What is Keswick famous for?

The Lake District welcomes over 40 million visitors every year, with Keswick being one of the most popular tourist towns in Lakeland.  The market town holds extensive history and landmarks which has contributed to the towns growing popularity over the years…

  • Keswick Market Square

Keswick’s Market Square is a particularly famous area of Keswick dating back to the 13th century when Edward 1st of England granted a charter for Keswick’s weekly market, which has been operating continuously for over 700 years. The famous market is popular amongst locals and tourists and continues to thrive in the exact same spot today.  At the head of the market, stands Moot Hall; a Grade II listed building which originated as a medieval courthouse and is now a trademark building of the town.

  • Castlerigg Stone Circle

A famous historical site owned by English Heritage, there are few stone circles in Britain with such a dramatic backdrop as Castlerigg. A circle of 38 historic stones thought to date back to 3000BC stand on a plateau overlooking the Thirlmere Valley with views of High Seat and Helvellyn behind.  Thought to be an important meeting place for Neolithic communities, Castlerigg is potentially the earliest stone circle in the country, attracting historical loving visitors from near and far.

  • Derwent Island and House

 The only inhabited island in the Lake District, Derwent Island is a little wooded isle on Derwentwater and is home to an extraordinary 18th century house. Historians believe the island was first lived upon in the 16th century by a group of German miners when they came to work in the area. They camped, grew vegetables and kept animals, building a community on the lake. The house and island is owned by the National Trust who organise tours.

  • Mining and industrial heritage

Keswick was historically the cradle of Cumbrian mining, with mining experts from Germany arriving in the town in 1564. Initially, Copper and Lead mines were popular in the surrounding area. Following the discovery of graphite in Borrowdale, the area then became famous for creating the world’s first pencil in 1832 and developing its pencil making industry, which is still operating today as The Cumberland Pencil Company manufacturing Derwent Pencils. One of the pencil museums modern exhibits in 2014 also claimed to be the world’s largest coloured pencil. Keswick’s history attracts visitors today to local museum’s including Keswick Mining Museum and the Derwent Pencil Museum..


  • Poets

Keswick is widely known for its association with famous 18th and 19th century poets including Samuel Taylor Coleridge , Robert Southey, John Ruskin, John Dalton and John Brown. Their words made the scenically beautiful surroundings of Keswick known to readers in Britain, attracting the first tourists to the area. By the late 19th century, Keswick was well known and the focus of important initiatives in society, specifically the conservative movement, led by local man Hardwicke Rawnsley who was co-founder of the National Trust.

Greta Hall, home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a grade I listed building in Keswick dating back to the late 18th century and is a particularly famous building in the area. Its modern use now acts as holiday accommodation, allowing visitors to stay in the building. 

John Ruskin described the area as ‘almost too beautiful to live in.’ A memorial plaque of Borrowdale slate dedicated to the writer is displayed in woodland on Friars’ Crag near Keswick Launch.

  • Railway 

The construction of the railways in the mid-19th century made the Lake District more accessible to tourists, with Keswick in particular being the most accessible. The construction of a railway line between Cockermouth and the London and North Western Railway Company at Penrith began in 1861. Keswick Railway Station was built opened on the line in 1865. The station is now disused but is still a major part of the areas history with a railway trail owned by the national park re-opening as a popular hiking route from Keswick to Threlkeld. The building from the platform at the station, which was used as offices for the company, has been integrated into a hotel and its now a grade 2 listed building.