Hawkshead
Hawkshead is arguably the prettiest village in the whole of Lakeland, a patchwork of
whitewashed cottages, cobbled alleys and archways clustered around small courtyards and
squares. Hawkshead is charming and timeless, and visitor's cars are not allowed into the centre
of the village - an attempt to preserve the beauty with which it is blessed. As well as an
obvious visual appeal, Hawkshead has an interesting history which is responsible for much of
the attention given the village by tourists. First settled by the Vikings, Hawkshead was
probably named after Haukr, a Norse warrior. In medieval times the village became an
important wool market, controlled by the monks of Furness Abbey, and Hawkshead boasts
the ruins of Hawkshead Hall, built by these monks. From more recent times, the
village's associations with William Wordsworth and
Beatrix Potter add considerably to visitor interest. Hawkshead
Grammar School was founded in 1585, its most famous pupil being a young William
Wordsworth, and within the school visitors can see the poet's desk, into which he carved his
name.
But he could see the woods and plains,
Could hear the wind and mark the showers
Come streaming down the streaming panes"
Beatrix Potter lived in nearby Near Sawrey. Several of the buildings in Hawkshead were given to the National Trust by Beatrix Potter, and the village is home to the Beatrix Potter Gallery, which displays her original drawings.
The scenery surrounding Hawkshead is among the finest in all of Lakeland, and within a short distance of the village is Esthwaite Water, Lake Windermere to the east, Grizedale Forest to the south, Coniston Water to the west, and the idyllic Tarn Hows to the north west.