The Armitt Museum and Library

Who we are

The Armitt Museum and Library in Ambleside tells the story of the town and the surrounding area from Roman times to the present day. Highlights of the collection include local Victorian photography, Beatrix Potters’ natural history and archaeological drawings, artefacts from Ambleside Roman Fort, geology and mountaineering books, early maps and guidebooks from the area, and work by the artist Kurt Schwitters. The museum’s schools resources are mainly for Key Stage 1 and 2 and support the History curriculum but they can tailor visits and outreach to schools to meet their requirements. The museum is a good resource for schools wanting to find out about local history and the many famous people connected with Ambleside including John Ruskin, Harriet Martineau, Kurt Schwitters and Beatrix Potter. The museum has recently developed new loans boxes for schools on the themes of Romans, Victorians and World War II using their local collections of handling objects. More workshops, resources and new exhibitions are planned for the future.