Hawkshead & Sawry in the English Lake District

The Lake District of Northern England
Day Trips from Manchester in the Northwest of England

Aerial Photograph of Hawkshead and Lake Windermere,
courtesy of www.webbaviation.co.uk Copyright © 2005.
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Hawkshead village lies between Lakes Windermere and Coniston, in the Vale of Esthwaite and to the north of the Grisedale Forest, about 2 miles from Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm at Sawrey, and 3 miles from the Windermere ferry, possibly the best and most picturesque way to approach it.

It is probably one of the prettiest villages in the whole of the Lake District National Park, which is reason enough to pay a visit, but it also has the added benefit that several key historical lakeland figures lived there for a time. It was where the poet William Wordsworth went to school, and where Beatrix Potter had a house.

The village is Norse in origin, having derived its name from Haukr, an immigrant Viking who built the first stockaded settlement there. It is a picturesque village of neat whitewashed cottages with grey local slate roofs, huddled together with cobblestoned alleyways and overhanging arches which give the whole place a sense of intimacy and quaintness, as they lead from one idyllic scene to another.

In summertime, residents living around its squares seem to compete for attention with their splendidly colourful flower tubs and window boxes.

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One of Hawkshead's picturesque alleyways

The Main Square

St Michael's Parish Church

Hawkshead Grammar School

Anne Tyson's Cottage

Hilltop Farm, Sawrey

There is much for the visitor to see in Hawkshead. The Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels overlooks the town protectively from its hilltop vantage, and marks the point which Haukr originally placed his settlement due to its superb defensive position. Originally the hill would have been surrounded by a ditch or moat. It is an austere grey and plain building, in character with typical Lake District church style and dates from the 15th century.

Much of it was built by Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York, who also founded the Grammar School nearby - now most notable for having been attended by Wordsworth, who, in typical schoolboy fashion, carved his initials into the wooden desk - they can still be seen today, as the Grammar School is now open to the public. In a hidden corner of the village is Anne Tyson's Cottage. It was here that Wordsworth boarded during his time at the Grammar School, in 1778 and 1779. Anne Tyson's account books are part of the exhibition in the school museum.

Centrally placed is Beatrix Potter Gallery, the former office premises of her husband, the solicitor William Heelis, which she bequeathed to the National Trust, along with Hill Top in Sawrey and several thousand acres of lakeland hillsides. The gallery museum now displays most of her original water-colour illustrations for her many now famous children's books. (See more - below).

Many of her characters were based on people she knew in Hawkshead, and many of her illustration settings were taken from local sites. The Market House in the main square originated in 1650, and over the centuries, sheep and cattle markets have been held on its ground floor, (known as the "Shambles"), and it was the place where farm labourers congregated to obtain work.

Tucked away in a corner square is the Methodist Chapel which has been operative since 1862. In the nearby village of Colthouse is the Friends Meeting House, a Quaker chapel built in 1688. There is no access or parking to the village centre, but ample large parking facilities (paying) are available at the village outskirts - no more than 100 yards away. Numerous teashops, coffee shops, pubs and restaurants with a wide choice of eating, drinking and dining facilities. Public conveniences and Tourist Information Centres at Car Parks. Many small souvenir shops in the village.

Beatrix Potter, (1866-1943) was born in London, who lived most of her life in the Lake District, and apart from being a prodigious hill farmer and dedicated conservationist, is better known for her writings and illustrations which have made her one of the world's best loved children's authors.

Her experiences of country life enabled her to invent a world where the many small creatures which she observed and drew came to life in a fascinating and charmingly rustic series of short stories. The characters which her fertile imagination and sympathetic style created, (like Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, Tommy Brock, Jeremy Fisher and Mrs Tiggy-winkle), have become part of children's folklore - It is well worth the visitor's time to visit one of the several exhibitions of her work.

Main Street, Hawkshead, Cumbria LA22 0NS. Telephone: 015394-36355
An award-winning exhibition in the house where her husband worked in the centre of Hawkshead village. A selection of her original drawings and writings are on display, as well as the garden. National Trust owned property. Open 1st April to 31st October, Monday to Friday & Bank Holidays 10.30am-4.30pm. Last admission at 4.00pm.

The Old Laundry Visitor Centre, Crag Brow, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria.
Telephone: 015394-88444.
An award winning exhibition, open all year round. Carefully created 3-dimensional settings from her stories and well-loved characters, with latest lighting and sound facilities as well as film and video displays. The Old Laundry also hosts other visiting exhibitions and welcomes children's group activities. There is also a Visitors Shop and Tea Room specialising in Cumbrian cakes and light lunches.

Packhorse Court, Keswick, Cumbria. Telephone: 017687-75173.
Specially created multimedia show which vividly brings Beatrix Potter's world alive. It also illustrates her many works of nature conservancy (over 6000 acres) on behalf of the nation. Open 1st April to end of October, daily from 10.30am-5.30pm, and from November to March on Saturday & Sunday from 12noon to 4.00pm.

Near Sawrey, Ambleside LA22 0LF. Telephone: 015394-36269.
A small 17th century farm house where Beatrix Potter spent most of her later years, and where she wrote and set her many Peter Rabbit books. The house contains much of the author's furniture, artefacts and china, as well as a selection of her original water-colour and pencil illustrations. There is also a well maintained garden which has changed little since she planted it years ago. The house is small and group or party numbers are restricted. Long queues are likely at peak holiday times. Car parking at the north end of the village - none in the village centre. Open 1st April to 31st October, Saturday-Wednesday, 11.00am-5.00pm. Last admission 4.30pm. Closed Thursdays and Fridays (except Good Friday). Unfortunately the house and garden are unsuitable for wheelchairs or push-chairs. Braille Guide available. Small NT shop on site. Refreshments nearby in the village at the Tower Bank Arms pub.

Please check times and prices for yourself before setting out as they may have changes since this entry was written.