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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.
Imposing and well-preserved turret with adjoining stretches of Hadrian's Wall.
Kendal Museum is one of the oldest museums in the UK, founded in 1796 by William Todhunter. The…
Discover the captivating charm of Muncaster Castle, a historic gem nestled on the stunning Lake…
Castle open to public at all times. Church open to public dawn to dusk. Bewcastle Cross Shaft Anglo…
Carlisle Brewing Co is a small, family-run brewery based in Cumbria's capital city. We make beer…
Raised in circa 3000BC, Castlerigg is perhaps the most atmospheric of all British stone circles…
This area is rich in prehistoric remains including a standing stone, stone circle and cairns. Moor…
Parkland and Gothic Revival castle sitting on the west shore of Windermere providing an impressive…
Situated in the beautiful valley of Dentdale, Cumbria yet within the boundary of the Yorkshire…
The 15 stones, of which the tallest is just under one metre, form an almost perfect circle some 40…
Hardknott Roman Fort is one of the most dramatically sited and remote Roman forts in Britain. It…
Sizergh boasts 800 years of family history, and is filled with thousands of fascinating items…
Family Day Out – Walk the lakeshore, hop on a boat cruise, or enjoy a picnic by the water while the…
Caught in the Anglo Scottish wars of the 14th century, a good bit of luck followed the Dissolution…
A local landmark, the church is set on the end of a limestone ridge at the gateway to the Lake…
A tranquil haven with an almost-forgotten industrial past. Walled garden with outstanding medicinal…
Built in 1833 by William Carus Wilson, Founder of the Clergy Daughters School, as school chapel and…
Situated on Whitehaven's attractive harbour side, The Beacon is home to interactive science, games…
Lamplugh church, designed by William Butterfield, is located in a dramatic landscape on an elevated…
Now a ruin, Furness Abbey was once the second most powerful Cistercian monastery in Britain, after…
Step through a 12th century doorway into an oasis of calm where worship, history, wood and stones…
Right in the heart of Kirkby Lonsdale,the beautiful Norman church sits above the River Lune with…
Double Circle of stones surrounding cremations in urns (removed). 'Platform' cairn, small barrows,…
Situated on what was once the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith railway line, Bassenthwaite Lake…


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: 147
, currently showing 41 to 60.
CARNFORTH
Right in the heart of Kirkby Lonsdale,the beautiful Norman church sits above the River Lune with commanding views from the churchyard.
SEDBERGH
Brigflatts, near Sedbergh, Cumbria, is one of the most famous Quaker meeting houses, known and loved by Friends all over the world.
ST. BEES
The priory is one of the architectural jewels in Cumbria and well worth a visit. This beautiful and historic church in the seaside village of St Bees, built in 1120, is all that remains of the original Priory, but it is a thriving and much loved…
Milnthorpe
The beautiful Grade I church we see today, situated by the River Bela, is the result of additions and adaptations through the centuries.
Mass dials, masons marks, medieval stained glass, a fine Forster & Andrews organ, tower bells and gravestones…
Penrith
Second largest circle in England - 360' diameter. Long Meg is an outlying stone and is decorated with concentric circle - late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (c2000 or earlier).
SEDBERGH
Cautley chapel was built in the early 1860s by the Upton family, when the London and North Western Railway was building its Ingleton branch and sent a Scripture Reader to the navvies.
Penrith
Brougham Hall is a creative haven where you can enjoy the perfect blend of crafts, coffee and restoration.
Kendal
With a history dating back over a thousand years, Holy Trinity is one of the largest parish churches in the country and one of England's Greater Churches.
Visitors are struck both by the lightness of the interior and by its five aisles. Although…
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.
Penrith
Morland church has the only Anglo Saxon tower in Cumbria which is a remarkable survival and outstanding example of its type.
The top storey of the tower was added in the 17th century but the massive Saxon structure retains its original masonry,…
Coniston
Brantwood, the former home of eminent Victorian John Ruskin and a treasure house of art and memorabilia. The 250-acre estate comprises 8 unique gardens, ancient woodland, high moors and meadows.
Alston
The multi award winning South Tynedale Railway is situated in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Global Geopark.
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.
Hexham
Hadrian's Wall is a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site, marching 73 miles from sea to sea across some of the wildest and most dramatic country in England.
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.
Penrith
Three stone circles and two smaller settings of boulders 12' across. Inside one of the circles was a series of cremations, one in a collared urn.
Whitehaven
Situated on Whitehaven's attractive harbour side, The Beacon is home to interactive science, games and history.
Keswick
Raised in circa 3000BC, Castlerigg is perhaps the most atmospheric of all British stone circles with the mountain of Helvellyn as a dramatic backdrop.
Newby Bridge
A unique combination of interrelated stories and a fascinating visitor experience.
Over 100 years of motoring history, the Campbell Bluebird exhibition, IOM TT tribute display and the Leven Valley heritage centre. Gift shop and Cafe Ambio.
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.
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