Purcell and Nissen Richards rework Wordsworth Museum in Lake District
17 May 2021 By Rob Wilson, photography by Gareth Gardner
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Source: Purcell
Source: Purcell
Source: Nissen Richards Studio
Source: Nissen Richards Studio
Source: Nissen Richards Studio
Source: Nissen Richards Studio
Source: Nissen Richards Studio
Source: Nissen Richards Studio
Previously disparate buildings – including Wordsworth’s home, Dove Cottage – have been reconfigured and extended in the redevelopment
The museum at the edge of Grasmere in Cumbria sits in the landscape that profoundly inspired Wordsworth, a place he called ‘the loveliest spot that man hath ever found’.
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It reopens to the public today (17 May) following the five-year, £6.5 million project, which was supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project was won by Purcell and Nissen Richards Studio in 2016 and was led for Purcell until 2019 by Rob Gregor
May 12, 2021 4:59 pm
Nissen Richards has designed the gallery, branding and wayfinding for the Museum at Wordsworth Grasmere.
The museum is the former Lake District home of the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy, and is dedicated to his life and work.
Work to renovate the museum has been ongoing, with the studio initially tendering for the project almost five years ago, working alongside the architects for the refurbishment, Purcell. The final stage has now been completed in time for it to reopen to the public post-lockdown on 17 May.
“We needed to nuance the journey carefully”
Nissen Richards director Pippa Nissen says the motivation for the project was to engage visitors with the poetry itself. The team also wanted to showcase Wordsworth’s “radical” attitudes for his era.
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