The Armitt Museum

Written by: Amanda S

Location: Ambleside
Venue: The Armitt Museum
Duration: Afternoon Visit

As part of Cumbria Tourism’s 50th anniversary, the team are trying out 50 different tourism experiences throughout the year – to help inspire your own days out across the Lake District, Cumbria. Amanda S, Gavin, and Lynne visited The Armitt Museum in Ambleside to tour their collections and exhibitions.

Tucked away in a quiet corner, close to the entrance to The University of Cumbria’s Ambleside Campus, The Armitt offers a fascinating insight into the history and heritage of Ambleside and surrounding Lakeland.

Our visit began with hearing how The Armitt was started in 1912 as a subscription library by Mary Louisa Armitt, a true polymath whose chief passion was musicology, but she was also interested in history, ornithology and education. The museum's displays document the development of The Armitt and go on to explore the social history of Ambleside and the surrounding area, local history and characters, who are further brought to life through film and exhibitions.

 

The museum is rightly proud of its beautiful collection of art work by German born artist Kurt Schwitters, who settled in Ambleside in 1945 as a refugee. This year (2024), a number of his portraits are on display as The Armitt explores his life in Ambleside. Do take the time to talk to museum staff if you have any questions as they have in-depth knowledge of - and an obvious passion for - all the items in the museum and library collection.

After spending time viewing Schwitters work, we moved on to the next area of the museum which is currently hosting an exhibition on fell running – Running Int’ Fells. An exhibition focussing purely on the endurance sport of fell running is a first of its kind for Cumbria. This came as a surprise because the sport, like Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, feels so much an integral part of the county. The Armitt co-curated the exhibition with members of the fell running community, and it is a timely and fitting tribute to the sport that I would highly recommend seeing.

 

Upstairs, The Armitt’s library houses an impressive historical record of many aspects of Lake District Life and natural history of the region. From the works of William Wordsworth to the early editions of Lake District guidebooks by Thomas West, William Wordsworth and Alfred Wainwright, it would be very easy to spend hours browsing the extensive collection on display. But perhaps The Armitt is more well known for its collection of Beatrix Potter’s scientific watercolours of fungi – these are stunning works of art in their own right, and the story behind them is fascinating.

There are also displays of interesting and unusual archaeological finds from Ambleside Roman Fort, and it was interesting to hear from museum staff how recent research findings into the fort’s history came about because of The Armitt’s collection.

 

Before you leave pay a visit to The Armitt shop, as it is the ideal place to buy prints of Beatrix Potter’s fungi drawings, books on local history and the work of local craftspeople.

The Armitt is run by an independent trust, and admission fees (currently £7 per adult, Students £4 and children under 16 are free) goes towards keeping the museum and library open. Check their website for details of talks and guided heritage walks.

For more information visit:

The Armitt website

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