father’s house in Cockermouth, when artists were first discovering the Lake District for themselves. Many of the locations they chose to depict are now unshakably associated with Wordsworth’s poetry; without knowing it, they were painting what was to become known as Wordsworth Country. Sophie, Curatorial Trainee, will discuss these tours made by artists, guidebook writers, scholars and tourists. Dove Cottage, £7 Wednesday 14 December, 2.15 – 4.00pm The Prelude 1805 A series of literature classes with Pamela Woof The third of six sessions looking in detail at Wordsworth’s greatest work. See our ‘Literature Classes’ page for full information. Jerwood Centre, £10 per session or £50 for the series
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Join us this Christmas week to explore what Christmas was like in Dove Cottage over 200 years ago. Find out how the Wordsworths celebrated the day, what they ate for their Christmas dinner and how they might have decorated their house. We will read some festive poems then have a go at creating a mixed-media Christmas tree or wreath from fabric and natural materials to take home. For children aged 3+ Foyle Room, free with admission Tuesday 20 December, 2.30 – 5.00pm Grasmere Residents’ Afternoon in Dove Cottage An anniversary celebration It was late afternoon, dark and cold, when William and Dorothy Wordsworth arrived at Dove Cottage for the first time on 20 December 1799. On this wintry December afternoon we invite Grasmere residents to join us in Dove Cottage for roaring fires, mulled wine, mince pies and carols by candlelight to celebrate the anniversary of that moment, the beginning of our story. Dove Cottage, free
Saturday 7 January, 2.00 – 4.00pm Grasmere History Group An afternoon with Grasmere History Group Old maps of Grasmere; the diaries of Sarah Hutchinson, Wordsworth’s niece; the history of the Wyke; very early photographs of the area; local 17thcentury furniture; Grasmere in World War II – these are some of the topics discussed by local people in the 2016 monthly meetings of the Grasmere History Group. We invite you to join us this afternoon for brief samples and updates of the talks we have enjoyed, and to add your knowledge to what is being discussed. Jerwood Centre, free
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DIARY
JANUARY – FEBRUARY
Sunday 8 January, 2.00 – 4.30pm Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry A series of workshops with Lucy Crispin
1. Affections and pleasures The first of four sessions exploring what we can learn from the literature of love. See our ‘Poetry Sundays’ page for full information. Foyle Room, £15 per session or £52 for the series
Wednesday 11 January, 2.15 – 4.00pm The Prelude 1805 A series of literature classes with Pamela Woof The fourth of six classes looking in detail at Wordsworth’s greatest work. See our ‘Literature Classes’ page for full information. Jerwood Centre, £10 per session or £50 for the series
Saturday 14 January, 2.00 – 4.00pm ‘Seeing into the life of things’ A conversation with Frank Wood and Jeff Cowton A 16th-century aumbry owned by the Wordsworth family and a 17th-century chest belonging to Reverend ‘Wonderful’ Walker of Seathwaite, to whom Wordsworth dedicated one of the Duddon sonnets, are just two of the treasures on display in the Wordsworth Museum. While the museum is closed for cleaning and conservation, we will take the opportunity to spend an afternoon in the company of local furniture restorer Frank Wood to take a close look at these pieces and others. Frank will talk us through a detailed examination of the furniture and offer fascinating insights into their construction and history. Wordsworth Museum, £5
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Tuesday 7 February, 11.00am – 12.00pm & 2.00 – 3.00pm Reliving Wordsworth: Upstairs, Downstairs A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Jeff Cowton ‘Dear Mary, we are glad to be at home. No fireside is like this’. So wrote Dorothy Wordsworth to Mary Hutchinson in April 1802. Dove Cottage was the Wordsworths’ ‘home within a home’ of Grasmere vale; within it, they did unremarkable things described often in remarkable words of poetry and prose. Join Curator Jeff Cowton to reimagine daily life in the cottage, as we reveal the stories attached to each room: Wordsworth by his fireside listening to the ‘flapping of the flame’; the local children dancing in the houseplace one Christmas; an insomniac Wordsworth in bed imagining ‘A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by / One after one…’; Coleridge writing a poem as he waits in an upstairs room for the rain to stop – ‘But only now, for this one day, Do go, dear Rain! do go away!’ Such moments, and the writing that came from them, can be best enjoyed in the very house where they occurred. Please join us for two hours of getting to know Dove Cottage from a new perspective – the morning will focus on the downstairs rooms, the afternoon on the upstairs. Dove Cottage, £7
Sunday 12 February, 2.00 – 4.30pm Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry A series of workshops with Lucy Crispin
2. Friends and lovers (i): when it’s going well... The second of four sessions exploring what we can learn from the literature of love. See our ‘Poetry Sundays’ page for full information. Foyle Room, £15 per session or £52 for the series
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DIARY
FEBRUARY
Tuesday 14 February, 2.00 – 3.00pm ‘This will never do’: Wordsworth and his reviewers
Wednesday 22 February Wordsworth Wednesday at Brockhole Fun for all the family at the Lake District National Park Visitor Centre
A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Michael McGregor During his lifetime Wordsworth’s poetry polarised opinion and provoked reaction. ‘This will never do’ is the opening line of a particularly harsh review of The Excursion published in the Edinburgh Review by Francis Jeffery in 1841. In this talk Michael, the Director of the Wordsworth Trust, will highlight some of the more hostile reviews of Wordsworth by his contemporaries, and explore how Wordsworth responded. Dove Cottage, £7 Francis Jeffrey by Colvin Smith © National Galleries Scotland
Tuesday 14 February, 11.00am – 12.00pm Me and Wordsworth A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Ian Davidson Me and Wordsworth, the fifth book by local author Ian Davidson, is an account of his relationship and response to Wordsworth, and how that has changed during his life. Ian grew up in the Lake District and became familiar with Wordsworth from an early age through his aunt, who had taught at Grasmere in the early 20th century and heard first-hand about the poet from other local people. As we seek to reimagine Wordsworth in the run up to his 250th birthday in 2020, we want to know what Wordsworth means to local people. Come along to hear Ian’s view and share yours with us.
