iKnow Lake District
Kendal Castle Swallows and Amazons Lake District Tourist Information
Kendal is a great place to start an exploration into the themes, social history, art and culture of the Lake District, primarily because of it's rich array of art galleries and museums. For introductions to artist George Romney, fell wanderer extraordinaire Alfred Wainwright and author of 'Swallows & Amazons' Arthur Ransome. Check out the Kendal and Lakeland Life museum and the superb Abbot Hall Art Gallery! Kendal itself was once a centre for the woollen industry and it's character and shape is marked by this. Plenty of cobbled yards!
Kendal Tourist, Information Centre, Town Hall, Highgate, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4DL. General Enquiries, Tel 01539 725758, Advance Booking Service, Tel: 01539 725758, By Fax: 01539 734457. Get your FLY FISHING DAY PERMIT at Kendal Tourist Information.
Kendal Museum & Castle
Kendal Museum offers many treats along the social history line. Take for example the many original pen and ink drawings by Wainwright taken from his seven guide book series and there's maps which he drew as a child. Treat of treats, there's also some of his personal effects, including rucksack, heavily darned socks and his iconic pipe, as well as a reconstruction of his office. For Wainwright fans Kendal Museum is a pilgrimage! Watch out for the special extended exhibition on Wainwright from May to August 2004!
The museum houses a selection of collections focusing on geology, archaeology and natural and social history. Topics and periods covered include Kendal Castle, a World Wildlife Gallery, and collections of Roman, Egyptian, Viking and Medieval pottery and artefacts. The Lake District Natural History Gallery is superb. Nothing like doing a little research before heading out onto the fells! All animals in this exhibit died in accidents and the museum does not endorse the deliberate killing of animals for it's collections. Part one of this exhibit explores the geological history of the Lake District, beginning the journey 520 million years ago.
See how the area has changed through drawings and examples of fossils, local shales, flags, grits and slates, and also local minerals and rock types. The second part of this gallery focuses on different habitats in the fells. Of particular interest is those High Fell habitats where you'll catch the odd Golden Eagle or Hawk Buzzard. An exhibit guaranteed to push you up onto those fells!! A favourite with the kids is the wonderful little Wildlife Garden on the site of the museum, spot the frogs, fish, newts, swallows and house martins. There's also a well stocked shop on site, with an excellent supply of Wainwright texts!
Kendal Museum, Station Road, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6BT, Tel: +44 (0) 1539 721374. We're located just opposite Kendal Station. Open Monday to Saturday 10.30am - 5pm, closing 4pm Feb, Mar, Nov & Dec. Allow about 1 _ hours for your visit!
Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons
If you're a fan of Ransome, author of many children's adventure stories, including the renowned 'Swallows and Amazons' then the Museum of Lakeland Life is where to initially head. There's a special exhibition on Ransome here, which includes many artefacts belonging to the author such as his desk, flags and of course some of his enormous book collection which he used to hulk around with him.
There's some of his flags and sketches, and an exploration into how he went about creating his books. The exhibit also identifies key locations in the South Lakes area which appear in 'Swallows and Amazons' under other names. This museum also happens to be the home of The Arthur Ransome Society.
Ransome spent many holidays in the Lake District as a child, and then later many an hour at Lanehead, home of the Collingwood family, located alongside Coniston Water. Ransome was a fascinating character, bullied at school, proposing to many women 5 minutes after he'd met them, unhappily married, passionate about his daughter Tabitha, time spent in Russia leading up to the October 1917 Revolution (although he missed the uprising itself as he was back in England), and his relationship and later marriage to Evgenia Shelepina, Leon Trotsky's assistant. The women's Battalion of 1917 were known as Amazons. There's an extensive collection of Arthur Ransome's books in the museum shop.
The Arthur Ransome Society has it's own website. See web link!
Museum of Lakeland Life, Kendal
This museum has a leaning towards the arts and crafts movement, which has particular relevance to the Lake District as it revived considerably with Ruskin's encouragement from 1819 to 1900. Great characters are remembered and celebrated in this museum, characters like Annie Garnett who with her sister Rachel started a hand embroidered textile business in the area. Her designs were inspired by flowers and plants in the local Lakeland area. Some of Annie's beautiful work is on display here. The usual trips through Edwardian streets and nods to Victorian kitchens are here also (yawn). Move on to some of the temporary exhibitions which often explore costume themes. One such exhibition has been on 1920s costume.
