You are here: Home > Things to Do > History and Heritage
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.
A stunning Elizabethan mansion with spectacular interiors and impressive collections of antiques. …
A playful environment filled with vibrant colours, ambient sounds and digital creatures, inspired…
Museum, art gallery and reference library covering the history life and arts of the Lakes.…
This area is rich in prehistoric remains including a standing stone, stone circle and cairns. Moor…
Early 13thC castle, formidable barrier for Scots invaders, restored by the indomitable Lady Anne…
The 8th century, Anglo Saxon Bewcastle Cross, stands free in the churchyard where it has been for…
The 15 stones, of which the tallest is just under one metre, form an almost perfect circle some 40…
This ‘hidden gem’ is the earliest known surviving example of a small English parish church designed…
A tranquil haven with an almost-forgotten industrial past. Walled garden with outstanding medicinal…
Caught in the Anglo Scottish wars of the 14th century, a good bit of luck followed the Dissolution…
Double Circle of stones surrounding cremations in urns (removed). 'Platform' cairn, small barrows,…
St Mary's has been an important religious site since the 8th century.
Steam trains running a seasonal daily service from Haverthwaite to Lakeside via the Leven valley.…
Situated in the quaint Lake District Village of Hawkshead, the boys Grammar School gives insight…
Stone circle is now incomplete and has a modern wall cutting through it, incorporating one stone.…
Visible from miles around that spire of St Mary’s nestles into the beautiful landscape of the Heart…
A fascinating historic house where the elegance and loveliness of the Victorian era combine with…
The priory is one of the architectural jewels in Cumbria and well worth a visit. This beautiful and…
Circle has a diameter of 60' and stands on a flattened mound or platform. There are 20 uprights,…
Whether you see yourself as an aviation enthusiast or simply a curious explorer, Solway Aviation…
Hadrian's Wall is a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site, marching 73 miles from sea to sea…
We are an independent brewery & distillery, proudly part of the Grasmere community. We make drinks…
Visit Carlisle Cathedral, centrally located in the heart of the city. Whether for worship, events,…
The 'Old Church' of St Martin was built in the 1660's on the site of a probable earlier chapel…
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: 117
, currently showing 1 to 20.
Kendal
A stunning Elizabethan mansion with spectacular interiors and impressive collections of antiques. Also home to the world's oldest topiary gardens, designed by Guillaume Beaumont, retain many original features. Cafe, Gift Shop and Plant Centre.
Tripadvisor Traveller Rating
706 reviewsRayrigg Rd, Bowness-on-Windermere
A playful environment filled with vibrant colours, ambient sounds and digital creatures, inspired by ecosystems found in nature. Immerse yourself in the Microworld and discover a space where creatures respond to each other and to you.
Ambleside
Museum, art gallery and reference library covering the history life and arts of the Lakes. Collections include Kurt Schwitters, Beatrix Potter, photography, fine art and local history.
Tripadvisor Traveller Rating
102 reviewsPenrith
This area is rich in prehistoric remains including a standing stone, stone circle and cairns. Moor Divock is 300 metres above sea level, forming part of Askham Fell, to the East of Ullswater.
CARLISLE
The 8th century, Anglo Saxon Bewcastle Cross, stands free in the churchyard where it has been for nearly 1500 years. The church is somewhat simpler and certainly younger, with some parts of it dating from 1277, although mostly it is from the…
Embleton
The 15 stones, of which the tallest is just under one metre, form an almost perfect circle some 40 metres in diameter. Only 15 stones of the original 30 remain.
CARLISLE
This ‘hidden gem’ is the earliest known surviving example of a small English parish church designed by ‘God’s Architect’ Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. The church retains all of its original elaborate architectural features, fittings and furniture,…
Penrith
A tranquil haven with an almost-forgotten industrial past. Walled garden with outstanding medicinal and culinary herb collection and orchards, woodland walks to a restored watermill.
Tripadvisor Traveller Rating
366 reviewsWIGTON
Caught in the Anglo Scottish wars of the 14th century, a good bit of luck followed the Dissolution of the Monasteries for this church, when the local people successfully petitioned Thomas Cromwell to allow them to continue to use the church.
Ulverston
Double Circle of stones surrounding cremations in urns (removed). 'Platform' cairn, small barrows, Romano-British farmsteads.
SEASCALE
St Mary's has been an important religious site since the 8th century.
Ulverston
Steam trains running a seasonal daily service from Haverthwaite to Lakeside via the Leven valley. Licensed tea room, gift shop, engine shed, picnic area & playground.
Workington
Stone circle is now incomplete and has a modern wall cutting through it, incorporating one stone. Eleven others survive, some only a few inches high.
AMBLESIDE
Visible from miles around that spire of St Mary’s nestles into the beautiful landscape of the Heart of the English Lake District.
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…
ST. BEES
The priory is one of the architectural jewels in Cumbria and well worth a visit. This beautiful and historic church in the seaside village of St Bees, built in 1120, is all that remains of the original Priory, but it is a thriving and much loved…
Carnforth
Circle has a diameter of 60' and stands on a flattened mound or platform. There are 20 uprights, none more than 2' high and suggesting perhaps the kerb of a destroyed cairn.
Crosby-on-Eden
Whether you see yourself as an aviation enthusiast or simply a curious explorer, Solway Aviation Museum has something to offer. Based on the site of RAF Crosby-on-Eden, a former WWII fighter base, the museum has been painstakingly created by a team…
Tripadvisor Traveller Rating
497 reviewsHexham
Hadrian's Wall is a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site, marching 73 miles from sea to sea across some of the wildest and most dramatic country in England.
Grasmere
We are an independent brewery & distillery, proudly part of the Grasmere community. We make drinks we like to drink ourselves: refreshing beers & delicious gin. Try everything we make in The Good Sport, our Grasmere tap-room.
Tripadvisor Traveller Rating
518 reviewsReceive all the latest news, special offers and information from the Lake District, Cumbria
Cumbria Tourism, Windermere Road, Staveley, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 9PL