Wednesday 15 February, 2.15 – 4.00pm The Prelude 1805 A series of literature classes with Pamela Woof The fifth of six sessions looking in detail at Wordsworth’s greatest work. See our ‘Literature Classes’ page for full information. Jerwood Centre, £10 per session or £50 for the series
See our ‘Families’ page for full information. Brockhole, free with admission Thursday 23 February, 2.00 – 4.00pm Ice Skating and Winter Firesides Saturday 18 February, 2.00 – 5.00pm For the Love of Prints An afternoon with David Alexander and Donald Coverdale We welcome two experts in the field to share with us their own love of prints and collecting. David Alexander, Honorary Keeper of Prints at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and Donald Coverdale, owner of a large collection of James Gillray caricatures, will bring items from their own personal collections to discuss and examine. We will think about the details of the prints, of the techniques used to produce them, and what they can tell us about society when they were produced. All are welcome at this conversational, roundtable event to learn and share ideas.
An afternoon of family fun Did you know that William Wordsworth was so good at ice skating that he could write his initials in the ice? He recounts his childhood adventures out on the lakes in The Prelude, and you can see his own pair of ice skates in Dove Cottage. Join us to read some of Wordsworth’s winter poems, find out more about what winter is like in Grasmere, and take part in some art and craft activities celebrating the season. For children aged 3+ Foyle Room, free with admission
Jerwood Centre, £5 Tuesday 21 February, 2.00 – 3.00pm Tales for Tots An hour of family fun See our ‘Families’ page for full information. Family Room, free with admission
Dove Cottage, £7 22
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DIARY
Saturday 25 February, 11.00am – 12.00pm Unknown Wordsworthshire The 2016 Jonathan Wordsworth Memorial Lecture with Richard Gravil This illustrated talk involves a short walk in space, but a long one in time. It relates a series of Wordsworth poems to a rich corner of ‘Wordsworthshire’ that is barely mentioned in the biographies or the critical studies, but may be closer to the centre of Wordsworth’s life and poetic mission, than either Cockermouth or Grasmere. Dr Richard Gravil will lead us on an imaginary walk from Penrith Beacon to Martindale, touching on such poems as ‘Song at the Feast of Brougham Castle’, ‘The White Doe’, ‘Hart-Leap Well’ and ‘Yew-Trees’. Jerwood Centre, £5 (free to Wordsworth Winter School attendees) Tuesday 28 February, 11.00am – 12.00pm Wordsworth as Wordsmith A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Catherine Kay Have you ever wondered what makes Wordsworth’s poetry tick? In this session Education Officer Catherine will explain how Wordsworth is a highly skilled wordsmith and take an introductory look at some of the verseforms, metres and rhyme schemes he uses to such great effect in his poetry. Dove Cottage, £7
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FEBRUARY – APRIL
Tuesday 28 February, 2.00 – 3.00pm Wordsworth and the Bishop of Llandaff A Dove Cottage Tuesday talk by Andrew Wilson In 1793, a sermon protesting against the French Revolution by Richard Watson, Bishop of Llandaff, provoked the most revolutionary of Wordsworth’s political writings – a strongly worded letter in defence and support of republicanism. In this talk Andrew Wilson, a local journalist, historian and author, who now lives at the bishop’s former home of Calgarth Park, will explore the relationship between the bishop and Wordsworth and the other Lake Poets. Dove Cottage, £7 Sunday 12 March, 2.00 – 4.30pm Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry A series of workshops with Lucy Crispin 3. Friends and lovers (ii): when it gets tricky... The third of four sessions exploring what we can learn from the literature of love. See our ‘Poetry Sundays’ page for full information. Foyle Room, £15 per session or £52 for the series Wednesday 15 March, 2.15 – 4.00pm The Prelude 1805 A series of literature classes with Pamela Woof The sixth of six sessions looking in detail at Wordsworth’s greatest work. See our ‘Literature Classes’ page for full information. Jerwood Centre, £10 per session or £50 for the series
Tuesday 21 March, 2.30 – 4.30pm Pop-up Poetry Café A celebration of World Poetry Day ‘Poetry… is as immortal as the heart of man’, wrote Wordsworth. For World Poetry Day we will celebrate this immortal and enduring love of poetry by sharing our favourite poems, along with a cup of tea and a slice of delicious home-made cake. Do join us; it will be an informal, friendly gathering, and you may even discover a new favourite poem or poet of your own. Foyle Room, free
Saturday 18 March, 3.00 – 4.00pm ‘Spring within the Centre’: Heaney and Wordsworth A talk by Fiona Stafford ‘I rhyme to see myself’, wrote Seamus Heaney in ‘Personal Helicon’, but in many ways he seemed to see Wordsworth almost as clearly. He had a special understanding of Wordsworth’s creative relationship with Grasmere and the Lakes, fostered by his own attachments to rural Ireland, and this was an unfailing source of inspiration throughout his life. Professor Fiona Stafford, Somerville College, Oxford, will tell us how this enduring admiration for Wordsworth’s poetry is conveyed through Heaney’s own highly individual and imaginative responses.
