Arthur Michell Ransome was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. The entire series remains in print, and Swallows and Amazons is the basis for a tourist industry around Windermere and Coniston Water, the two lakes Ransome adapted as his fictional North Country lake.
Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Windermere and 19 miles (31 km) north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of the River Kent, from which its name is derived. At the 2011 Census, the town had a population of 28,586, making it the third largest town in Cumbria after Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is renowned today mainly as a centre for shopping, for its festivals and historic sights, including Kendal Castle, and as the home of Kendal Mint Cake. The town's grey limestone buildings have earned it the sobriquet "Auld Grey Town".
The Swallows and Amazons series is a series of twelve children's adventure novels by English author Arthur Ransome. Set in the interwar period, the novels involve group adventures by children, mainly in the school holidays and mainly in England. They revolve around outdoor activities, especially sailing. Literary critic Peter Hunt believes it "changed British literature, affected a whole generation's view of holidays, helped to create the national image of the English Lake District and added Arthur Ransome's name to the select list of classic British children's authors." The series remains popular and inspires visits to the Lake District and Norfolk Broads, where many of the books are set.
Bowness-on-Windermere is a town in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It lies next to Windermere lake and the town of Windermere to the north east with which it forms the civil parish of Windermere and Bowness. The town was historically part of the county of Westmorland and is also forms an urban area with Windermere. The town had a population of 3,814 in the 2011 Census.
Nancy Blackett is a 28-foot (8.5 m), 7-ton, Bermuda rigged sailing cutter built in 1931. The boat is now owned and operated by The Nancy Blackett Trust.
Haverthwaite is a small village and civil parish in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. It is also within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park. It is located several miles east of Ulverston and is near the southern end of Windermere. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 728, increasing at the 2011 census to 797.
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, which attracts tourists to the South Lakeland area. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the parish includes the hamlets of Hawkshead Hill, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the north west, and Outgate, a similar distance north. Hawkshead contains one primary school but no secondary school and four public houses.
Peel Island is one of the three islands of Coniston Water in the English Lake District, Cumbria. The two others are Fir Island and Oak Island. It is most famous for being one of the inspirations for Arthur Ransome's Wild Cat Island. Today, it is a popular tourist destination, and belongs to the National Trust.
Oxen Park is a hamlet in the English county of Cumbria.
Colton is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 765, decreasing at the 2011 census to 672. It was historically part of Lancashire. Its name has been recorded as Coleton and Coulton, and its existence has been recorded as early as 1202.
The Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry, formerly the Museum of Lakeland Life and sometimes abbreviated to MOLLI, is a local museum in Kendal, Cumbria, northwest England.
Finsthwaite is a small village in the South Lakeland district, in the county of Cumbria, England. It is located near the Furness Fells and Windermere. Finsthwaite has a place of worship, St Peter's Church, and a Bobbin Mill called Stott Park Bobbin Mill, now a working museum.
Holy Trinity Church is located to the east of the village of Colton, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Furness, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice has been united with those of St Andrew, Coniston, St Luke, Torver, St Mary the Virgin, Egton-cum-Newland, and St Luke, Lowick. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
Crosslands is a hamlet in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It is located just to the northeast of Rusland in the civil parish of Colton.
St Michael and All Angels Church is in the village of Hawkshead, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of four local parishes to form the Benefice of Hawkshead with Low Wray and Sawrey and Rusland and Satterthwaite. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. Hyde and Pevsner, in the Buildings of England series, describe it as being "one of the best Lake District churches".
Nibthwaite is a village in the South Lakeland District in the county of Cumbria in the northwest of England. It is in the civil parish of Colton, and on the east side of Coniston Water. It is in the historic county of Lancashire.
Satterthwaite & Rusland School was a Church of England Primary school near Force Forge in the Rusland Valley. The school was established in 1840 for children aged 4 to 11, and closed in 2006 with just 9 pupils. The site has since been converted into affordable housing.
Colton is a civil parish in the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England. It contains 44 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, three are listed at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish is in the Lake District National Park and is located between Windermere and Coniston Water. It is mainly rural, and the villages and settlements include Colton, Colthouse, Finsthwaite, Lakeside, Oxen Park, Nibthwaite, Bouth, Rusland, Newby Bridge, and Greenodd. Many of the listed buildings are houses and associated structures, farmhouses and farm buildings. The other listed buildings include churches and structures in or near the churchyard, bridges, a potash kiln, a former bobbin mill, three milestones, two memorials, and a hotel.
