Ambleside
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ambleside | |
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| Population | 2,600 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | South Lakeland |
| Shire county | Cumbria |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | AMBLESIDE |
| Postcode district | LA22 |
| Dial code | 015394 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | Westmorland and Lonsdale |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Cumbria | |
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in north-west England.
Ian McMillan described the town in a BBC programme about Kurt Schwitters as, "A gentle place where people wear anoraks without irony."
Ambleside is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake. The town is within the Lake District National Park, in the Westmorland area.
Its name came from Old Norse Á-mel-sǽtr = "river — sandbank — summer pasture".
Steamers (in reality diesel-powered ferries) run to Bowness-on-Windermere and Lakeside offering fine views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Ambleside is a base for hiking, mountaineering and mountain biking. It has a good selection of shops, hotels, guesthouses, pubs and restaurants.
The Armitt Library and Museum provides a fascinating source of local history with a collection which represents many of the local artists and writers of the past.
The town is rather unusual in that it has two town charters; one republican and the other royalist. No doubt this reflected the elegance of the Towns people during the 17th Century.
On the west, Loughrigg Fell rises above the town; to the north are Red Screes and the hills of the Fairfield group; to the east is Wansfell.
Ambleside is administered by South Lakeland district council and forms part of the Lakes civil parish but from 1894 to 1935 it was a separate urban district council.
Ambleside is also home to the headquarters of Brathay exploration group, a youth charity based just beyond Clappersgate on the road to Hawkshead.
Contents |
[edit] Buildings
[edit] Bridge House
Bridge House was built over Stock Ghyll more than 300 years ago probably as a summer house and apple store for Ambleside Hall. The building was purchased by local people in 1926 and given to the National Trust. It is now used as an information centre for the National Trust, and is part of the Trust's Windermere and Troutbeck property.
[edit] St Martin's College
St Martin's College, formerly Charlotte Mason College, can be found at the northern end of the town; courses held at the college include teacher education, sports and outdoor studies.
[edit] Outdoor shops
In 1959 Frank Davies opened The Climbers Shop - the first outdoor shop in Ambleside. Walking and climbing now form an important part of the local economy and lifestyle of the local people in the area.
[edit] Other Shops
In 1934 the first gift shop in Ambleside was opened by Hannah Robinson - the shop specialised in high quality gifts, china and leather goods. Hannah Robinson ran the shop for nearly 22 years - the shop name was retained by subsequent owners as it had become well known for quality. Hannah Robinson died in 2001. Today Hannah Robinson Chinastill sells high quality gifts and is the only specialist china shop in the Lake District National Park.
[edit] Pubs
Ambleside has a relatively large number of pubs for its size with some ten pubs and bars within a quarter of a mile radius. The high number of drinking establishments is maintained by both the tourist industry, so essential to the town, as well as the student population associated with St Martin's College (formally Charlotte Mason College).
[edit] Mountain Rescue
The town maintains the busiest volunteer mountain rescue team (Langadale & Ambleside MRT) in the UK.
[edit] References
Bridge House — Information from a notice at Bridge House.
[edit] Location Grid
| North: Keswick | ||
| West: Langdale Pikes | Ambleside | East: Kentmere |
| South: Windermere |
[edit] External links
- Windermere and Troutbeck (including Bridge House) information at the National Trust
- Armitt Library
- St Martin's College
- Illustrated guide to Ambleside
- Ambleside Primary School The multi-award winning school website has many sections devoted to local history and geography and the Lake District
