Rydal Mount, in the heart of the Lake District , commands glorious views of Lake Windermere, Rydal Water and the surrounding fells. It was the home of William Wordsworth from 1813 to 1850. The house, which now belongs to the descendants of the poet, retains a lived in family atmosphere, and has changed little since Wordsworth and his family came to live here. They rented the house from Lady le Fleming, of nearby Rydal Hall. The rooms on show are those of the family bedrooms of William and Mary, Dorothy, and Dora, and Wordsworth’s attic study, which he used when he was Poet Laureate. The house contains portraits, personal possessions and first editions of the poet’s work. Wordsworth was a keen landscape gardener with the four acre garden remaining much as he designed it. Consisting of rare shrubs, fellside terraces, lawns, rock pools and an ancient 9th Century mound leftover from its use as a site for a Beacon Fire to warn of impending Border Raiders.