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.
Kendal Museum is one of the oldest museums in the UK, founded in 1796 by William Todhunter. The…
St. Peter's is an outstanding example of the decorated style of architecture, with its warm red…
A visit to Dove Cottage today transports you back to this remarkable period of ‘plain living and…
The 'Old Church' of St Martin was built in the 1660's on the site of a probable earlier chapel…
Located in Keswick, the home of the first pencil, visitors enter this museum through a replica…
The mainly 15thC remains of a castle begun by Bishop Strickland of Carlisle and developed by the…
A 'very remarkable building with windows glowing with gemstone colours', according to architectural…
Crooked River Brewing Co is a craft beer brewery based in West Cumbria with a taproom based in…
The church was designed by Edward Welby Pugin (son of Augustus Welby Pugin) and built between 1873…
Originally know as Sunkenkirk, consists of 50 stones at the foot of Black Combe. Access is via a…
Visit Carlisle Cathedral, centrally located in the heart of the city. Whether for worship, events,…
The house boasts 800 years of family history, and is still lived in by the Strickland family today.…
Second largest circle in England - 360' diameter. Long Meg is an outlying stone and is decorated…
Imagine coming to a ruined castle, walking through its gardens and into the woodlands and stumbling…
Several stone circles and many small cairns are visible on the moor. The circles are distinguished…
Greystoke Castle, a 12th-century gem in the Cumbrian countryside, offers 800 years of history,…
A local landowner, Sarah Losh (1785-1853), designed St Mary's in 1840, partly in memory of her…
Come and visit our brewery to find out more about us and the beers we make. Only a 2 minute walk…
A fine example of a Georgian church, which has been sympathetically modernised.
Cautley chapel was built in the early 1860s by the Upton family, when the London and North Western…
Come and join us at The Old Calf Shed for a behind-the-scenes look at our distillery, followed by a…
Birdoswald Roman Fort is the perfect place to see the longest continuous remaining stretch of this…
Grade I listed, it is one of the finest examples of a late medieval, vernacular Lake District…
Standing at the centre of the town of Bowness-on-Windermere, this Grade I listed church boasts…
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: 124
, currently showing 1 to 20.
Cockermouth
Situated on what was once the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith railway line, Bassenthwaite Lake Station offers a unique place to enjoy breakfast, brunch and lunch aboard the replica Orient Express train, right here in the Lake District.
GRANGE-OVER-SANDS
Founded in 1504 and Grade I listed this peaceful church is tucked away on the Fell, surrounded by a graveyard rich with wildflowers, the interior contains unusual box pews, a triple decker pulpit and stained glass both ancient and modern.
WHITEHAVEN
A fine example of a Georgian church, which has been sympathetically modernised.
Coniston
Meet Coniston's heroes, John Ruskin, artist, radical and seer and Donald Campbell, speed ace. View the fully restored Bluebird craft in the Bluebird wing of the museum. Discover the mineral wealth of the fells, all at 'the most thought provoking…
SEDBERGH
Situated in the beautiful valley of Dentdale, Cumbria yet within the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, this Grade II building was originally built as a meeting house by the Society of Friends in 1701.
Greystoke
Greystoke Castle, a 12th-century gem in the Cumbrian countryside, offers 800 years of history, including connections to Catherine Howard and Tarzan. Explore its grand halls, Tarzan Trails, and seasonal events, then relax at the Butler’s Pantry café.…
Kendal
Kendal Museum is one of the oldest museums in the UK, founded in 1796 by William Todhunter. The Museum has a long history in Kendal Town and has occupied various sites but has been at its current location (previously a wool warehouse) since 1913.
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
The 'Old Church' of St Martin was built in the 1660's on the site of a probable earlier chapel dating from 1220. The church is fully open and much visited, with all entries in the visitor’s book remarking on the special atmosphere and sense of peace…
Grasmere
This church is well known because of its associations with the great Romantic poet William Wordsworth, who lived in nearby Dove Cottage and is buried in the churchyard.
BRAMPTON
A 'very remarkable building with windows glowing with gemstone colours', according to architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner and the only church designed by preRaphaelite architect Philip Webb.
Eskdale
Several stone circles and many small cairns are visible on the moor. The circles are distinguished by the occurance within them of small cairns. Construction date is thought to be around 2000BC.
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.
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.
Ambleside
Beatrix Potter's iconic house, full of her personal possessions, with traditional cottage garden. Her paintings of the House and garden were used to illustrate many of her tales.
SEASCALE
St Mary's has been an important religious site since the 8th century.
PENRITH
A beautiful Norman church on site of 7th century monastery in peaceful Lakeland location and home of the Dacre Bears, four unique medieval stone statues.
Boot, Holmrook
Eskdale Mill is a unique experience, nestled in one of the Lake District's most beautiful locations. This charming site embodies the Lake District’s heritage. It is the last remaining working water-powered corn mill in the Lake District.
Bowness-on-Windermere
Standing at the centre of the town of Bowness-on-Windermere, this Grade I listed church boasts medieval architecture, awe-inspiring stained glass windows, and a long and varied history spanning over 800 years. The earliest records of a church at…
Penrith
Circle is 37' across, seven stones and the retaining kerb of a destroyed cairn. Nineteenth-century excavations produced a cremation.
Receive all the latest news, special offers and information from the Lake District, Cumbria
Cumbria Tourism, Windermere Road, Staveley, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 9PL