11 Museums to Explore in Cumbria

Abbot Hall is one of Britain's preeminent small art galleries, set in a beautifully restored Grade I-listed Georgian house on the banks of the River Kent in Kendal. The building is a Grade I listed Georgian villa on the banks of the River Kent in the historic town of Kendal, gateway to the Lake District. The building contains the highly popular Spirit of 76 painting, the original 1684 Town Deed, a Maritime Museum, Sign Museum, numerous displays and artwork related to the Town, and a Gift Shop.

Derwent Pencil Museum is the home of the first pencil, and the Cumberland Pencil Company, manufacturers of Derwent pencil perfection since 1832. It is home to one of the biggest colouring pencils in the world, the idea of technical manager Barbara Murray. It is particularly popular with visitors from the county of Yorkshire, due to the importance of pencil production for the local economy during the 1930s.

Keswick Museum and Art Gallery in the Fitz Park was built at the turn of the century for ‘the inhabitants of Keswick and the visitors thereto. The local history collection stretches back to Roman times and includes such items as the famous 700-year-old cat, a penny-farthing cycle, and a man trap. One of the prime exhibits is a set of musical stones, variously termed the stone dulcimer, the rock harmonica or the geological piano.

The Lakeland Motor Museum is a museum that houses a collection of classic cars, motorcycles, bicycles, pedal cars and motoring related items and memorabilia. Explore our fascinating collection of over 30,000 exhibits that trace the development of road transport throughout the twentieth century - cycles, motorbikes, motor cars, and automobilia.

A Georgian villa and former home of English poet, William Wordsworth. Today the house is a National Trust property that has only recently been open to the public. Unlike most other National Trust properties, Allan Bank is not a recreation of a period property and many rooms are stripped back, allowing visitors to use their imagination about the building’s potential.

Wordsworth House and Garden is the birthplace and childhood home of romantic poet William and his sister Dorothy. The house is a Grade I listed building. It is open to the public as a writer's house museum from March to October each year.

One of the extensive working mill produced literally millions of wooden bobbins vital to the Lancashire spinning and weaving industries. It is the only working bobbin mill left in the Lake District today. It is now a small Visitor Attraction with guided tours, steam weekends and a gift shop selling bobbin-related products.

The Dock Museum is a unique building in a stunning coastal setting built within a Victorian Graving Dock. Incorporating three floors, the original Victorian dock provides an impressive backdrop to the galleries. It was focusing on the shipbuilding industry at VSEL, the steelworks industry — of which Barrow once had the world's largest, the Furness Railway, and the World War II bombings of the town.

The Ruskin Museum opened in 1901 to celebrate the life, work, and influence of the Victorian cultural and social pundit, John Ruskin. It holds important Ruskin collections, including watercolors, drawings, sketchbooks, crystals, and personalia. The museum is a registered charity in England & Wales, constituted as The Coniston Institute and Ruskin Museum.

Windermere Jetty Museum of Boats, Steam and Stories is a brand new major Lake District attraction. It opened its doors in spring 2019 following a £20m development of the site of the former Windermere Steamboat Museum. Its seven buildings house vessels dating back 200 years, including the SL Dolly, thought to be the oldest mechanically-powered one in the world.

Dove Cottage in Grasmere, was William Wordsworth‘s home from 1799 to 1808. Here Wordsworth produced the most famous and best-loved of his poems, and his sister Dorothy kept her famous Grasmere journals. He was there with his sister Dorothy from 1799 to 1808 and penned the line "I wandered lonely as a cloud" after being inspired by flowers the pair had seen on the shores of Ullswater.