Diary of a Johnian Society trip to the Lake District
A group of 33, including Johnians and their partners, took part in the Johnian Society Lake District meeting from 27 to 29 March. Nigel Snaith (1979), Chair of the Johnian Society, and committee member Ian Roberts (1975) provided a recap of the weekend.
Quite a few renewed their acquaintance with Rydal Hall which was regularly used for College House Parties in the 1970’s. There were 23 of us who gathered in the Badger Bar on Friday evening for dinner and refreshments. Unfortunately the badgers did not make an appearance but we enjoyed a very convivial evening.
On Saturday morning, Ian Roberts proposed a surprisingly early start. We had planned a visit to Rydal Mount on the Sunday, but unfortunately this had been cancelled as the Wordsworth family had sold the property, and the purchasers were the Wordsworth Trust. We were surprised and delighted to see Dr Paul Davies, one of the Trustees of the trust, at Rydal Hall on Saturday morning, dressed as Wordsworth himself. Paul gave us a tour of the grounds of Rydal Mount before accompanying us on the Coffin Route from Rydal to Grasmere.
The Coffin Route was used to take coffins from Rydal and Ambleside to St Oswald’s Church in Grasmere. Paul kept us all both informed and entertained with information about Grasmere and renditions of Wordsworth’s poetry.
Paul addressing the group on the Coffin Route
The Coffin Route took us to Dove Cottage and the home of the Wordsworth Trust. Here we gathered for an excellent talk on “Wordsworth in Cambridge” by Michael McGregor, Director of the Wordsworth Trust. Many of the Johnians were aware of Wordsworth without really being aware of him as a person. Michael’s talk really brought Wordsworth to life. Michael also included mention of Wordsworth’s friendship with Thomas Clarkson, another Johnian, who lived at Eusemere, by Ullswater. It was on returning home to Grasmere from Eusemere that Dorothy Wordsworth spotted some daffodils, inspiring the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”.
After the talk, the group split up. Approximately half had lunch at the Wordsworth Trust followed by a tour of Dove Cottage and the museum. The other half embarked on a climb of Helm Crag, otherwise known as “The Lion and the Lamb”. The more energetic walkers completed the Coffin Route, walking to the south of Grasmere and Rydal Water to make their way back to Rydal Hall.
On Saturday evening we dined at Tweedies Hotel, accompanied by Michael McGregor and Paul Davies from the Wordsworth Trust.
On Sunday, the walkers in the group had planned a walk around Claife Heights in the morning; however, the weather was rather unfavourable. Beatrix Potter’s house at Hill Top was quite a popular alternative. Many attended the Palm Sunday service at St Oswald’s Church in Grasmere followed by a blessing at Wordsworth’s grave.
In the afternoon we visited Hawkshead Grammar School, which gave William Wordsworth such a fine education that he was able to gain a place at St John’s. We enjoyed a fine talk on the history of the school followed by an insight into the conservation of the historic books in the library. Neil Salisbury is the museum guide at Hawkshead Grammar School, founded by yet another Johnian, Edwin Sandys, later Archbishop of York. Thirty boys from the school, including Wordsworth’s brothers, went to Cambridge at this time, including ten to St John’s.
After the talk, a small group did a quick walk up Loughrigg Fell to take advantage of the better evening weather.
A couple of us completed the weekend with a Monday morning visit to Wordsworth House in Cockermouth, his birthplace, where Wordsworth gained his love of nature. The Johnian Society Lake District trip was a great success, providing a range of activities to suit a variety of interests. So much so that there was a demand for a similar meeting next year, posing a challenge for the organisers of how to improve on this year’s event. A future visit could include a tour of Rydal Mount, once it’s revitalised by the Wordsworth Trust.
