Bridge House, Ambleside, Lake District, England, UK
Today, Bridge House stands over Stock Beck in the middle of Ambleside as a quirky reminder of Ambleside’s past; it is a 17th-century survivor. Thousands of visitors come every year to see it and have their picture taken but few actually know much of its varied past. The growth of old Ambleside is associated with a succession of families dating back to the early 14th century. The Braithwaites were an incredibly influential family and originally built Bridge House to access their lands on the other side of Stock Beck and also to store apples from their orchards, which surrounded Bridge House. It’s pretty spectacular that Bridge House has survived throughout the centuries as Ambleside has changed and developed around it. Its survival could be down to its many practical uses over the decades which include being used as a counting house for the mills of Rattle Ghyll, a tea-room, a weaving shop, a cobbler's, a chair maker's and, at one time, a home to a family of eight! In 1858, Harriet Martineau wrote in her popular Guide to the English Lake District: "the odd little grey dwelling ... is the ancient house which is considered the most curious relic in Ambleside of the olden time. "The view of the hill and rocky channel of the Stock ... is the one which every artist sketches as he passes by." This statement holds true today, as thousands of tourists pass by eagerly snapping their version of this picturesque building of yesteryear. Furthermore, the list of artists who have painted Bridge House reads like a Who’s Who of the art world.
Size: 4912px × 7360px
Location: Lake District National Park, Ambleside, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Scottish.Photography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 17th, ambleside, beck, bridge, century, color, colour, cottage, cumbria, district, england, house, kingdom, lake, national, quirky, stock, tiny, trust, uk, united
