Coleridge Cottage is the name now given to the cottage in Nether Stowey, Somerset where Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) lived from 1797-9, and where he wrote some of his best-known works including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Frost at Midnight and Kubla Khan (the latter interrupted by the visit of the infamous “man from Porlock”). In 1891, it was converted into an inn with the present Coleridge Cottage name, and it was donated to the National Trust in 1909.
Coleridge Cottage looks fairly unassuming from the street, but like the TARDIS, it’s bigger on the inside. It has been preserved as a living history museum where you can experience how the poet and his wife Sara would have lived. You can draw water from the well, relax in the reading room, and try writing with a quill pen.
The garden features an orchard and a wildflower meadow. There are willow animals hidden among the flowers, In the Garden Room, you can learn more about how checking out the Quantocks inspired the poet. The National Trust has also recreated the lime tree bower that Coleridge described as “my prison” in the poem of that name.
Coleridge Cottage is closed at the time of writing, but will reopen on 22 March 2023. Admission costs £7.50 for adults and £3.75 for children. The satnav postcode is TA5 1NQ, and Buses of Somerset routes 14 and 15 stop at The Clocktower, two minutes walk away.