Sunday 9 April, 2.00 – 4.30pm Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry A series of workshops with Lucy Crispin
4. Soul and spirit The last of four sessions exploring what we can learn from the literature of love. See our ‘Poetry Sundays’ page for full information. Foyle Room, £15 per session or £52 for the series
Jerwood Centre, £5
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AT A GLANCE DIARY OCTOBER
JANUARY
2 October
‘What Wordsworth knew’: words, wisdom and the art of living well
7 January
Grasmere History Group
6 October
Pop-up Poetry Café for National Poetry Day
8 January
Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry
8 October
Treasures of the Trust
11 January
The Prelude 1805
8 October
Illustrating The Prelude
14 January
‘Seeing into the life of things’
8 October
Photographing Wordsworth Country
FEBRUARY
19 October
The Prelude 1805
7 February
Reliving Wordsworth: Upstairs, Downstairs
25 October
Tales for Tots
12 February
Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry
26 October
Wordsworth Wednesday at Brockhole
14 February
Me and Wordsworth
27 October
Autumnal Art
14 February
‘This will never do’: Wordsworth and his reviewers
28 October
Twilight Tales
15 February
The Prelude 1805
18 February
For the Love of Prints
21 February
Tales for Tots
22 February
Wordsworth Wednesday at Brockhole
23 February
Ice Skating and Winter Firesides
25 February
Unknown Wordsworthshire
28 February
Wordsworth as Wordsmith
28 February
Wordsworth and the Bishop of Llandaff
NOVEMBER 5 November
‘ A Revolution in Female Manners’: Women, Politics and Portraiture in the late 18th century
6 November
‘What Wordsworth knew’: words, wisdom and the art of living well
15 November
Romantic Poetry and ‘the Existing State of Things’
17 November
The Prelude 1805
DECEMBER 3 December
A Wordsworthian Christmas
3 December
‘A daily text-book from youth to age’: Wordsworth’s influence on Ruskin
4 December
‘What Wordsworth knew’: words, wisdom and the art of living well
6 December
Romanticism and Photography
6 December
‘Keen was the air, but could not freeze, Nor check, the music of the
MARCH
strings’ 13 December
‘We have summoned up our hearts, and done everything...’
13 December
Discovering Wordsworth Country
14 December
The Prelude 1805
20 December
Winter Wonderland
20 December
Residents’ Afternoon
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12 March
Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry
15 March
The Prelude 1805
18 March
‘Spring within the Centre’: Heaney and Wordsworth
21 March
Pop-up Poetry Café for World Poetry Day
APRIL 9 April
To book please visit www.wordsworth.org.uk
or call 015394 35544
Making the world go round: an exploration of passions, pains and poetry
27
The Wordsworth Trust Dove Cottage, Grasmere Cumbria, LA22 9SH t 015394 35544 e enquiries@wordsworth.org.uk www.wordsworth.org.uk
Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum Open daily 9.30am – 5.30pm, last tour 5pm (close 4.30pm November to February) Please call 015394 35544 in advance to check your visit as these hours may be subject to change. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. Parking is available for the duration of your visit. There is a small charge for parking (free to Friends). Access Full access is available for wheelchair users to the Wordsworth Museum and Jerwood Centre, and level access to the ground floor of Dove Cottage only. All Dove Cottage events take place on the ground floor. Directions Find us on the A591, just south of the Grasmere roundabout.
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For more information or to book please visit our website www.wordsworth.org.uk or call 015394 35544. We advise that you pre-book all events, even the free ones. Become a Friend of the Wordsworth Trust and be the first to know what’s on. To find out more about priority booking and other benefits of being a Friend, visit our website or call us on 015394 35544. Please note that a minimum number of participants is required for some events. Some events may be subject to change or cancellation. The Wordsworth Trust reserves the right to cancel events at short notice and to change admission charges advertised in this programme. © All images the Wordsworth Trust unless otherwise stated. Grateful thanks to Conrad Atkinson for permission to use ‘Wordsworth III’ as the cover image.
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