Shelley Cottage

4.7 Based on 36 reviews
  • Central Keswick
  • Sleeps 4
  • Bedrooms 2
  • Bathrooms 1.5

Overview

Shelley Cottage is a Grade 2 listed Georgian property built circa 1790. It is an historical listing, based on the cottage’s connection to the revered Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Shelley spent his honeymoon here with his first wife, Harriet, staying for several months in 1811-12.
He is thought to have frequented the Royal Oak in Keswick with some of the other lake poets, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey.

Features

Parking
Parking
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Great views
Great views
Bike Storage
Bike Storage
Bus stop within 0.5 miles
Bus stop within 0.5 miles
Central Heating
Central Heating
Dishwasher
Dishwasher
Gas & Electric Included
Gas & Electric Included
Linen Provided
Linen Provided
Non-Smoking
Non-Smoking
Pet Friendly
Pet Friendly
Pub within 1 mile
Pub within 1 mile
Shop within 1 mile
Shop within 1 mile
Towels
Towels
The pretty Summer house provides a relaxing haven to enjoy a good book and admire the Rhododendrons in bloom

Description

If you're seeking a special property with the 'wow' factor look no further than Shelley’s Cottage. This two bedroom, 1.5 bathroom, property of historical interest has been sympathetically refurbished to an exceptional standard with attention to detail throughout.

There is so much to love about this quaint characterful cottage where new and old blend seamlessly, and given the links to one of the most celebrated Romantic Poets of that era, Percy Shelley, the cottage would be an excellent choice for a romantic getaway, but also serves well family holidays or walkers looking for a convenient base to explore the area.

As you enter the cottage you will find yourself in the impressive hallway, with umbrella stand and space for coats and boots, and first impressions are sure to be positive!

The brand new modern kitchen in cool blue tones will certainly tempt you to cook and dine in during your visit. The kitchen is well stocked with plenty of cookware, crockery and glassware, and is fitted with an under counter fridge, dishwasher, integrated microwave, electric hob, oven, plenty of cupboard space, and a stunning butlers sink. Essentials are paired with indulgent extras such as a Nespresso coffee machine and a wine cooler.

The delightful living room has a comfortable two seater fabric sofa, window bench, and two easy chairs positioned around the wall mounted Smart TV, and a lovely reading corner in the nook next to the window where you can take a moment to gaze over the fell views. The room is impeccably decorated with quality furniture and beautiful co-ordinating colours and fabrics for a homely feel.

The luxurious bathroom with marble tile has excellent fixtures and fittings, and features a Victorian style bath with shower over, double sinks and plenty of storage.

Downstairs there is a second WC and stunning marble sink in keeping with the style of the cottage. The two bedrooms, one king and one twin, are both positioned to the back of the cottage and each have bespoke beds dressed in crisp white luxury linen and towels. There are beams and some lower clearances downstairs as you will find in period buildings.

The multi-functional private gardens are equally as impressive as the cottage. There is a raised patio area with table and chairs perfect for alfresco dining amongst the fells. The garden is lovingly maintained and the extensive outdoor space a huge bonus for a property within walking distance of Keswick town centre. There is even a lovely Summer house in a peaceful corner of the garden where guests could easily escape the everyday and spend an afternoon of quiet bliss. But don’t be fooled, the garden doesn’t end there! There is a pathway to discover at the bottom of the garden to uncover the ‘Secret Garden’ beyond. Walk through the archway in the Beech tree hedge and down the gravelled pathway to a rejuvenated Greenhouse. It has been transformed into a fabulous private space for alfresco drinks under the grape vines.

The house boasts fabulous open views of the fells and feels very private, yet is only a 15 minute walk from Keswick town centre.

Guests will not need to worry about parking as there are 2 car parking spaces (one on the gravel driveway, and a second space inside the private garage – also suitable for bike storage)

We advise that children and pets are supervised while enjoying the garden facilities as there is a small frog pond.

Keswick offers plenty of options to keep you occupied during your stay. For walkers the Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trial which starts next to the Keswick Leisure centre is a 5 kilometre (10 kilometre there and back) walk along what was once a railway track. It offers beautiful views and is a multi-user trial suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility scooters. If you fancy something with a little more elevation and spectacular views, Latrigg and Walla Crag can be reached from your doorstep, and you can even tick off some Wainwrights! 10 minutes out of Keswick is Whinlatter forest, which offers a huge selection of walks and outdoor activities.

Keswick itself offers lots of amenities, from shops to cafés, pubs to theatres, you will be spoilt for choice.

Location

Adventure icon Adventure
Family Actvities icon Family Actvities
Pubs, Restaurants and Cafes icon Pubs, Restaurants and Cafes
Rainy Day Activities icon Rainy Day Activities
Shopping icon Shopping
What's On icon What's On

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Reviews

Had a fantastic time ! Great location and Keswick is such a great place day and night
Stayed for 2 nights in Shelley Cottage. Great location and Keswick is my favourite place in the lakes. We had great weather and the garden was lovely with the summer house that is a real sun trap. Views from the Cottage are stunning.
Lovely cottage but some issues experienced
A very well decorated and furnished cottage at the top of Chestnut Hill in Keswick, approximately 15-20 minutes walk to the centre and very close to a bus stop. The cottage interior is excellent and very comfortable, we had a couple of minor issues over the toaster and the tv which were quickly resolved by Keswick Cottages whose customer service is, as ever, is excellent. The big down side for the cottage was the horrible smell of damp in the lower level, the de-humidifiers helped with the smell but it did spoil our experience for the first couple of days. We found the garden was overgrown on arrival but Keswick Cottages arranged for a gardener to trim the bushes and cut the lawn which helped a lot, the picture of the patio on the website was misleading, the space for the table and chairs is very tight and only accessible from the front door and through the garden gate, a shame really as it could be lovely.

