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| 1: Institution | The Armitt Library |
| 2: Founded | 1912 (incorporating Ambleside Book Society, founded 1828) |
| 3: Postal address | Rydal Road, Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 9BL |
| 4: Tel. Fax. Email Web | Tel: 015394 31212 Fax: 015394 31313 www.armitt.com mail@armitt.com |
| 5: AIL contact | Mrs Karan Herrington-Howell, Museum Director |
| 6: Hours | Tuesdays and Fridays, 10-4.30 p.m (public) |
| 7: Membership details | Membership not required, fee, small. |
| 8: Activities, publications etc. | The Armitt Story by Eileen Jay was published in Summer 1998 and Beatrix Potter: the unknown years by Elizabeth Battrick in 1999. |
| 9: Refreshments | None available on site, but there is a wide range of facilities in Ambleside. |
| 10: Visitors / Researchers | All welcome, but people requiring to consult manuscripts or original art works must make an appointment. |
| 11: Background information | The library is based on a subscription library, founded in 1828. William Wordsworth was an early member and John Ruskin and Harriet Martineau were active supporters at the end of the 19th century. It was amalgamated with the library of Maria Louisa Armitt and became the Armitt Library in 1912. There have been subsequent gifts and bequests by Alderman Plummer, Canon Rawnsley, Beatrix Potter and many others. |
| 12: Collections | The library of over 11,000 books covers the social and natural history of the Lake District and particularly of the area around Ambleside. The intellectual life of the area is reflected in works by Wordsworth, Harriet Martineau, Ruskin, the Armitt sisters, Charlotte Mason and many others. There is an excellent collection of early guides to the Lakes, an impressive holding of etchings by William Green, over 300 natural history watercolours by Beatrix Potter and an extensive collection of local photographs by Herbert Bell. The museum holds the artifacts from the local Roman fort and is developing its archive of material relating to the artist Kurt Schwitters. |
| 13: Building | The building of local stone and slate was designed by Hutchinson Associates and was built by Lowther Construction in 1997. It is situated in the grounds of St Martin's College (formerly Charlotte Mason College) within the Ambleside conservation area. |
| 14: Status | Registered charity no 526972 2004/03/15 |