| Prices | Bursaries | Registration |

Wordsworth Summer Conference 2025
will take place on 4th-14th August

Key Features

- The conference is in two parts, of five nights each

- Either 4 or 9 full days in Rydal 

- Fell-walks,  Excursions, Local Walks

- Keynote Lectures and Conference Papers

Registration: Opening in April
Proposal Deadline:  Friday 25th April, noon (UK time)
 

The  2025 Wordsworth Summer Conference at elegant Rydal Hall will be the 54th since Richard Wordsworth’s inaugural conference gathering in 1970. This year we continue the format pioneered by Richard, mingling lectures, papers and lively academic debate with  fell walking, picturesque rambles, and excursions to places of Wordsworthian and Romantic interest. Upper and Lower Rydal Falls are within the grounds of the Hall, and Rydal Mount—Wordsworth’s home from 1813 until 1850—is a two-minute walk away. 

By courtesy of the Wordsworth Trust, our opening night will include a candlelight visit to Dove Cottage. There will be a separate opportunity to explore the treasures of the Wordsworth Trust’s collections, and Part 2 will open with a visit to Wordsworth's Rydal Mount and garden. As in 2024, we will aim to continue our local focus for walks, climbs and excursions. 

Format and Costs

The Conference is in two parts of 5 days each, with a changeover day on Saturday 9 August when those participating in both parts of the conference enjoy an all-day fell walk or excursion. The registration fee for residents, which includes excursions, offers exceptional value at £280 for five days and £400 for ten days  (£252 and £360 for Foundation Members/Friends). All resident participants will take all meals at Rydal Hall. These figures replace any previously issued for WSC 2025.

For full details of resident and non-resident rates, our terms and conditions, galleries of past conferences, and a registration page please visit the Foundation website: https://www.wordsworthconferences.org.uk  

Proposals
 

We invite proposals for twenty-minute papers on all aspects of William and Dorothy Wordsworth, their contemporaries and the Romantic period. We also welcome proposals on all topics related to Romantic period culture and literature and  likewise welcome panel suggestions of 2-3 papers).

Papers that identify a bicentenary Wordsworth  theme linking the 1820s to the 2020s  will be welcomed and, as the 1820s was a productive decade. Further themes for papers might include Dorothy Wordsworth's writings in the 1820s,  the Wordsworth family in the 1820s, the natural world, industry, steam power, and Wordsworthian travels in the 1820s. 

Please note that participants presenting papers must attend as full participants for either all of Part 1 or all of Part 2, or the whole ten-day conference. 

Applications

Proposal Deadline: 25th April 2025

To be sent to: proposal.wsc@gmail.com

Format

200-word proposals for papers of no more than 2750 words, together with a brief autobiographical

paragraph, unformatted, should occupy no more than 1 side of A4 in MS Word format. Please remember to include your name, institution and e-mail address on the abstract. Please do not send proposals as a PDF  file as they will be copied into a composite MS Word document.

Bursaries
 

This year, 10 bursaries of £450 are available.

Bursary applicants:

Your application should be in the form of a Word attachment (not PDF) containing a paper proposal of 200 words, together with a short unformatted cv in the same file, the entire application being not more than two sides of A4 (the file will be copied and pasted into a composite file, so please avoid elaborate formatting). Applicants should also arrange for a short message of academic recommendation to be sent  independently to the same email address (see above) verifying the applicant’s academic status and country of residence. Candidates need not specify which bursary they are applying for. They will automatically be considered for any bursary for which they are eligible. Please be sure to identify your application as a ‘Bursary Application’ in the subject of the email.

Bursars will pay a reduced registration fee of £200
 

Papers should not be longer than 2750 words.

All proposals for papers, bursary applications  (and references, if applicable) should be emailed by 25th April 2025 to 

proposal.wsc@gmail.com

Accommodation:

All accommodation will be in Rydal Hall unless attending as a non-resident.
Bursars will be accommodated in twin rooms.

Enquiries are to be emailed to: wordsworthsummerconference@gmail.com