The Armitt : Museum, Gallery, Library

28/05/2026

June Talk Series - Stephe Cove
- £6.00
- 30th June - 2pm
- https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GGBO

About the talk:
A Short History of Walking the Fells: From the Langdale Axe Factory to the Present Day with Stephe Cove.

Eight thousand years ago, we know that Stone Age man was familiar with the fells and had the skills to pick out the sites that provided stone for making axes. What would they make of today's fell walkers in brightly coloured clothing who may well have been equipped with the help of Internet shopping?

Early humans used the fells to provide everything needed for existence. Thousand of years later, it was the commercial potential that drove exploitation to discover the resources often deep below the surface. For modern folk, it's the excitement and challenge that brings them in flocks to crowd like daffodils in the valleys, the summits and the shops of Lakeland.

About the speaker:
Stephe has lived in Millom for over fifty years, walking and cycling in the Lakes. For most of that time, he has been involved in Mountain Rescue; no longer operational but working as a fundraiser for a new base in Foxfield. The image you see shows the ongoing progress of the new base.

27/05/2026

Do you think you know Ambleside?

You may have walked the narrow pavements of Ambleside, exploring the various cafes, gift outlets and outdoor shops, but did you know that behind the main streets, you can find a fascinating history of the older town? Covering the story of Ambleside’s mills and industry, the markets and the people, we aim to give you an insight into our beautiful town at the centre of the Lake District.

Join us on one of our Heritage Walking Tours of Ambleside, created by our local Armitt volunteers and with inspiration and thanks from the Heritage Trail leaflet produced by the Ambleside Civic Trust.

- Heritage Walks leave from The Armitt on Wednesday afternoons at 2:30 pm (excluding September 9th).
- The full walk takes around 1hr 15min in total.
- Tickets are £12 per person and include entry to the museum

Our first is a week today (Wednesday 3rd June), please check our booking link to ensure availability - https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GEYY

21/05/2026

We are delighted to re-share the news that Co-Curator of 'An A-Z of Beatrix Potter's Dr Penny Bradshaw has been longlisted for the Lakeland Book of the Year Awards.

Penny's book takes a fresh perspective on the life, legacy and world of Beatrix Potter, these exciting new perspectives being built upon in the exhibition co-curated here at The Armitt. The exhibition showcases the museum's rich collection of mycological illustrations alongside a varied collection of objects from collections across the globe.

Coincidentally, Dr Penny Bradshaw is giving a talk this Friday, making it the perfect chance to drop into the museum, meet the longlisted author and explore Beatrix Potter's fascination with fungi in the home of the largest collection of her fungi illustrations.

Beatrix Potter's 'myriads of fairy fungi - a talk by Dr. Penny Bradhshaw - can be booked through the link below:
https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GBCU

18/05/2026

It's been today and our exhibitions this year are covering all corners of the globe.

With Beatrix Potter's legacy spanning Europe, Asia, the America's and further, we're thrilled to be exhibiting works from international partners' collections as well as private individuals and The Armitt's own watercolours in "An A-Z of Beatrix Potter" - Victoria and Albert Museum, Penguin Random House, Royal Ballet And Opera, The Beatrix Potter Society.

Then we're examining the life of Harriet Martineau - sociologist, campaigner and writer - who travelled overseas experiencing different places and meeting new people, championing those with disabilities and seeking equality. We compare people today who are doing similar 200 years later in "Modern-day Martineau" - Wordsworth Grasmere, British Deaf Association, Cumbria Deaf Association.

Lastly, we look across our county of Cumbria spotlighting those hidden or underrepresented spaces of social and working men's clubs in "Club Culture Cumbria" through the work of Colin Potsig - Kirkgate Arts & Heritage, The Ruskin Museum.

So, The Armitt may be a small, local museum, but we find connections far and wide as well as close to home. We hope you'll choose to visit us this year, along with our supporters and contributors shown here, because when you do, you're helping arts and culture stay alive!

17/05/2026

The Armitt is delighted to have been awarded a share in the latest round of the Museum Estate and Development fund (MEND) to support essential improvements to our heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. We need to match 5% of the total amount ourselves, meaning we are on a mission to raise £13,000.


Anything you give will allow visitors to continue to enjoy our collection of over 70,000 Lake District objects, including Beatrix Potter’s fungi watercolours, paintings by the avant-garde artist Kurt Schwitters, and archaeology from the Ambleside Roman Fort.


We hope you’ll consider giving a donation today to help us reach our goal - https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=89SM4N666NJDE

13/05/2026

For our second Curator Talk, we are joined by Dr Philip Palmer, curator of Literary and Historical Manuscripts at The Morgan Library & Museum

Following the well-attended launch of our first , Dr Palmer will continue this exciting look at the work taken to preserve Beatrix Potter's unique history from the perspective of the Morgan. One of the crown jewels of this collection is a group of twelve picture letters written by Beatrix Potter between 1892 and 1900.

