It was established in 1901 by W. G. Collingwood, an artist and antiquarian who had worked as secretary to art critic John Ruskin. The museum is both a memorial to Ruskin and a local museum covering the history and heritage of Coniston Water and the Lake District.
The museum is a registered charity in England & Wales, constituted as The Coniston Institute and Ruskin Museum.[2]
Its collections include material on the copper and slate mines of the region, geology, lace making, farming, and writer Arthur Ransome.
A larger collection is devoted to the life and work of John Ruskin.
In the grounds of the museum stands 'Riverdale', an extensive collection of over sixty miniature structures including houses, bridges and farm buildings which were hand-made by local builder John Usher (1940-1993). Based on local vernacular architecture, the slate and stone structures were removed from Usher's former home Brow Head after his death, with the largest collection being rehomed at the museum in 1999.
A specialist collection covers the achievements of Donald Campbell, who died while attempting a new water speed record on Coniston Water. In December 2006, his daughter Gina Campbell donated Bluebird K7, which had been salvaged over recent years, to the Ruskin Museum on behalf of the whole Campbell family.
Successful campaign by the museum to bring Bluebird back to Coniston, "its spiritual home"
A new wing was built to house Bluebird and an associated exhibition, which was completed in 2010.[3] Both the Ruskin Museum and the restorers, Bluebird Project Ltd, have expressed a desire to see Bluebird K7 run on occasion.[4][5]
On Thursday 7 December 2006, Gina Campbell, Donald's daughter, formally gifted Bluebird K7 as recovered from Coniston Water in or around 2001, the associated parts of the vessel both recovered and unrecovered, and all other associated items and obiects so recovered and/or unrecovered to include, but without limitation clothing and overalls of Donald Campbell (deceased) to the Ruskin Museum in Coniston on behalf of the Campbell Family Heritage Trust.[6] In agreement with the Trust and the museum, Bill Smith was to organise the restoration of the boat, which is now in part, complete.[7] Gina Campbell commented: "I've decided to secure the future of Bluebird for the people of Coniston, the Ruskin Museum and the people of the world". Museum Director Vicky Slowe spoke of Gina's generosity and then said: "Bill Smith has assured us he can get Bluebird fully conserved and reconfigured at no cost to the museum."
Whilst attending the trials, Gina Campbell told the BBC that her views had changed having seen her father's vessel brought back to life. "Months ago I'm thinking she must become a museum piece," she said, before explaining that she's changed her mind about Bluebird: "She's not ready to sit in a crusty old museum."[8] The comment was later clarified 24th June 2021 on Gina Campbell’s Facebook page as follows: ‘I was completely overcome with emotion but due to some clever editing by the BBC, only my "Crusty Old Museum" quote got heard, but Andy Kershaw did put me right and I agreed that to be fair the new wing at The Ruskin Museum could never be described as "crusty" much less "Old" but you'll understand it brought back so many overwhelming memories it was quite a time.’
In January 2020, on the occasion of the fifty-third anniversary of Donald Campbell's death, The Guardian reported Gina Campbell "clashed with vessel’s restorer over its return to scene of father’s death in Lake District".[9] Also, from the same Guardian article, alluding to the reason for the clash, (speaking to the BBC) Bill Smith said: “We’ve said the museum should have the boat for nine months of the year and we should be able to take it out for three months. We just need it written down in black and white, then we can crack on and everyone gets what they want.”
On 3 September 2021, it was announced that relations between the Ruskin Museum and Bill Smith had broken down to the point where the remaining option is for the restored boat to be broken down, with new components removed from original, restored material, in order to resolve the parties' dispute.[10] However, as of February 2023 this had not been carried out, even though the BBC had earlier filmed the Bluebird project team commencing disassembly.
On 24 February 2023, The Ruskin Museum served legal papers on Bill Smith and Bluebird Project Ltd to ensure that the rebuilt Bluebird K7 was handed to its owners.[11] In December 2022, The Ruskin Museum had announced WEC Group Ltd as its chosen engineering partners who will maintain Bluebird K7 once she is returned to Coniston.[12] Three Orpheus engines have also been donated to the Museum as The Ruskin Museum plan to run K7 on Coniston Water once it is returned.[13]
There was, as of 2023[update], uncertainty about the future of the boat due to competing claims of ownership between the Ruskin Museum and Bluebird Project Ltd.[14] The original recovered material is the property of the museum while Bluebird Project Ltd claims that it owns the newly fabricated parts of the boat. The Ruskin Museum served legal papers on Bill Smith and The Bluebird Project Ltd on 24 February 2023 as it strongly disputes The Bluebird Project Ltd's ownership claims, as they agreed to restore K7 "at no cost to the museum",[15] funded by "public donations and raising money through sales of merchandise."[16] K7 was to be put on permanent display for public and educational benefit as per the Deed of Gift agreed in 2006.
In 2018, Bluebird was transported to Loch Fad for trials of the restored engines.[17] She returned to Coniston in March 2024, to be put on permanent display in the purpose-built wing of the museum.[18]
On 9 March 2024, the engineless Bluebird K7 arrived back in Coniston after collection by the museum from Bill Smiths' North Shields industrial workshop, where, excluding its visit to Bute in 2018, it had been held during the craft's restoration since 8 March 2001 - a period of 23 years plus a day.[19] A court order, which settled matters of ownership of K7, ownership of associated parts & equipment, and an agreed proportion of the costs (£25,000) to be paid to the museum,[20] ensured that K7 would, from the date of the order on, be housed in the purpose-built Bluebird wing of the Ruskin museum. Bill Smith and The Bluebird Project agreed to cover their own legal costs in full. The museum have since announced that they have plans to run K7 on Coniston Water in 2026. As of April 2024, just one month since her return to Coniston, there have been over 6,000 visits to see K7 at the Ruskin Museum, and that to date, is more public views than at any time since the 1960’s. [21]
Developments
In the 1980s, the museum was identified as one of the collections in the North West of England most at risk[22] and a project was launched to secure its long-term future. An £850,000 development scheme (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, European Regional Development Fund, Foundation for Sport and the Arts, the Rural Development Commission and others) was started. The interpretive design for the Ruskin Museum received an Association for Heritage InterpretationInterpret Britain Award in 1999. The restored museum with its new extension re-opened to the public in May 1999[23] and was officially opened by the then Culture Secretary, the Rt. Honourable Chris Smith on 23 May 2000.
