Founded by poets, artists and writers, the Armitt is a unique combination of museum, library and gallery devoted to preserving and sharing the cultural heritage of the Lake District.

Today the Armitt presents a permanent exhibition devoted to its greatest benefactor, Beatrix Potter. ‘Image and Reality’ reaches beyond the popular image to her extraordinary life and achievements.

Kurt Schwitters, the German modernist, lived and worked in Ambleside. One of the most influential artists of the twentieth-century, our collection of his work is of international importance.

At the heart of the Armitt is its antiquarian and local history library, which also hosts other important collections including that of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club and the Cumberland and Westmorland Dialect Society. The Armitt is truly one of the rarest treasures of the Lakes.

What else is nearby?

Dove Cottage

Holehird Gardens

Brockhole  – the Lake District Visitor Centre