Things to do in Coleridge Cottage

Volunteers dressed in Georgian clothing celebrate as they play a game of hoopla on a sunny day in the garden at Coleridge Cottage, Nether Stowey, Somerset. The garden room and the rear of the cottage are visible in the background. — Volunteers play lawn games in the garden at Coleridge Cottage, Somerset | © National Trust Images/ John Millar

Step inside the Georgian cottage where Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote some of his finest works and where the literary movement of Romanticism was born. Wander through the atmospheric rooms to experience what country life would have been like in this humble home and soak up the surroundings that inspired the poetry of this world-famous English writer.

Explore the home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Sit by the same fireplace where Coleridge penned Frost at Midnight and explore the 17th-century cottage that was his home for three years, from 1796.

It was during his time here in Somerset that Coleridge wrote some of his finest works including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan, Frost at Midnight, Christabel and This Lime Tree Bower my Prison.

It was while working with William Wordsworth on a collection of poetry, called Lyrical Ballads, the literary movement of Romanticism was born here in this wild west Somerset landscape.

The cottage collection

Discover a diverse collection of treasures, from Coleridge's decorative inkstand to a first edition of one of the most celebrated texts in the history of English Romanticism. Keep an eye out for locks of the poet's hair.

The reading room

Take a seat in the Reading Room and peruse the selection of books, or sit back and listen to poetry through audio recordings.

The reading room is an ideal place to relax and soak up the atmosphere of this humble cottage.

Historic cooking utensils on the table and plates displayed on the shelves in the kitchen at Coleridge Cottage, Somerset — The kitchen at Coleridge Cottage | © National Trust Images / Andreas von Einsiedel

Sara Coleridge’s Kitchen

Why not pull on an apron and discover what the Georgians used to eat? Real spices and herbs from the garden fill the air with the smells of an 18th-century kitchen.

Outside you can test your strength by filling the bucket and drawing water from the 17th-century well. Sara Coleridge would have done this every day, and it's harder than it looks!

Quill skills

In the 18th century, writing was done with quill pens. Made from goose or turkey feathers, these took a lot of practice to use.

You can have a go at writing with a quill and ink in the Interpretation Room, and take your creation home with you or pin it on the board for everyone else to see.

A volunteer interpreter in an 18th-century costume writing at the table in the Second Parlour at Coleridge Cottage, Somerset — Writing in the Second Parlour at Coleridge Cottage | © National Trust Images / John Millar

Mouse hunt

A plague of mice lived at the cottage when Coleridge and his family moved in on New Year's Eve 1796. Coleridge couldn't bring himself to set traps, as he thought it was 'against his hostly duties' to do so.

Keep an eye out for mouse-hunt cards around the cottage and discover their nibble-sized facts.