Coleridge Cottage (National Trust), Minehead, Exmoor National Park
[Main photo: Kubla Khan manuscript in Coleridge Cottage in Nether Stowey]
It was here that Coleridge had the freedom to write his most famous poetry
The Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived in this cottage for three years at the end of the eighteenth century. ‘It was here that Coleridge had the freedom to write his most famous poetry, including ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and ‘Kubla Khan’’ (source: information board at Coleridge Cottage). It's a fascinating place and essential visiting if you're on holiday in the area.
Location of Coleridge Cottage
The Quantock Hills National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) is to the east of Exmoor National Park. The National Landscape runs from the Bristol Channel coast south east towards the M5 and Taunton area.
Coleridge Cottage is located in Nether Stowey on the eastern border of the National Landscape.
We’ve positioned Coleridge Cottage on Google maps. Zoom in on the ‘Satellite’ setting to see its location.
Directions to, and parking at, Coleridge Cottage
The A39 cuts across the Quantock Hills National Landscape. Follow the A39 if you’re approaching from the west (Exmoor) or east (Bridgwater/M5).
Coleridge Cottage is situated in Lime Street opposite the The Ancient Mariner pub. There’s parking at the pub if you’re using its services.
Coleridge Cottage
The compact cottage is packed with information boards, displays, books, manuscripts and objects that tell the stories of both Coleridge’s life and the wider Romantic movement.
‘Deep in the winter of 1797, poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge brought his young family down from Clevedon to live here, in the ‘hovel’ at Nether Stowey.
He wanted a simple, clean, and rustic life, and for his baby son, Hartley, to grow up close to nature. The family lived here for just three years, but it turned out to be the most inspirational time of Coleridge’s life.
Whether walking in the Somerset countryside, or beside the fire on a cold night, it was here that Coleridge had the freedom to write his most famous poetry, including ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and ‘Kubla Khan’.
When they left, the family took all their belongings, so we have recreated the rooms as we believe they would have been, based on evidence in diaries and letters.
As you wander through the cottage, look out for ways to experience life as a Georgian, with costumes to try on, quills and ink to write with, and drawers with hidden secrets to open and explore …’ (Source: information board at Coleridge Cottage.)
The villages and countryside around Nether Stowey
If you have time, we’d recommend exploring the wider area. Walk the Quantock Hills National Landscape, the West Somerset coast and the wooded valleys and high moor of Exmoor National Park.
'The villages and countryside around Nether Stowey are peppered with connections to Coleridge’s poetry, and that of his friend William Wordsworth, who also briefly moved to the area. Together, they began Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poetry which is considered by many to mark the beginning of the Romantic literary movement. With the freedom to walk, to write, and to socialise, Coleridge had the perfect conditions to produce some incredible poetry that still inspires people today.
‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, the dark tale about a doomed sailor who shot an albatross and was cursed by demons, is believed to be inspired by nearby Watchet harbour. ‘Kubla Khan’, the product of laudanum-soaked dreams, was famously interrupted by a “person from Porlock”, and ‘Frost at Midnight’ beautifully describes the interior of the Cottage in Nether Stowey on a cold winter’s night, with frost creeping patterns over the window pane. You can visit the room where Coleridge wrote this poem, and in the colder months see the fire flickering in the very same fireplace.' (Source: National Trust website.)
If this is of interest, make sure you see The Ancient Mariner in Watchet and walk a section of the Coleridge Way.
Historical and cultural attractions near near Coleridge Cottage
Cleeve Abbey (English Heritage)
Dunster Castle (National Trust)
Remnants of Dunster Priory including Dunster Gardens, Dovecote and Tithe Barn.
Dunster Yarn Market, Butter Cross and Gallox Bridge (English Heritage)
Lee Abbey and Lee Abbey Bay Beach
Other attractions near Coleridge Cottage
Dunster Estate (The Crown Estate)
South West Coast Path Start/End Sculpture
Coleridge Way
The Coleridge Way is a long distance footpath that runs between Nether Stowey on the border of the Quantock Hills National Landscape and Lynton (The Valley of Rocks) on the Exmoor National Park coast.
Villages and towns near Coleridge Cottage
Holford
Watchet
Dunster
Minehead
Selworthy
Allerford
Bossington
Porlock
Porlock Weir
Photo Gallery
