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Coordinates: 54°22'27?N 2°59'49?W? / ?54.374058, -2.996864
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.
[edit] Geography
Hawkshead is situated just north of Esthwaite Water, in a valley to the west of Windermere and east of Coniston Water. It is part of Furness, making it a part of the ancient county of Lancashire but in the administrative county of Cumbria.
[edit] History
The township of Hawkshead was originally owned by the monks of Furness Abbey; nearby Colthouse derives its name from the stables owned by the Abbey. Hawkshead grew to be an important wool market in medieval times and later as a market town after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1532. It was granted its first market charter by King James I in 1608. In 1585 Hawkshead Grammar School was established by Archbishop Edwin Sandys of York after he successfully petitioned Queen Elizabeth I for a charter to establish a governing body.
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 William Heelis, a local solicitor.
Upon the opening of the National Park in 1951, tourism grew in importance, though traditional farming still goes on around the town. Hawkshead has a timeless atmosphere and consists of a characterful warren of alleys, overhanging gables and a series of medieval squares. It is eloquently described in William Wordsworth's poem, 'The Prelude'.
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.
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(Source: Wikipedia) |