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The Ruskin Museum

Polly Checkland Harding

Visit now

The Ruskin Museum

The Ruskin Museum, Coniston, Cumbria, LA21 8DU
01539 441164
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  • Monday10:00am - 5:30pm
  • Tuesday10:00am - 5:30pm
  • Wednesday10:00am - 5:30pm
  • Thursday10:00am - 5:30pm
  • Friday10:00am - 5:30pm
  • Saturday10:00am - 5:30pm
  • Sunday10:00am - 5:30pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Visit now
The Ruskin Museum.
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The Ruskin Museum tells the story of Coniston in Cumbria – a place of copper mines and slate quarries, Swallows and Amazons country where Beatrix Potter owned farms and Stone Age fell walkers once dwelled. It’s also home to the Ruskin Gallery, which offers a comprehensive overview of Victorian intellectual John Ruskin’s life and work.

Opening times vary depending on season.

What's on near The Ruskin Museum

Sarah Hall. Photo by Richard Thwaites.
Until
LiteratureLancashire
Litfest 2025 at various venues and online

One of the oldest literature festivals in the country, Lancaster Literature Festival, or Litfest to its friends, has been bringing an exciting and varied programme to audiences since 1978.

From £3.00
Saltaire Brewery - 58
Until
TourSaltaire
Saltaire Brewery Tour

The guided tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at the brewhouse and state-of-the-art packaging plant, giving visitors a full sense of what “real Yorkshire beer” means today.

From £15.00
See all events

Where to go near The Ruskin Museum

LawsonParkFarm, courtesy of venue
Cumbria
Bed & Breakfast
Lawson Park Farm Cottage

Award-winning self-catering holiday accommodation that is not only beautiful but also supports the pioneering work of Grizedale Arts.

Cumbria
Gallery
Grizedale Arts

Grizedale Arts continues to explore the role of art in society from its award winning eco-base near Coniston.

Brantwood, image courtesy of venue
Cumbria
Museum
Brantwood

The Lake District home of the radical social and cultural thinker, John Ruskin.

Cumbria
Gallery
Grizedale Forest

Home to 60 site specific sculptures, Grizedale Sculpture in Grizedale Forest near Hawkshead offers a pioneering and permanently evolving environmental arts and adventure programme.

Cumbria
Museum
Hill Top

Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top in 1905 with the proceeds from her first book.

The Merzbarn today, courtesy Littoral Arts Trust
Cumbria
Gallery
Kurt Schwitters’ Merzbarn

Tucked away in a remote corner of the Lake District is Kurt Schwitter’s Merzbarn, an artistic epitaph to the avant garde ‘godfather of modern art’.

Cumbria
Museum
Wray Castle

A mock gothic castle, far from the usual Windermere crowds, with stunning grounds and a short walk to Claife Viewing station.

Windermere
Tourist Attraction
Brockhole on Windermere

Attempt to hit a clay flying at 65mph or navigate the obstacles along a wood chip track on a Krazy Kart, at this Arts and Crafts style house in Cumbria.

Cumbria
Restaurant
The Gaddum Restaurant

A high-end restaurant in the Lake District, combining traditional British ingredients with original modern ideas.

Cumbria
Restaurant
Fellini’s

Fellini’s does fancy ‘Vegeterranean’ food and films. What better way to treat yourself after a hard tramp in the Lake District?

See all places

Cumbria District Guides

Carlisle and Keswick, Cumbria

Our guide to things to do in Carlisle, a city framed by its famous castle, and the ‘honeypot’ town of Keswick in Cumbria.

Cockermouth and West Cumbria

Our guide to West Cumbria, with its independent, industrial streak, and Wordsworth’s birthplace, Cockermouth.
Allan Bank, Grasmere, image courtesy of Visit Cumbria
South Lakes, Cumbria

No trip to Cumbria is complete without a visit to the South Lakes, Coniston and Grizedale among them. Here’s our guide.
Things to do in Penrith
Things to do in Penrith and the Surrounding Area

With the picturesque Lake District to the west and the sweeping ridge of the Pennines to the east, Penrith is a stunning cultural destination.
York Castle Museum
Things to do in Kendal

Kendal is a key destination in the Lake District, packed with fantastic places to visit as well as a wide range of high-quality restaurants, bars and pubs.
Things to do in Eden Valley, Cumbria

Our guide to the best things to do in the beautiful Eden Valley in Cumbria, which stretches from Sedbergh to Penrith.
Kendal and Sedbergh, Cumbria

Packed with fantastic places to visit and a wide range of high-quality restaurants, bars and pubs, there’s loads to do in Kendal and Sedbergh.

Culture Guides

Hofesh Shechter - Theatre of Dreams at Lowry
Theatre in the North

Picks this month include bold visual art, wondrous opera and cinematic dance - plus a touch of ghostly storytelling for the Halloween season.

A white mattress is burning in a black rocky landscape.
Exhibitions in the North

Galleries in the North are far from spooky this October - instead you'll find tactile sculptures, plant magic and curatorial experiments.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

It's busy month across the cinemas of the north as Halloween programming leads into two of the region's biggest film festivals.

Poet Helen Mort.
Literature Events in the North

One to add to your TBR pile, our latest round-up is a bumper edition and features some amazing events in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and beyond...

Music in the North

From New York’s experimental underground to the most exciting sounds coming from local scenes, we're lining up a noisy autumn of gigs.