The Lake District is legendary for its breath-taking magnificence and superb landscapes; fells and lakes that present a unending playground for us to discover. But because the nights attract and the temperatures start to drop, it’s at all times value having a chilly or wet day various up your sleeve. So why not go to one of many area’s many museums, an opportunity to step again in time and delve into the Lake District’s wealthy historical past? And if you happen to want slightly inspiration, listed below are ten of our favourites.
Windermere Jetty Museum
Windermere Jetty Museum is positioned proper on the shores of Lake Windermere and boasts a surprising assortment of boats and crusing vessels, together with steam launches, record-breaking pace boats and motorboats.
As properly as displaying a historical past of crusing on Windermere reaching as far again on the eighteenth century, additionally, you will have a chance to see ongoing restoration tasks.
Vessels embrace Swallow and Amazon, circa 1950, the boat used within the BBC movie adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s well-known guide; Beatrix Potter’s tarn boat, circa 1890; and SL Dolly (circa 1850), the oldest mechanically powered boat on this planet (nonetheless in operating order).
Lakeland Motor Museum
Sticking to the transport theme, the Lakeland Motor Museum is dwelling to over 30,000 reveals starting from classic hearth engines to collectible toys. This is an absolute should for any motor fanatic.
The museum is positioned in a transformed mill within the village of Backbarrow. Among the 30,000 or so reveals are round 140 traditional vehicles and motorbikes, in addition to a bunch of different ‘automobilia’. Take a visit down reminiscence lane as you wander by over 100 years of automotive historical past, in addition to some native historical past, genuine recreations and interval purchasing shows.
You may even get to see the exhibition devoted to the work of Sir Malcolm Campbell and his son Donald, who between them set twenty-one land a water pace information. The exhibition features a timeline of their achievements, in addition to full dimension replicas of the 1935 Bluebird automotive, the 1939 Bluebird boat and the 1967 jet hydroplane, Bluebird K7.
Barrow Dock Museum
Built in an historic 19th century dock, Barrow Dock Museum is dwelling to an array of objects charting the social and industrial historical past of the Furness space.
Learn about how Barrow started life as a small farming village earlier than reworking itself right into a bustling industrial centre inside only a few a long time.
Since then, this little-explored city has been on the chopping fringe of maritime expertise, the constructing place of submarines, warships and delightful liners.
The Barrow Dock Museum offers you an opportunity to seek out out extra concerning the fascinating heritage of the world, in addition to Barrow’s lengthy historical past constructing vessels.
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Derwent Pencil Museum
Yes, there actually is a museum to have a good time the standard pencil and we will guarantee you {that a} journey to the Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick is a good day trip for the entire household.
On your go to, which begins by coming into by a duplicate graphite mine, you’ll be taught that Keswick was the house of the primary pencil and that graphite, used to make the well-known Derwent pencils, was first found in Borrowdale the place farmers used it to mark their sheep.
Having left the ‘mine’, you’ll uncover the origins of the Derwent Pencil firm which started life as a small cottage manufacturing, in addition to some superb historic information. For occasion, the key pencils which have been used throughout WW2 that comprise hidden maps; the Queen’s particular Diamond Jubilee Pencil; and miniature pencil sculptures.
Finish your journey with an image of your self alongside the museum’s showstopper – a large 8m tall pencil.
Laurel and Hardy Museum
Housed in a 1937 artwork deco cinema in Ulverston, the world-famous Laurel and Hardy Museum is considered the biggest assortment of Laurel and Hardy memorabilia. But why Ulverston? Because it’s the start place of 1 half of the comedy duo – in 1890, Stan Laurel was born only a few streets away in Foundry Cottages, now named Argyll Street.
The museum began life as one man’s of photographs which crammed just a few scrapbooks till the gathering crammed one small room. The assortment stored rising and these days contains film-worn costumes, letters and even furnishings, in addition to the possibility to observe a few of their movies.
Dove Cottage and Wordsworth Museum
“I wandered lonely as a cloud, that floats on high o’er vales and hills, when all at once I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils”.
Arguably probably the most well-known lyrical phrases penned by William Wordsworth, they have been written in 1804 when the poet was residing at Dove Cottage together with his sister Dorothy.
Situated on the sting of the village of Grasmere, Dove Cottage was the house of the well-known Romantic poet William Wordsworth and his spouse Mary and his sister Dorothy.
Nowadays the cottage is run by the Wordsworth Trust and provides you an opportunity to expertise the sights, sounds and smells of Dove Cottage. Attached to the cottage is the Wordsworth Museum the place moments taken from his poems and his sister’s Grasmere journal inform the story of their life right here.
Hill Top, Beatrix Potter’s House
Let’s transfer on to a different Lake District legend – Beatrix Potter. Beatrix Potter is a part of the panorama of the Lake District. Wherever you go, you might be prone to come throughout one thing linked to the writer, be it Peter Rabbit merchandise or native youngsters’s points of interest.
Hill Top was Beatrix Potter’s former dwelling, purchased with the proceeds from ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’. Run by the National Trust, the home is a time capsule of her life within the Lake District and seems as if she has simply popped out for a stroll.
The environment offered the inspiration for thus lots of her books – in truth, ‘The Tale of Samuel Whiskers’ was set solely inside the home and lots of the guide’s illustrations match objects of furnishings nonetheless current at the moment.
Take a stroll by the gardens and spot the rhubarb patch the place Jemima Puddle-Duck laid her egg, in addition to the backyard the place Tom Kitten and his sisters performed.
Ruskin Museum, Coniston
The Ruskin Museum opened in 1901 as a memorial to author, artist and social reformer, John Ruskin.
Inside you’ll be taught extra about John Ruskin, about what impressed him and the way his thought and concepts have influenced trendy society, together with the creation of the National Trust and trendy environmentalism.
The museum additionally particulars the efforts of Donald Campbell and his quest to develop into the quickest particular person on land and water in addition to writer Arthur Ransome who was so taken with the Lake District and the native panorama that he was impressed to put in writing ‘Swallows and Amazons’.
Wherever your pursuits lie, from historical past to geology, artwork to engineering, you’ll little doubt discover one thing of curiosity within the Ruskin Museum.
Kendal Museum
Founded in 1796 by William Todhunter, Kendal is likely one of the oldest museums within the UK. And you’ll be stunned at what you’ll discover, together with the biggest taxidermy assortment in Europe – you’ll even come nose to nose with an actual dimension polar bear.
In reality, Kendal Museum is positively brimming with curios, historic artefacts and informative shows. This smaller scale Natural History Museum has one thing for everybody, together with a number of internationally recognised collections.
This is a customer attraction of distinction – not solely will you be engaged, you’ll be enthralled.
Hawkshead Grammar School Museum
The Hawkshead Grammar School Museum is located within the quaint Lake District village of Hawkshead and provides an perception into what life on the faculty would have been like for its pupils because it opened in 1585. Among these pupils was none apart from William Wordsworth.
Anyone visiting the museum may have entry to the primary classroom, the headmaster’s examine and the upstairs classroom, which is now an exhibition room displaying many desirable objects, books and paperwork regarding the college and the individuals who have been related to it through the years.
There are so many great museums within the Lake District and Cumbria, so whittling it down to only ten was a problem. Rest assured, wherever you might be within the space, from Whitehaven to Windermere, Carlisle to Keswick, you’ll discover one thing that can pique your curiosity.
Rachael Thomas is Managing Director of Matson Ground Estate Company Limited, which has plenty of Lake District vacation cottages, together with Birkdale House. Birkdale House is a luxurious Victorian residence on the coronary heart of a privately owned property within the English Lake District.
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