Philip Palmer will speak about this extraordinary group of illustrated letters, recently published in facsimile, as well as his work on the 2024 exhibition Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature. Curated by the V&A and the National Trust and drawing extensively on holdings at The Armitt, this exhibition proved to be one of the most popular Morgan shows in recent memory; Philip will talk about the process of adapting and designing this exhibition for the Morgan. His talk will conclude with a recent acquisition of an illustrated letter Beatrix Potter wrote to a child.

This is a talk and tickets can be found through the link below:
- https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GFZK
- Saturday 6th June
- £5.00 per ticket

12/05/2026

Summer hours at The Armitt mean early starts for our staff here at the museum, and although an early start isn't everyone's cup of tea, on a morning like this, it's made all the more worthwhile!

If you are in this Summer, why not get out of the busy town centre and explore local history through our three exhibitions, situated just past the iconic set back on Rydal Road.

The Armitt is open 10-5 between Tuesday and Saturday this Summer.

08/05/2026

We are excited to bring a new workshop with poet Ann Grant to the Armitt in June📝

In this workshop, we will discuss images from The Armitt's Working Men’s Club exhibition, Club Culture Cumbria, and use our ideas and responses to create simple 12-line poems or stories. Club Culture Cumbria is a continuation of the Club Culture project that Colin Potsig began in Northumberland in 2023. Captured across ten clubs in Cumbria in 2025, they show us regulars and retirees, choristers and bingo players. Attendees will create poems and stories through this inspiring exhibition, with Ann's expertise in writing. This is one of the first events in connection with Club Culture Cumbria. This offers a unique opportunity to experience the exhibition.

The workshop will be split, with 40 minutes dedicated to the workshop, followed by a 20-minute reading by Ann inspired by the collection.

Tickets will also include entry into the museum🎉
https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GBCZ

About the poet
Ann Grant is a writer with multiple sclerosis (MS). She lives in Kendal with her partner. Ann leads creative writing workshops and writes song lyrics, but is best known as a performance poet, hosting the Brewery Arts’ monthly Verbalise spoken word events.

07/05/2026

Calling all Beatrix Potter Fans🍄🐰

Tomorrow at 2pm, we are running our first , a new series taking you behind the scenes as we hear from curators involved in taking care of Beatrix Potter's history and memory.📝

First up is Katy Canales, Katy is the National Trust Curator responsible for Beatrix Potter’s properties, original illustrations, and manuscripts.

The online talk will explore the extraordinary legacy Beatrix left us—through her books, her farms, and the Lakeland landscape she helped preserve.

You can book onto tomorrow's talk here - https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GEHK

What’s it like to be the curator responsible for Beatrix Potter’s properties, original illustrations and manuscripts?

Don't miss this....hear from Katy Canales, our National Trust curator, at a special ONLINE talk on 8 May, hosted by The Armitt : Museum, Gallery, Library

To mark Beatrix Potter’s 160th anniversary, Katy will be sharing an inside look at the extraordinary legacy Beatrix left behind—through her books, her farms, and the Lakeland places she helped to protect. Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the challenges and joys of caring for Beatrix’s home and collection.

Also on - The Armitt 'An A-Z of Beatrix Potter' exhibition - is co-curated by Dr Penny Bradshaw, an Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Cumbria, who has published a book of the same name.

📅 Friday 8 May
⏰ 2–3pm (GMT)
📍 ONLINE event run by The Armitt Museum
🔗Find out more and book via www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/108352

[Image description: Close-up of curator Katy Canales carefully dusting a tiny chandelier in front of a dolls' house.]

📷 ©National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

01/05/2026

Spring is in full bloom here at The Armitt as we welcome in May with a new series of events🍄🌻

For our fans, we have plenty on this month from a fungi-themed drawing workshop with artist Meg Bowyer to an in-house talk with 'An A-Z of Beatrix Potter's' co-curator Dr Penny Bradshaw, on Beatrix's fascination with fungi across her life.

This month also sees the launch of our as we welcome Katy Canales from National Trust Beatrix Potter's Hill Top & Hawkshead for an online talk, the first of this new series for 2026.

We wrap up the month with our monthly , taking us back through the history of the Cumbrian fireplace.

You can find information on all these events and future events at https://www.armitt.com/event-directory/

30/04/2026

LAST CHANCE: Our 'Escape Box Experience' giveaway closes this Saturday!

If you haven't already, follow the steps on the post below to be in with a chance to take on our 'Beatrix Potter's Missing Paper' Escape Box.

The steps are simple:

Step 1 - Like this post👍
Step 2 - Leave a comment tagging someone you would bring with you👨‍👨‍👧‍👦
Step 3 - Follow The Armitt: Escape Box Experiences page on Facebook📣

The cutoff date for the giveaway is May 2nd, so be quick if you fancy your chances at beating this 5-star experience set right here in the Armitt Museum.

(comments/entries must be on the post linked below, best of luck!)

At The Armitt, we have devised some fun and creative new experiences that will help you to learn more about the history of Ambleside and our collections thr ...