Fears for future of Cockermouth's Wordsworth House as National Trust undertakes review
The childhood home of the famous Romantic poet William Wordsworth, one of Cumbria's most iconic landmarks, could be facing an uncertain future due to low footfall.
The National Trust, which has managed the site for 180 years, says it's undertaking a review of how the house and garden can "offer the most benefit to visitors and the residents of Cockermouth".
Suzanne Elsworth, from the Cockermouth and District Chamber of Trade, says the National Trust need to do 'something different'.
She said: "It would be a huge blow. Cockermouth is very much on the up, and we work very hard to attract people here to eat, drink, shop and explore - we want to keep that going.
"Wordsworth House and Gardens is one of our main tourist attractions in Cockermouth, and we want it to stay as open as possible for the good of the town.
"It needs to be part of the fabric of Cockermouth, to give people a little bit different, perhaps think a bit more creatively about how it could be run and the offer it makes."
Markus Campbell-Savours, Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, launched a petition because he "wasn't satisfied that the National Trust were being clear on what their intentions were".
He added: "We had a lot of people contacting our office extremely concerned that they were looking to limit access to it, and our view is we should be improving access, not limiting it.
"I think there are some people in this community who feel there is a bigger vision for this building that they could do a lot more to make it commercially viable.
"It is a huge asset to the town. Cockermouth has one of the best main streets in Cumbria, and the Wordsworth House is an absolute gem amongst it - this needs to be saved.
"It's people like Wordsworth who put the Lake District on the map, and it's that vision that brings people here every year. It's hugely important to our tourist economy; this is part of that story... it will be a real shame to lose it."
In a statement, a National Trust spokesperson said: 'Wordsworth House and Garden is not closing, and the community will play a key role in shaping its future.
"We are currently undertaking a review of how the house and garden can offer the most benefit to visitors and the residents of Cockermouth. At the moment, the house has a comparatively low number of visitors and if it remains open as a pay-for-entry experience will continue to lose significant amounts of charitable money.
"Our proposals aim to increase access, share the Wordsworth story more widely, and explore new uses for the space.
"These plans would see the garden, which is the most popular area, take on a more central role for visitors next year while we consult with the town council, chamber of trade, businesses, residents and visitors to shape a sustainable, community-focused future for the house, with a new model in place by 2027."
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