In 2017/18, architect Takeshi Hayatsu worked with tutors and students from Central Saint Martins in London and Grizedale Arts to design and install a kiosk adjacent to the museum, with surface copper tiles decorated by local people. The kiosk provides information on the area's copper mining history. The museum grounds also include a community bread oven by Hayatsu and students, a project that was shortlisted for the Architects Journal Small Projects Awards 2018.
Donald Malcolm Campbell, was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s. He remains the only person to set both world land and water speed records in the same year (1964). He died during a water speed record attempt at Coniston Water in the Lake District, England.
The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region and national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and the Cumbrian mountains; and for its literary associations with Beatrix Potter, John Ruskin, and the Lake Poets.
Coniston Water is a lake in the Lake District in North West England. It is the third largest by volume, after Windermere and Ullswater, and the fifth-largest by area. The lake has a length of 8.7 kilometres, a maximum width of 730 metres (800 yd), and a maximum depth of 56.1 m. Its outflow is the River Crake, which drains into Morecambe Bay via the estuary of the River Leven. The lake is in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, and the ceremonial county of Cumbria.
The Ruskin - Library, Museum and Research Centre is an archive, Accredited Museum, and research centre at University of Lancaster, in the north of England. The Director of The Ruskin is Professor Sandra Kemp. Prior to 2019, The Ruskin - Library, Museum and Research Centre was known as the Ruskin Library.
Birmabright is a trade name of the former Birmetals Co. for various types of lightweight sheet metal in an aluminium–magnesium alloy. The alloy was introduced by the Birmid Group in 1929 and was particularly noted for its corrosion resistance. Birmal Boats was created in 1930 for the building of light-alloy boats. Birmetals Ltd was formed in 1936 and during the war produced both copper bearing aluminium alloys and the Birmabright magnesium bearing alloys, mainly for aircraft production.
The world unlimited Water Speed Record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle, irrespective of propulsion method. The current unlimited record is 511.11 km/h (317.59 mph), achieved by Australian Ken Warby in the Spirit of Australia in 1978.
This page lists major events of 2001 in archaeology.
Coniston is a village and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,058, decreasing at the 2011 census to 928. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it is in the southern part of the Lake District National Park, between Coniston Water, the third longest lake in the Lake District, and Coniston Old Man.
William Gershom Collingwood was an English author, artist, antiquary and professor of Fine Arts at University College, Reading. A long-term resident of Coniston, Cumbria, he was President of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian Society and the Lake Artists' Society.
Brantwood is a historic house museum in Cumbria, England, overlooking Coniston Water. It has been the home of a number of prominent people. The house and grounds are administered by a charitable trust, the house being a museum dedicated to John Ruskin, one of its final owners. Brantwood is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and buildings in the grounds are also listed.
Furness General Hospital (FGH) is a hospital located in the Hawcoat area of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. It is managed by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
Samlesbury is a village and civil parish in South Ribble, Lancashire, England. Samlesbury Hall, a historic house, is in the village, as is Samlesbury Aerodrome and a large modern brewery owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The population at the 2011 census was 1,206.
Blue Bird K4 was a powerboat commissioned in 1939 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, to rival the Americans' efforts in the fight for the world water speed record.
The steam yacht Gondola is a rebuilt Victorian, screw-propelled, steam-powered passenger vessel on Coniston Water, England. Originally launched in 1859, she was built for the steamer service carrying passengers from the Furness Railway and from the Coniston Railway. She was in commercial service until 1936 when she was retired, being converted to a houseboat in 1946. In 1979, by now derelict, she was given a new hull, engine, boiler and most of the superstructure. She is back in service as a passenger boat, still powered by steam and now operated by the National Trust.
Bluebird K7 is a jet engined hydroplane in which Britain's Donald Campbell set seven world water speed records between 1955 and 1967. K7 was the first successful jet-powered hydroplane, and was considered revolutionary when launched in January 1955. Campbell and K7 were responsible for adding almost 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) to the water speed record, taking it from existing mark of 178 miles per hour (286 km/h) to just over 276 miles per hour (444 km/h). Donald Campbell was killed in an accident with a much modified K7, on 4 January 1967, whilst making a bid for his eighth water speed record, with his aim to raise the record to over 300 miles per hour (480 km/h) on Coniston Water.
Blue Bird or Bluebird is the name of various cars and boats used by Sir Malcolm Campbell, his son Donald and other family members to set land and water speed records.
Mr Whoppit was the teddy bear mascot of Donald Campbell, the land and water speed record holder. Writing in his 2011 book, Donald Campbell: The Man Behind The Mask, journalist David Tremayne described Whoppit as Campbell's "magic talisman".
Events from 2001 in England
Mary Beever was a British artist and botanist. She and her sister were close friends with their neighbour John Ruskin in the Lake District.
Susan Beever born Susanna Beever was a British artist and writer who was close to John Ruskin. They were buried beside each other in Coniston Churchyard.
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