Keswick Museum and Art Gallery - History Museums on Waymarking.com

Keswick Museum has been ranked 3rd as one of 'The World's Strangest Museums' on a knowledge website called helium.com

The Museum was purpose built in 1897, is made of local green volcanic 'slate' and St. Bees sandstone. It is set in the beautiful Fitz Park, with tennis, putting, bowls and large children's playground nearby, riverside walks and picnic area.

It is the only purpose built museum in the Lake District, and it still retains its Victorian feel. There is a lot to see in the Museum and children love it. Some of the stories in the Museum include:
• The Discovery of the Lake District as a tourist destination over 200 years ago
• The honeycombing of the area by mining for precious metals by order of Queen Elizabeth I
• The first recreational use of the fells as the sport of Rock Climbing was invented, and the amazing photographs taken by the mountaineering Abraham brothers.
• The discovery of Lakeland's beauty by the romantic writers and poets of the 1800s.
• The development of the environmental movement with the founding of The National Trust, principally by one of Keswick's leading citizens, Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley.
In addition the Museum exhibits:
• A stunning collection of crystals and minerals
• Flintoft's amazing 4m Scale Model of the Lake District
• Original letters by Southey, Wordsworth and Walpole
• The famous 664 year old cat
• The remarkable Musical Stones, played by Royal Command for Queen Victoria.
• Napoleon's Teacup!
• Britain's rarest fish
• The skin of a giant cobra
• A mantrap


Facilities

The museum has access for Wheelchair users and is level through out. The museum does not have toilet facilities, the nearest public toilets including a RADAR toilet are on the old Railway Station platform. This is about 300 meters away at the top of Station Road. There are other public toilets in the area and the Museum will give you directions to these.


How to find us

On foot: From the Town Centre follow the pedestrian finger post signs for "Museum & Art Gallery". Walk down Station Road, over the bridge over the River Greta, with Fitz Park on either side of the road. The Museum is about 200m on the left, the large stone building on its own at the edge of the Park.

By car: The Museum is signed on the large brown and white signs as "Museum & Art Gallery" from the main routes into the Town. Parking is available in front of the Museum on Station Road. Free off road parking is available at the rear of Keswick Leisure Pool, approximately 200m from the Museum.

By public transport: By rail to either Windermere Rail Station, then catch the 555 bus outside to Keswick or by train to Penrith and then catch the X4/X5 bus outside to Workington. Both buses stop at the 'County corner' stop at the end of Station Road, a 2 minute walk away, with the YHA close by, at the edge of the river.
By cycle routes: Keswick Museum lies on the C2C (Sea to Sea) Cycle route, number 71. For more information contact the museum.

Theme: Local cultral history Street Address: Fitz Park, Station Road, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 4NF 01768 773263 keswick.museum@allerdale.gov.uk Hours of Operation: February 29th until October 31st Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm. Also open bank holidays and Sundays during Cumbrian school holidays. Pre-arranged visits are available, please contact the Museum for more information Cost: 5.00 (listed in local currency) Museum Size: Small Relevant Web Site: [Web Link] Food Court: Not Listed Gift Shop: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
In order to log this waymark in this category, you must be able to provide proof of your visit. Please post a picture of yourself or your GPSr in front some identifiable feature or point of interest either in the museum, or on the museum grounds.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   06/09/2015 scotty299 visited it