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Revision as of 15:23, 30 September 2006 by Arrievaulx (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Hawkshead is a village in the Lake District, England. It is one of the main tourist honeypots in the South Lakeland area, and is dependent on the local tourist trade.
Geography
Hawkshead is situated just north of Esthwaite Water, in a valley to the west of Windermere and east of Coniston Water. It part of Furness, making it a part of the traditional county of Lancashire but in the administrative county of Cumbria.
History
The township of Hawkshead was originally owned by the monks of Furness Abbey; nearby Colthouses derives its name from the stables owned by the Abbey. Hawkshead later grew as a market town after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1532.
During the 18th and 19th Centuries, Hawkshead became a town of important local stature. Poet William Wordsworth was educated in its grammar school, whilst Beatrix Potter lived nearby, marrying a local resident.
Upon the opening of the National Park in 1951, tourism grew in importance, through traditional farming still goes on around the town. Much of the land in and around the town is now owned by the National Trust. The National Trust property is called Hawkshead and Claife. Also of note are the Hawkshead clothes shop, which has grown to have high street branches across the UK; the Hawkshead Relish Company; and Hawkshead Brewery.
External links
- Hawkshead and Claife information at the National Trust
- http://www.english-lakes.com/hawkshead.html Hawkshead in an Illustrated guide to the Lake District]