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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.
Home to the Hasell family since 1679, visitors to Dalemain will discover a fascinating combination…
Entered from the Market Square through handsome cloisters built in 1810, the parish church stands…
Discover a hidden gem in the historic heart of Carlisle—West Walls Brewing Co., Cumbria’s first…
The tranquility of St Andrew's church, set on the banks of the river Esk, belies the turbulence of…
St Peter’s was built in 1874 designed by well known Lancashire firm of Paley and Austin and won an…
Brantwood, the former home of eminent Victorian John Ruskin and a treasure house of art and…
The award-winning Lakes Distillery Company opened in December 2014 in The Lake District National…
A beautiful Norman church on site of 7th century monastery in peaceful Lakeland location and home…
Come and visit our brewery to find out more about us and the beers we make. Only a 2 minute walk…
Right in the heart of Kirkby Lonsdale,the beautiful Norman church sits above the River Lune with…
The mainly 15thC remains of a castle begun by Bishop Strickland of Carlisle and developed by the…
Stone circle is now incomplete and has a modern wall cutting through it, incorporating one stone.…
A fine example of a Georgian church, which has been sympathetically modernised.
Now a ruin, Furness Abbey was once the second most powerful Cistercian monastery in Britain, after…
Hardknott Roman Fort is one of the most dramatically sited and remote Roman forts in Britain. It…
Historic house and gardens based on a medieval pele towers with substantial 17th, 18th and 19thC…
Today, the principal feature is the Goggleby Stone, a 12 ton monolith, which was re-erected in 1975…
Swarthmoor Hall is a 17th century, Grade II* listed country house. The Hall is regarded as the…
The 'Old Church' of St Martin was built in the 1660's on the site of a probable earlier chapel…
A local landowner, Sarah Losh (1785-1853), designed St Mary's in 1840, partly in memory of her…
Situated on the western coast in the rural village of Rowrah, our beer is brewed with quality and…
St Peter’s, the oldest site of worship in the old county of Westmorland and the building we see…
A fascinating historic house where the elegance and loveliness of the Victorian era combine with…
The church, dedicated to the Celtic Saint Bega, is situated in a picture perfect setting in fields…
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: 121
, currently showing 1 to 20.
Lakeside
Steam from the lake shore of Windermere along the heritage track to Haverthwaite Station, where you can visit the station tea room, gift shop, woodland playground, picnic area and engine shed. Steam trains running a seasonal daily service from…
Penrith
Circle is 37' across, seven stones and the retaining kerb of a destroyed cairn. Nineteenth-century excavations produced a cremation.
Kendal
Kendal Castle is situated on a mound-like hill, known as a drumlin, to the east of the town of Kendal, Cumbria, in northern England.
Conishead Priory, Ulverston
Peaceful and inspiring Buddhist Temple, amazing Romantic Gothic mansion, relaxing café, gift shop and book store. Bring a picnic. Six minute woodland walk to beach.
Whitehaven
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.
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.
Keswick
The church, dedicated to the Celtic Saint Bega, is situated in a picture perfect setting in fields on the east shore of Bassenthwaite Lake.
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.
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.
SEDBERGH
Striking in its symmetry with its central round headed doorway between by matching round headed windows, Cautley Wesleyan chapel is a good example of its type and date.
APPLEBY-IN-WESTMORLAND
St Lawrence's church is a grade I listed building, of late 12th century foundation, rebuilt late 13th after a raid by the Scots, restored 16th by Lady Anne Clifford, followed by two rounds of 19th century internal remodelling.
WHITEHAVEN
A fine example of a Georgian church, which has been sympathetically modernised.
WIGTON
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.
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.
Penrith
Historic house and gardens based on a medieval pele towers with substantial 17th, 18th and 19thC additions. Extensive gardens in woodland setting walled garden, topiary, woodland walk and lake with cascade.
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.
Nr Seascale
Three circles and nine small cairns. The south circle is 104' across, the north-west is 72' with a low central cairn. The third is immediately north of the second, it is 24' across and also encloses a small cairn.
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.
SEASCALE
The smallest church near the deepest lake and the highest mountain in England.
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
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