The great Victorian artist, art critic, amateur geologist, teacher, writer, social critic and philosopher, John Ruskin (1819 - 1900) spent the last 28 years of his life in Brantwood, one of the most exquisitely located houses in the Lake District. Brantwood, which overlooks Coniston Water and the surrounding mountains, contains many of Ruskin’s drawings and watercolours, as well as much of his furniture, books and personal items. The house, therefore, remains highly evocative of the environment in which Ruskin produced some of his best loved work.

As Ruskin was an inspiration to such diverse figures as Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and the Trade Union members of the first Parliamentary Labour party, Brantwood is touched by a particularly visionary quality. Meanwhile the grounds are made up of 150 acres of woodland, lakeshore meadows and moorland hilltop. As well as marked trails through these grounds, lace-making demonstrations, lectures, theatrical performances and readings from Ruskin’s writings may be enjoyed. Moreover, new hangings of Ruskin’s own work in addition to contemporary art and craft exhibitions can be discovered. A visit to Brantwood will undoubtedly prove not only highly enjoyable but a step towards following Ruskin’s maxim that ‘he is only advancing in life whose heart is getting softer, whose brain quicker, whose spirit is entering into living peace’.