Dora's Field
| Dora's Field | |
|
National Trust | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Church from Dora's Field | |
| Grid reference: | NY364062 |
| Location: | 54°26’51"N, 2°58’55"W |
| Information | |
| Website: | Daffodils at Dora's Field |
Dora's Field is a field beside St Mary's Church at Rydal in Westmorland, kept planted with daffodils in memory of William Wordsworth's daughter Dorothy, known as Dora.
The field, formerly known as Rash Field, was bought by William Wordsworth from the Backhouse family in 1826 (at which time the Wordsworths were living at Rydal Mount). His intention was to build a house on the field, though he never carried this out. At the time, the owner of Rydal Mount, Lady Anne le Flemming, was considering terminating Wordsworth's tenancy in order to house a relative: thus threatened with having to leave the beauties of Rydal, Wordsworth planned for a new home.[1] The house, had it been built, would have been right in view of Rydal Mount, and as George Webster, a renowned architect was engaged in the design, Lady Le Flemming should have been in no doubt of the poet's seriousness.[1] The threat of eviction evaporated and the house was never built.
In 1847, William's beloved daughter Dorothy (known as Dora) died, at the age of 42. William went down to the field, between Rydal Mount and the main road, and together with his wife Mary, his sister Dorothy and their gardener, he planted hundreds of daffodils as a memorial to Dora. Dora was buried at St Oswald's Church in neighbouring Grasmere.
The field today
Dora's Field now belongs to the National Trust.
It is a semi-open woodland which display a fine expanse of daffodils but also bluebells.
The field is opened to the public to wander, and for the National Gardens Scheme on the first Sunday in April. There are several benches around the garden to allow for rest and quiet contemplation.