Gondola trip to Brantwood
Visit to Coniston Hall and gondola ride to Brantwood
celebrate the bicentenary of Ruskin's birth
£28 per person (includes gondola ride, talk, and cream tea)
Event details
20 October 2019
Visit to Coniston Hall: 10.30 am - 11.45 am
‘Coniston Hall is one of the few substantial manor houses in the central Lake District and the only one owned by the National Trust. It was the seat of the Le Fleming family from 1250, but the present building dates from around 1580 and is built on the site of an earlier hall. It is one of the most noted buildings in the Lake District, with its distinctive tall, rounded chimneys. The bank barn to the north west of the Hall, dating from 1688, is one of the earliest examples in the Lake District and there is another classic bank barn of 19th century date south west of the hall. (Source: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/projects/whs/lake-district-nomination)
For the visit to Coniston Hall, we will meet at 10.30am at the car park next to Coniston Pier. We will walk to the hall, approx. 20 min walk along footpaths through fields (there is no parking at the hall). Dearbhail Keating will give a brief history of the hall, which is not usually open to the public.
We will leave Coniston Hall at 11.45 to walk back to Coniston Pier where there is a café (Bluebird Café) where people can buy their own lunch but there are also picnic benches if people wish to bring a packed lunch.
Gondola Ride: 1pm - 4.30pm
We will board the Gondola to Brantwood at 1pm from Coniston Pier. The steam powered Gondola will take us on a Head of the Lake cruise where we will hear about some of Coniston's famous connections and the history of the lake. Following disembark at Brantwood there will be a talk about the house and specifically Ruskin, why he came to Brantwood and what kept him busy during his final years.
There will then be free time to look around the house, followed by afternoon cream tea before boarding the Gondola back to Coniston pier.
The visit to Coniston Hall is free, but please indicate when booking whether you will be able to attend in the morning or will just be joining us for the gondola ride and visit to Brantwood (£28 per person).
Multiple bookings
As long as there is space on the event, we usually allow you to book for both yourself and a guest. When completing the booking form, you will be asked to select the number of people and put in your own details on the first page, then to put in your second person's details on the next page. The event fee shown on each of these pages is for the individual person - you will be shown the total amount due once you get to the summary page.
About SPAB in the North
The SPAB in the North Group covers Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland was established in Spring 2015 by Dearbhail Keating. Before this the Group had operated as SPAB in the North West under Elaine Blackett-Ord. To date we have enjoyed a variety of visits, from tours of beautiful houses such as Blackwell, to site visits on live projects such as Warwick Bridge Mill and even practical days of lime pointing and plastering.
Accessibility: please contact the Group Organiser before booking to discuss any special access requirements.
