This year the Ruskin Museum made international headlines as Donald Campbell’s Bluebird K7 returned to the museum as a permanent display for all to enjoy.


Visitors can admire the restored vessel that was used by Donald Campbell in his attempt to create a new world record on Coniston Water.

The history of Bluebird and both Donald and his father Malcolm are told through exhibits at the museum which also includes a Land Rover from a 1960 land speed attempt and a prototype Bluebird JetStar ski boat.
The Ruskin Museum, however, has so much more to offer visitors than the tales of the Campbell family and Bluebird.

The rest of the museum features fascinating and culturally significant artefacts which depict the lives of those who have called Coniston home, making it an ideal day out for exploring the rich heritage and culture of a town that is flanked by some of Cumbria’s most popular fells.
Amongst the luminaries that are remembered by the museum are writer, artist and social activist, John Ruskin and renowned author Arthur Ransom. 
The specially designed Ruskin Gallery is home to a collection of John Ruskin’s possessions including watercolours, drawings, sketchbooks, lecture aids, crystals and minerals, all donated by his former housekeeper.

(Image: Paul Mitchell)
Meanwhile in the Coniston Gallery, expect to find a more diverse collection of items, detailing the history, heritage and geology of Coniston, including items relating to the mining of copper and slate for which Coniston is famed.
Coniston is also the home of the founders of the first ever Mountain Rescue, a team of pioneering climbers and mountaineers that formed a charity that continues to endure.

Visitors can learn all about their work and how the charity began its life.  
The well-known Herdwick Sheep, a favourite of Beatrix Potter, are also honoured in the museum with a display of the lives of those who farm them. 
Other highlights include a motorbike from First World War Coniston-born hero Jimmy Hewiston VC and sailing dinghy ‘Mavis’, which was the inspiration for Amazon in Arthor Ransom’s classic ‘Swallows and Amazons’.
Ruskin Museum is just one of the attractions being highlighted by the Let’s Go Culture project, which has received £175,908 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is being supported by Westmorland & Furness Council.
For those who wish to stay longer, various accommodation options can be found in Coniston including Coppermines Lakes Cottages, which are located right in the centre of the village and just a few steps from the museum.