Rydal Mount

Wordsworth's home has beensaved for the nation, and this is the inside story. William Wordsworth, thegreatest of the Romantic Poets, lived at Rydal Mount in the English LakeDistrict for most of his life. But he was only a tenant there. It wasmore than 100 years later that his descendants bought the house andit became their family home as well as a popular tourist attraction, aplace for visitors from around the world to celebrate Wordsworth's poetry. Inthis detailed account, written with the support and co-operation of the poet'sfamily, Eileen Jones looks at the history of Rydal Mount, the lives of thepoet and his family there in the 19th century, and how later generations ofWordsworths brought artists, film stars, fine dining, concerts - and even apageant of beauty queens - to the house. She describes how the extensivegardens have been restored to plans used by Wordsworth himself, and tellshow she spent a night there in the poet's bedroom hoping to catch a glimpse ofhis ghost. And she has the inside story of the deal that saved the house forthe nation. This is part biography, part Lake District history, and someliterary detective work as well.