The English Lake District

• Official name: The English Lake District
• Location: Cumbria, England
• Type: Natural
• Year of inscription: 2017

The English Lake District is a region in northwest England known for its forests, meadows, mountains, hills, and lakes. The area is home to the highest elevations in England, including the Scafell Pike, the highest mountain at 3,209 feet (978 meters). In addition, the district has the deepest lakes in England. These include Wast Water and Windermere.

The English Lake District covers 912 square miles (2,362 square kilometers) of land in the county of Cumbria. This county was created in 1974; before that date, the Lake District was spread over three counties—Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire—which were sometimes called “the Lakes Counties.” The Lake District National Park was established in 1951 in the central Lake District and extended out to the coast. The Lake District, as a whole, was designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 2017 to preserve the natural beauty of the area.

The Lake District is also associated with several famous English authors and poets. Authors such as Beatrix Potter and John Ruskin had homes there. The Lake Poet School was a group of Romantic poets who lived in the area in the early nineteenth century. This group included William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey. The poets were inspired by the natural beauty of the district, and their work brought attention to the area. Artists and musicians alike have also used their works to tout the beauty of the area. Tourists have considered the English Lake District a prime holiday destination since the Victorian era. The Lake District National Park, which lies at the heart of the district, hosts about 16 million visitors each year.

History

The northern mountain ranges that make up the fells, or mountains and hills, of the Lake District are estimated to be about 500 million years old and are primarily made up of Ordovician slate. The central ranges are slightly younger and made of volcanic rock. The southern ranges are about 440 million years old.

Early human settlements in the region date back at least five thousand years. These early inhabitants used stone from the mountain Pike o’ Stickle for ax heads and the ceremonial stone circles found in the area. Later, the rich mineral deposits in the area were mined for copper, iron ore, graphite, and green slate. Archeological evidence suggests by the twelfth century, mining and quarrying were occurring, but historians suspect the practice dates back to at least Roman times.

The Celts, Romans, Angles, and Vikings all also settled in the Lake District and are responsible for many of the region’s place names. The suffix -thwaite is used to indicate a clearing, fell is a grazeable mountain, gill, is a ravine, force is a waterfall, and tarn is a small lake. The early inhabitants also introduced the Herdwick sheep to the area to graze in the highlands. These animals are known for being born black and turning white as they mature into adults. Evidence of ancient settlements can still be found in monuments, forts, and stone crosses.

By the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, people built further settlements in the region. Tower houses and Pele Towers, which were small stone fortified towers of about three stories that protected inhabitants from sieges, were built along the English and Scottish borderlands. The Lake District was considered “debatable land,” and was divided between the two countries, separated by a ditch called Scot’s Dike. Border “reivers” were robbers or bandits that raided the area, stealing cattle and other valuable goods. The walls and towers were built as protection from these reivers.

In addition to fortified houses, other structures were built in the Middle Ages to house monks, nuns, and canons. Four friaries were also built in the region, although no archeological evidence remains from these structures. However, four medieval monasteries—Cartmel, St. Bees, Holm Cultram, and Lanercost—have been preserved and are still in use as parish churches. These sites are open to tourists.

During the Victorian era, the Lakes District became more popular due to its literary influence. The Lake Poet School authors glorified the region’s natural beauty in their works. In 1835, the poet William Wordsworth wrote A Guide to the Lakes, which became a comprehensive tourist guidebook for the area. Although he encouraged appreciative visitors, he discouraged development. Railways and roadways had become more common to support the miners that fueled the burgeoning coal industry in England. By 1847, the railway had reached Lake Windermere. Wealthy industrialists, looking to escape the crowded and polluted streets of the cities, also started building large mansions and Mediterranean-style villas in the district, especially around picturesque Lake Windermere.

Beatrix Potter, the children’s author who created the character Peter Rabbit, was the largest private holder of land in the Lakes District. She was instrumental in supporting the National Trust, formed in 1895 to protect England’s areas of natural beauty. Her estate was called Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey. Her land, home, and many of her paintings were donated to the National Trust after her death in 1943. Today, these sites are open to visitors.

In 2017, twenty-five British organizations in the Lake District National Park Partnership put in a bid for UNESCO to recognize the district as a World Heritage Site. This bid was accepted on July 9 of that year, and the Lake District officially became a World Heritage Site, meeting three of the ten criteria for inclusion.

Significance

The mountainous areas of the English Lake District, known as the Cumbrian Mountains, consist of about 890 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of protected land. Within the mountain ranges are glaciated U-shaped valleys, steep hills, and deep lakes. Small mountainous lakes or pools, known as tarns, can be found in hollows at higher elevations leftover from ice age glacial activity.

The highest elevation in England is Scafell Pike in the Lake District. It provides views of the Scottish Galloway Hills, the Irish Mourne Mountains, the Welsh area of Snowdonia, and the Isle of Man. England’s tallest peaks and land—all above 3,000 feet (914 meters)—can be found within the boundaries of the Lake District. In addition to Scafell Pike, other tall peaks in the region include Helvellyn Mountain (3,120 feet, 951 meters) and Skiddaw Mountain (3,054 feet, 931 meters).

Many major lakes and reservoirs, both natural and human-made, make up the Lake District. Windermere is the largest lake in England at more than 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) long and nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide. The lake was formed in a trough left by a retreating glacier. Although already known as a popular holiday destination, it was made even more famous by Oscar Wilde when he wrote his first play, Lady Windermere’s Fan, in 1892 after a summer visit to the lake. Other popular lakes in the district include Bassenthwaite Lake, Coniston Water, Thirlmere, Ullswater, and Wast Water.

The Lake District also extends down to the coast of the Irish Sea in a vast intertidal area with estuaries, dunes, mudflats, and salt marshes. Morecambe Bay is an estuary area that is considered the largest area of intertidal mudflats and sand in England. In addition to providing areas of scenic beauty, they also are ecological sanctuaries for various plants and wildlife.

The geological features of the Lake District support a variety of wildlife and plants. Woodland forests are found in elevations below the tree line and are home to British and European oak trees. These woodlands are also home to the red squirrel, of which the Lake District has the highest population. Rainfall levels are also higher in many areas, which supports mosses, ferns, lichens, and liverworts. Birds also thrive in the Lake District. Golden eagles, ospreys, red kites, buzzards, peregrines, and ravens can all be found here. The waterways support numerous species of fish, including three rare and endangered species: the vendace, schelly, and Arctic char.

The district has distinct agropastoral traditions linked to heritage breeds of sheep, such as the Herdwick. Since farming has been the region’s main industry since Roman times, dry stone-walled fields, farm buildings, and mountainside grazing areas are common can be found throughout the area. In addition, Victorian-area villas, mansions, and gardens preserved by the National Trust and private landowners add to the historical significance.

Bibliography

Arfin, Ferne. “The Lake District: The Complete Guide to the English Lakes.” Trip Savvy, 22 July 2019, www.tripsavvy.com/english-lake-district-at-a-glance-1661644. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

“The English Lake District.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/422. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

“The History of Cumbria and the Lake District.” Visit Cumbria, www.visitcumbria.com/history. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

“Lake District Facts and Figures.” Lake District National Park, www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/learning/factsandfigures. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

Pipe, Beth and Will Jones. “A First-Time Guide to England's Lake District.” Lonely Planet, 18 July 2024, www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/guide-to-the-lake-district. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

“Raw Sewage Pumped into England's Largest Lake Due to Fault.” Phys.org, 15 May 2024, phys.org/news/2024-05-raw-sewage-england-largest-lake.html. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.