Windermere, Cumbria

Windermere is a town in Cumbria, England, lying about one kilometre away from the lake of the same name. Although Windermere confusingly does not touch the lake, it has now grown together with the older lakeside town of Bowness-on-Windermere, though the two retain distinguishable town centres. There are a number of museums, but the main draw for its many tourists is the lake. Boats from the piers in Bowness (about a fifteen-minute walk from the top of Windermere town) sail around the lake, many calling at Ambleside or at Lakeside where there is a restored railway.

Windermere town was known as Birthwaite prior to the arrival of the Kendal and Windermere Railway, which stimulated its development. Windermere station offers train and bus connections to the surrounding area, Manchester, Manchester Airport, and the West Coast Main Line.

The geological formations around the area take their name from the town. They are called the Windermere Group of sedimentary rocks. The town's name is also given to the Rt. Hon. Dr David Clark, Baron Clark of Windermere, who now lives in Windermere.

A roadside garden in Windermere town.

[edit] Local government

Windermere was from 1894 to 1974 governed by an urban district council which in 1905 absorbed the former Bowness-on-Windermere UDC although Bowness remained a separate civil parish until 1974. Windermere UDC had slight boundary changes in 1934 and was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 replacing it with South Lakeland District Council.