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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.
Stone circle is now incomplete and has a modern wall cutting through it, incorporating one stone.…
Double Circle of stones surrounding cremations in urns (removed). 'Platform' cairn, small barrows,…
Set in a tranquil rural landscape, overlooked by Hadrian's Wall, Lanercost Priory forms a…
Grade I listed, it is one of the finest examples of a late medieval, vernacular Lake District…
Castle open to public at all times. Church open to public dawn to dusk. Bewcastle Cross Shaft Anglo…
The church is situated centrally in Keswick and stands out by virtue of its tall spire. The site…
The award-winning Lakes Distillery Company opened in December 2014 in The Lake District National…
A local landowner, Sarah Losh (1785-1853), designed St Mary's in 1840, partly in memory of her…
Newlands church, set in the midst of the lovely Newlands Valley, is a haven of peace and…
Imagine coming to a ruined castle, walking through its gardens and into the woodlands and stumbling…
Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house is a rare architectural gem in the heart of the Lake District…
A local landmark, the church is set on the end of a limestone ridge at the gateway to the Lake…
One mile east of Orton is the ancient Gamelands stone circle. One of the largest in Cumbria, all of…
Isel church is a beautiful Grade I listed building, which is located in an idyllic position in a…
Carlisle's taproom-led brewery. We brew, package and serve our beer in the same room — fresher than…
Located in Keswick, the home of the first pencil, visitors enter this museum through a replica…
Nenthead Mines is a historic place at Nenthead, near Alston. This remote valley is covered by…
The 8th century, Anglo Saxon Bewcastle Cross, stands free in the churchyard where it has been for…
Circle is 37' across, seven stones and the retaining kerb of a destroyed cairn. Nineteenth-century…
Family-run distillery in Kendal offering guided tours and tastings. Discover how we craft gins,…
Set in the beautiful North Pennines, Alston is the highest market town in England and St…
Lamplugh church, designed by William Butterfield, is located in a dramatic landscape on an elevated…
Situated on what was once the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith railway line, Bassenthwaite Lake…
A magical indoor attraction that brings to life all 23 Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit tales. Meet…


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: 146
, currently showing 1 to 20.
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.
Ulverston
Double Circle of stones surrounding cremations in urns (removed). 'Platform' cairn, small barrows, Romano-British farmsteads.
Brampton
Set in a tranquil rural landscape, overlooked by Hadrian's Wall, Lanercost Priory forms a magnificent and fascinating complex of historic buildings. St Mary’s sits in the former nave of the Priory, an Augustinian monastery founded in 1169.
AMBLESIDE
Grade I listed, it is one of the finest examples of a late medieval, vernacular Lake District church. It has literary connections with Wordsworth and was also the home the home of Archbishop Sandys in the 16th century.
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.
KESWICK
The church is situated centrally in Keswick and stands out by virtue of its tall spire. The site for this church commands superb views of the surrounding Lakeland hills.
Nr Bassenthwaite Lake
The award-winning Lakes Distillery Company opened in December 2014 in The Lake District National Park with the vision of producing a world class single malt whisky and a global brand that is recognised and respected around the world
CARLISLE
A local landowner, Sarah Losh (1785-1853), designed St Mary's in 1840, partly in memory of her sister and parents. Influenced by the architecture seen on her Grand Tour of Europe, she created an original design that was very much at odds with the…
KESWICK
Newlands church, set in the midst of the lovely Newlands Valley, is a haven of peace and tranquillity, it can be traced back to the mid 16th century, although it was substantially refurbished in the 1840s.
Penrith
Imagine coming to a ruined castle, walking through its gardens and into the woodlands and stumbling across one of the largest adventure playgrounds in the country. When you do this at Lowther, you have found the lost castle.
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.
Kendal
A local landmark, the church is set on the end of a limestone ridge at the gateway to the Lake District National Park with beautiful views across the Kent Estuary to Morecambe Bay.
Penrith
One mile east of Orton is the ancient Gamelands stone circle. One of the largest in Cumbria, all of its stones have fallen over so none are higher than one yard but they are 100 yards in circumference.
Cockermouth
Isel church is a beautiful Grade I listed building, which is located in an idyllic position in a carefully tended churchyard close to the River Derwent and the grounds of Isel Hall.
W Walls, Carlisle
Carlisle's taproom-led brewery. We brew, package and serve our beer in the same room — fresher than you'll find anywhere else. Pizza by the slice. Open Thursday to Sunday. Dog-friendly.
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.
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…
Penrith
Circle is 37' across, seven stones and the retaining kerb of a destroyed cairn. Nineteenth-century excavations produced a cremation.
Boundary Bank, Kendal
Family-run distillery in Kendal offering guided tours and tastings. Discover how we craft gins, spirits and the iconic Kendal Mint Cake Liqueur at the gateway to the Lake District.
Alston
Set in the beautiful North Pennines, Alston is the highest market town in England and St Augustine's houses the unique single handed Derwentwater Clock.
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