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The busy
market town of Keswick nestles between the Siddaw Mountains
and Derwentwater.
Following
the discovery of graphite in the district in 1550, Keswick
became the source of world's first graphite pencils.
The
famous Derwent factory, established in 1832, still produces
high quality fine art pencils and at the Cumberland. The
Pencil Museum is a popular tourist attraction, with visitors
get the chance to explore the facinating history of pencils
and pencil making.
Writers
and poets were attracted to Keswick from the late 18th century.
William
and Dororthy Wordsworth stayed here, as did Samuel Taylor
Coleridge and his brother-in-low, Robert Southey (the poet
laureate).
The area's
connection with these famous poets, and the well-known landscape
painters, Turner and Constable, soon encouraged other visitors.
After
the opening of a railway line to Keswick in 1865, the town
became popular tourist destination. Today, tourism remains
the major industry and the town offers a wealth of outdoor
activities and a busy programme of festivals and events.
The Moot
Hall in the marketplace, once the town hall, is now used as
the local tourist information office.
A highlight
of the town's attractions is the Keswick Museum and Art Gallery. This
Victorian museum opened in 1898 and, apart from the introduction
of electric lighting and heating, has remained unchanged ever
since.
Not far
from Keswick is the Whinlatter Forest Park. Owned by the Forestry
Commission, this forest overlooks Bassenthwaite Lake and the
Lorton Valley and provides a range of year round activities.
Keswick
lies in the North Lakes, a dramatic glaciated landscape.
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Keswick
Mirehouse
4.5
miles north-west of Keswick on A591 Mirehouse is in a spectacular
location close to the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, on the northern
edge of the Lake District. The building in 1666 was a two-storeyed
hunting lodge iIn 1790 wings were added to the house. Mirehouse
has literary and artistic connections. Thomas Carlyle and Alfred
Tennyson were frequent visitors to the house. Gardens.
