Open days will offer visitors a unique view of historic Lakes houses (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Open days will offer visitors a unique view of historic Lakes houses
12:00pm Wednesday 29th August 2012 in News
HISTORIC places across the Lake District will open their doors and offer a slice of culture for free next weekend.
Interesting buildings, including homes, museums and churches are being opened and guided walks being led as part of a celebration of Cumbrian heritage.
Volunteers from civic and village societies, church and heritage groups have put together this year’s Heritage Open Days as part of national celebration.
More than 4,000 groups nationally will celebrate our architecture and culture by offering free access to places which are normally closed or charge for admission from September 6 to 9.
The offerings in Cumbria include Allan Bank in Grasmere, unseen by the public for more than 200 years but brought back to life after it was rescued from the ravages of fire in 2011.
The house, which was once the home of poet William Wordsworth and National Trust founder Canon Rawnsley, will be open on all four days from 10am until 5pm.
And, for the first time, Beatrix Potter ’s original watercolours and sketches – including the author’s ink drawings for her private edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit children’s quiz – can be viewed on Saturday, September 8, at the Beatrix Potter Gallery.
In Ambleside the Galava Roman fort’s archaeology and the lives of its occupants will be brought to life in a talk by archaeologist Percival Turnbull on Friday (September 7) at 2pm.
Langdale YHA, a rambling Victorian mansion built as a country gentleman’s resi-dence, can be discovered on all four days from noon until 4pm, and Faulkner’s Workshop in North Road, one of the oldest buildings in the village with its ancient roof timbers will be open on Thursday and Friday.
The event will also see Windermere Steamboat Museum , currently closed for redevelopment, re-open for the day on Friday so visitors can see the conservation work in progress.