Hi Stephen, Thank you for your review. Shelley Cottage is a Grade 2 listed building constructed c1790 and the owner has renovated the cottage with the intention of upgrading whilst still being in keeping with the cottage's character. The smell of damp is due to an on-going issue that the owner and ourselves are working to resolve as quickly as possible so as not to impact guest bookings and experiences too much. I am pleased that we could resolve the other issues that you had and I hope that this did not impact your stay too much and you still had a fantastic holiday. Best wishes, Keswick Cottages

Keswick Cottages , August 2025

Nice cottage, but does need some TLC
The cottage is beautiful, although as many has pointed out has some issues, like damp smell. It didn't really bother us much, as sometimes the smell actually was making the cottage more authentic There were 2 dehumidifiers , which I was told to run every day to keep the damp away... which I have been doing and emptying the water tanks daily - You Are Welcome Keswick Cottages we had couple rainy mornings which caused quite a deep puddle right outside front door! So it was really awkward to get in the cottage..as you have to hop over or plodge through it ..later in the day the water would have disappeared, but it of course contributes to the dampness inside... Need to mention bathroom, as again everyone else had in the previous reviews...it is really beautiful design, but absolutely useless when you have to wash your hair... shower head is so low and worst there is a noticeable gap between bath tub and screen, so water just runs on the floor... The kitchen was well equipped and beautiful, but my advice to the owner to get a fridge -freezer fitted somehow...as tiny fridge was not quite enough... Sitting room was really nice and comfy and views out of the windows were beautiful. Downstairs bedrooms were cosy, although as they are in the basement , my 6 yr old was convinced there was a ghost....I mean maybe there was one ...it is a rather old building after all?! LoL Garden was beautiful after lovely gardener came in and cut the grass - it made a real difference as everyone who has a garden will agree Be mindful that to get to the garden you have to leave through the front door, as there isn't a back door...which is again my advice to the owner to consider as a modification to the property..The garden itself does need A LOT of work - as very overgrown and doesn't look like on the pictures anymore, sadly...same is about the secret passage to frog pond and greenhouse...all is very overgrown and needs cutting back. The summer house was OK, but would prefer to sit on the veranda to get some amazing views.. I guess all in all it was OK, but I don't think it was reasonably priced for what it is now....maybe it would have been at the time the pictures on the website were made... I must mention the location however, as Location is everything and it is amazing...as we know Keswick quite well we had few different routes right from the door step, but even if you are first time there it will be super easy to get your bearings and get out and about

Hi Evgenia, Thank you for your comments and generous ratings, the owners and us here at Keswick Cottages work very hard to provide an amazing experience for guests so this is appreciated. Before your break at Shelley Cottage we did speak about the mains water leak identified by United Utilities, when it was to be resolved and the activities required with ventilation/the dehumidifiers to manage this during your stay. This has been a really challenging leak to resolve, with the added factor of our desire not to impact any holidays. Thank you for your understanding and efforts with this as the only other alternative would have been to cancel your stay. The leak has now been resolved and as you highlight there is some tlc required as there are some minor signs of where moisture has penetrated to the interior, this will be addressed after a period for drying out. Shelley Cottage is a Grade 2 listed building constructed c1790, due to this it has some quirks compared to a modern home, which many believe adds to its character, the recent renovation was intended to update the cottage respectfully in keeping with this. This listed status does mean that there are restrictions on what can be done with it. There are low ceilings and limited space in places, which means some compromises have had to be made with the renovation, specifically to fit the shower and fridge in. It is not architecturally possible to create a back door, and even if it was the listed status means development is restricted and it would not be approved by Allerdale Council. Thanks for your comments on the garden, it is an extensive area which is great to enjoy the sunshine and stunning views of Latrigg to the north and over to Catbells to the east. We have a gardener that attends fortnightly, we will increase that. We are not aware of any ghosts or other supernatural beings but will monitor from now on! Best wishes, Keswick Cottages

Keswick Cottages , August 2025

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A beautiful cottage , in a beautiful part of the country, lakes and mountains literally on the door step.The cottage has everything you need.
Fantastic cottage in a great location Gorgeous cottage with fantastic views from the rear garden. Great location in Keswick, only a 10 minute walk to the town center. The cottage was spotless and had everything needed for my stay. Highly recommended and will be booking again
We had a fantastic stay in Keswick and Shelley Cottage. Cannot recommend it enough and couldn’t fault anything at the cottage. The decor was thoughtfully and tastefully considered throughout, with a well equipped kitchen and impeccable cleanliness. The beds were super comfortable too and both the garden and the view made it a relaxing stay. The communication from Keswick Cottages both before, during and after the stay has been great which made the whole experience hassle free.
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