Keswick
Located at the head of Derwentwater, in the centre of the Lake District National Park, Keswick has been a popular tourist destination since Victorian times. It is one of the busiest of the lakeland towns with a several streets of shops and restaurants, two museums, a cinema, theatre and plenty of camping stores but never enough public parking.
Keswick Town (credit: Emphyrio - Pixabay)
The River Greta runs along the north side of the town, beside the Penrith Road. A large green open space borders the river here called Fitz Park, which has playing fields and picnic areas, pleasant tree lined walks and spectacular open views of the mountains to the north. Hope Park, located between the town centre and Derwentwater, has beautiful gardens, making it an ideal place to visit on the way to and from the lake. But by far the best park to visit is Crow Park, a wide expanse of grassland leading down to the shore of the lake, owned by the National Trust. Here visitors can sit and watch the many boats and lake cruises plying to and from the landing stages.
The town's dominant architecture is mainly Victorian. An early 19th-c church-like Moot Hall stands in the central square, with an unusually one-handed clock. It was built on the site of a much earlier meeting hall. Just north of the main square is Greta Hall, now part of Keswick School. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge lived here from 1800-09 and Robert Southey in 1803-43. Southey is buried in the churchyard at Great Crosthwaite, north-west of the town. The current church is 14th to 16th century but believed to be built on an ancient site dating back to 553, dedicated to St Kentigern (St Mungo). It has a rare set of old consecration crosses and a 14th-c font. One of the founders of the National Trust, Canon H. D. Rawnsley (1851-1920), is also buried here.
The settlement of Keswick initially grew up around the woolen and leather industry but later became a graphite mining town and an important centre for pencil manufacture. The Derwent Pencil Museum, located an old pencil factory, has exhibits of pencils made here since the 16th-c.
The Keswick Museum and Art Gallery, located in Fitz Park, has a collection of manuscripts, letters, poems and novels by many famous local poets and writers. Also on display is an extensive collection of mineral and rock specimens covering the geology of the area, as well as specimens of local flora, fauna and fossils. There are works by Turner, Wilson Steer and others in the art gallery.
Derwentwater © ASP
On the west side of the town there are excellent views of Derwentwater from the churchyard of St John's (1838). The grave of English novelist Hugh Walpole can be found here, marked by a simple cross.
To the south-west of the town on the far shore of Derwentwater is Lingholm Estate, with its lovely formal gardens and woodland walks full of azaleas and rhododendrons.
Two miles south east of Keswick stands the famous Castlerigg Stone Circle, an ancient monument protected by the National Trust. It is about 100ft in diameter, formed of around 60 megalithic stones, the tallest being about 7ft.
Castlerigg Stone Circle © ASP
Keswick is one of the best centres for exploring the rest of lake district region. It provides a wealth of accommodation for walkers and holiday makers, from luxury hotels and guest-houses to Airbnbs. Entertainment is provided by the Alhambra Cinema, an old style picture house, and the 'Theatre by the Lake', where plays can be seen nightly during the summer season.
There are numerous well-known walks within easy access from the town. One is to Friar's Crag on the lakeside, a popular spot for photographing views across the water. Details of local walks can be obtained from the Information Centre in the Moot Hall. For seasoned fell walkers there number of peaks within easy reach, including Skiddaw to the North, which at 931 metres (3055 ft) tall is the sixth highest in mountain England.
During the summer the town's population is swelled by churchgoers and clergymen who come to attend the long famous Keswick Christian Convention in July and August.
Map of Keswick
North West England
