A MANUSCRIPT belonging to William Wordsworth will be put on display in Grasmere.

The British Library is lending its unique manuscript of Wordsworth’s extraordinary poem ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ to Wordsworth Grasmere.

It will go on display alongside the Wordsworth Trust’s own copy of Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere journal in the newly opened museum at Wordsworth Grasmere from 12 February to 29 May 2022.

The loan is part of the British Library’s ‘Treasures on Tour’ programme, which is generously supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust.

Jeff Cowton, Principal Curator & Head of Learning at The Wordsworth Trust, said: “We’re delighted to bring together two remarkable manuscripts that come from a moment shared by William and Dorothy Wordsworth on the banks of Ullswater in April 1802.

“At the time, brother and sister were living at Dove Cottage, Grasmere.

“The surprise sight of a stretch of ‘dancing’ and ‘laughing’ daffodils by the lakeside brought an unforgettable joy to both. In one of these manuscripts, Dorothy’s Grasmere journal, we can read a description of the scene and her delighted response.

“In the other, we see how William’s imagination turns the moment into one of the best loved poems in the English language.

“Each is a wonderful individual response to that shared moment – and here, for the first time, we can see the manuscripts of them together.

“Through the British Library’s ‘Treasures on Tour’ programme, which is generously supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust, this is the first time they have been displayed together in Grasmere.

“We hope our visitors to Wordsworth Grasmere can feel the shared surprise and delight as did Dorothy and William at the sight of the daffodils.”

Alexandra Ault, Lead Curator of Manuscripts 1601-1850 at the British Library, said: “We are thrilled to lend the manuscript of one of William Wordsworth’s most famous poems to Dove Cottage.

“The Lake District was both home and inspiration for William and his sister Dorothy and ‘I wandered lonely’ is an embodiment of this.

“We hope visitors to Dove Cottage enjoy seeing the manuscript on display alongside Dorothy’s journal in an area where the siblings enjoyed such intense creativity.”

The display opens at Wordsworth Grasmere, from 12 February to 29 May.

For information visit https://wordsworth.org.uk/visit/