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Wherever you are in Cumbria and the Lake District you can feel the shadow of a deep cultural heritage. Here are the standing stones and circles of the ancients, the powerful traces of Rome and the mighty fortresses of the Normans. The history of the Vikings, the Angles and the Saxons is read in the names they left behind, including fell, dale, beck, ghyll, mere, tarn and howe.
Later arrivals came not to conquer but to bask in the beauty of the landscapes and let it inspire them to artistic greatness: William Wordsworth, John Ruskin, Beatrix Potter, JMW Turner, Kurt Schwitters and Andy Goldsworthy are just a few of the names who carved their creativity out of Cumbrian stone; today, a rich creative life builds on this exceptional heritage.
You can see it and feel it within a few short miles; the artworks in mountains and forests, the scores of galleries and artists’ studios, the packed programme performances and festivals – not just music and comedy but wool, print and ceramics. It's the intimate venues and outdoor stages in stunning settings that make a cultural break here something unique.
For a taste of the art and culture waiting for you in England’s best-known landscape explore the sections below and at www.lakesculture.co.uk.
Entered from the Market Square through handsome cloisters built in 1810, the parish church stands…
A tranquil haven with an almost-forgotten industrial past. Walled garden with outstanding medicinal…
Whether you see yourself as an aviation enthusiast or simply a curious explorer, Solway Aviation…
The smallest church near the deepest lake and the highest mountain in England.
Set in the heart of Sedbergh in a beautifully maintained churchyard the church, which dates from…
Swarthmoor Hall is a 17th century, Grade II* listed country house. It is known as the cradle of…
This church is well known because of its associations with the great Romantic poet William…
St Mary's has been an important religious site since the 8th century.
Carlisle Brewing Co is a small, family-run brewery based in Cumbria's capital city. We make beer…
A fascinating historic house where the elegance and loveliness of the Victorian era combine with…
Situated in the quaint Lake District Village of Hawkshead, the boys Grammar School gives insight…
Now a ruin, Furness Abbey was once the second most powerful Cistercian monastery in Britain, after…
Parkland and Gothic Revival castle sitting on the west shore of Windermere providing an impressive…
Home to the Hasell family since 1679, visitors to Dalemain will discover a fascinating combination…
Come and join us at The Old Calf Shed for a behind-the-scenes look at our distillery, followed by a…
Visit Carlisle Cathedral, centrally located in the heart of the city. Whether for worship, events,…
The present circle of 10 standing stones, 80' diameter, was restored in 1949. The stone circle is…
Several stone circles and many small cairns are visible on the moor. The circles are distinguished…
The tranquility of St Andrew's church, set on the banks of the river Esk, belies the turbulence of…
The beer hall is the Brewery Tap, sampling room, visitors centre and beer shop. it is a fully…
Dating back to the 17th century, this unique building stands over Stock Beck in the middle of…
Situated in the beautiful valley of Dentdale, Cumbria yet within the boundary of the Yorkshire…
According to architectural historian Nicholas Pevsner, this is ‘the stateliest church of its time…
Imposing and well-preserved turret with adjoining stretches of Hadrian's Wall.
Wherever you are in Cumbria the history of the Vikings, the Angles and the Saxons is read in the names they left behind
Number of results: 119
, currently showing 81 to 100.
Bewcastle, Carlisle
Castle open to public at all times. Church open to public dawn to dusk. Bewcastle Cross Shaft Anglo Saxon 7thC, beside church. Dates from 1361, east wall 12thC.
The Promenade, Maryport
Roman museum displaying the internationally significant collection of Romano-British altars, inscriptions and sculptures from the adjacent Roman fort and civilian settlement.
Kendal
Lakeland Arts' much-loved art collection includes paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture ranging from the 1700's to the present. In our refreshed collection galleries discover the stories of our extraordinary collection pieces and the people…
Keswick
Located in Keswick, the home of the first pencil, visitors enter this museum through a replica graphite mine which would have served as the source of the pencil industry over three centuries ago.
Barrow-in-Furness
Now a ruin, Furness Abbey was once the second most powerful Cistercian monastery in Britain, after Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire.
Penrith
The stream which flows over Aira Force is Aira Beck, which rises on the upper slopes of Stybarrow Dodd at a height of 720 metres and flows north-easterly before turning south, blocked by the high heather-covered slopes of Gowbarrow Fell.
GRANGE-OVER-SANDS
St. Peter's is an outstanding example of the decorated style of architecture, with its warm red sandstone and distinctive shingled spire and clay tiled roof, an unusual feature in the Lake District.
Bowness-on-Windermere
Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house is a rare architectural gem in the heart of the Lake District and offers a perfectly preserved snapshot of early 20th-century living.
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881 reviewsWhitehaven
Imagine leaving the heart of Whitehaven's historic port and being taken back in time to an exotic tropical island's rainforest in the Caribbean, that is just the start of your great adventure in The Rum Story.
Penrith
Home to the Hasell family since 1679, visitors to Dalemain will discover a fascinating combination of history, architecture and family which is both a Cumbrian and national story. Dalemain is an award-winning delight and is part of the UNESCO World…
Grasmere
Make yourself comfortable in the former home of National Trust Founder, Canon Rawnsley. Only partially restored and decorated, this isn’t a typical National Trust experience.
SEDBERGH
Cautley chapel was built in the early 1860s by the Upton family, when the London and North Western Railway was building its Ingleton branch and sent a Scripture Reader to the navvies.
Coniston
Meet Coniston's heroes, John Ruskin, artist, radical and seer and Donald Campbell, speed ace. View the fully restored Bluebird craft in the Bluebird wing of the museum. Discover the mineral wealth of the fells, all at 'the most thought provoking…
Grange-over-Sands
A fascinating historic house where the elegance and loveliness of the Victorian era combine with the warmth and welcome of a much loved family home. The hall is set in 25 acres of romantic formal & woodland gardens and ancient parkland, with the…
Eskdale
Hardknott Roman Fort is one of the most dramatically sited and remote Roman forts in Britain. It measures just three-acres and the fort at Hardknott enjoyed command of the Eskdale Valley and the Roman road to Ravenglass.
Keswick
Raised in circa 3000BC, Castlerigg is perhaps the most atmospheric of all British stone circles with the mountain of Helvellyn as a dramatic backdrop.
Grasmere
A visit to Dove Cottage today transports you back to this remarkable period of ‘plain living and high thinking’. The sights, sounds and smells bring to life the bustling family home the Wordsworths would have known over 200 years ago.
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968 reviewsSedbergh
Farfield Mill is a Victorian woollen mill in the Yorkshire Dales. Home to artists’ studios, art exhibitions, heritage looms and tea room.
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247 reviewsCarlisle
Standing proudly in the city it has dominated for nine centuries, Carlisle Castle remained a working fortress until well within living memory. Today's highlights include the Prisoners' beautiful carvings, the exhibition and wall walk.
Ambleside
Beatrix Potter's iconic house, full of her personal possessions, with traditional cottage garden. Her paintings of the House and garden were used to illustrate many of her tales.
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