Coniston is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

Furness Furness ( ) is a peninsula and region of Cumbria in northwestern England. Together with the Cartmel Peninsula it forms North Lonsdale, historically an exclave of Lancashire. The Furness Peninsula, also known as Low Furness, is an area of vill ...

region of

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,058, decreasing at the 2011 census to 928.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

part of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, it is in the southern part of the Lake District National Park, between

Coniston Water Coniston Water in the English county of Cumbria is the third-largest lake in the Lake District by volume (after Windermere and Ullswater), and the fifth-largest by area. It is five miles long by half a mile wide (8 km by 800 m), has ...

, the third longest lake in the Lake District, and

Coniston Old Man The Old Man of Coniston is a fell in the Furness Fells in the Cumbria, English Lake District and is the highest point (county top) of the historic county of Lancashire. It is at least high, and lies to the west of the village of Coniston and t ...

. Coniston is northeast of

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...

, west of Kendal and north of Lancaster.

History

Coniston grew as both a farming village, and to serve local copper and slate mines.''The Story of Coniston'', 2nd edition, by Alastair Cameron and Elizabeth Brown, privately published, Coniston 2003. It grew in popularity as a tourist location during the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

, thanks partially to the construction of a branch of the

Furness Railway The Furness Railway (Furness) was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England. History Formation In the early 1840s, the owners of iron ore mines in the Furness district of Lancashire became interested i ...

, which opened to passenger traffic in 1859 and terminated at Coniston railway station. The poet and

social critic Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism focusing on social issues in contemporary society, in particular with respect to perceived injustices and power relations in general. Social criticism of the Enlightenment The orig ...

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...

also popularised the village, buying the mansion

Brantwood Brantwood is a historic house museum in Cumbria, England, overlooking Coniston Water. It has been the home of a number of prominent people. The house and grounds are administered by a charitable trust, the house being a museum dedicated to Jo ...

on the eastern side of Coniston Water in 1871. Before his death, he rejected the option to be buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

, instead being laid to rest in the churchyard of St Andrew's, Coniston.

Ruskin Museum The Ruskin Museum is a small local museum in Coniston, Cumbria, northern England. It was established in 1901 by W. G. Collingwood, an artist and antiquarian who had worked as secretary to art critic John Ruskin. The museum is both a memorial t ...

, established in 1901, is both a memorial to Ruskin and a local museum covering the history and heritage of Coniston Water and the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

. The philosopher

R.G. Collingwood Robin George Collingwood (; 22 February 1889 – 9 January 1943) was an English philosopher, historian and archaeologist. He is best known for his philosophical works, including ''The Principles of Art'' (1938) and the posthumously published ...

is buried in Coniston. The painter

Henry Robinson Hall Henry Robinson Hall (1859–1927) was a Victorian and Edwardian landscape painter in oils and watercolours noted for his Highland cattle. Life Hall was born to Eliza Robinson in the City of York in 1859 and died on 31 May 1927 at Barrow-in- ...

lived and worked and was buried in Coniston.

Donald Campbell Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

added to the profile of the village and lake when he broke four World Water Speed Records on the lake in the 1950s. He died attempting to break the world water speed record for the eighth time in 1967, when his jet boat, "

Bluebird K7 ''Bluebird K7'' is a jet engined hydroplane which Britain's Donald Campbell set seven world water speed records between 1955 and 1967. ''K7'' was the first successful jet-powered hydroplane, and was considered revolutionary when launched i ...

", crashed at , having already set the record for the seventh time at

Dumbleyung Lake Dumbleyung Lake, also widely known as Lake Dumbleyung, is a salt lake in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The lake has a length of and a width of ; it covers a total area of . Description The traditional owners of the area are ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in 1964. His body and boat (''

'') were discovered and recovered by divers in 2001 and he was buried in the new graveyard in Coniston in September 2001. A new wing has been built at the Ruskin Museum to accommodate the fully restored Bluebird K7 boat. It opened in late 2009 with the K7 due to arrive in late 2011 or early 2012. The whole village was powered by hydroelectricity during the 1920s but this became so heavily taxed that the people there were forced to return to the national grid. Since 7 March 2007 a hydro-electric scheme has been in use to power up to 300 homes; being sited near the original.

Etymology

Coniston was called "''Coningeston''" in the 12th century, a name derived from ''konungr'', the Old Norse for king, and ''tūn'' the Old English for farmstead or village. This would give the village the title of "The king's estate". Ekwall speculated that this town could have been the centre of a 'small Scandinavian mountain kingdom'.

Geography

Coniston is located on the western shore of the northern end of

. It sits at the mouth of Coppermines Valley and Yewdale Beck, which descend from the

Coniston Fells Coniston may refer to: Australia * Coniston (Northern Territory), a cattle station **Coniston massacre, 1928 *Coniston, New South Wales ** Coniston railway station, New South Wales * Coniston, Tasmania, a town in the Derwent Valley United Kingd ...

, historically the location of ore and slate mining. Coniston's location thus developed as a farming village and transport hub, serving these areas. Coniston was situated in the very north-west of the historic county of

, with

forming the county's highest point.

Governance

Coniston is part of the

Westmorland and Lonsdale Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

parliamentary constituency, of which

Tim Farron Timothy James Farron (born 27 May 1970) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2017. He has also served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005, before which he worked in ...

is the current MP representing the Liberal Democrats. Before

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...

, it was in the

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

European Parliamentary Constituency. For

Local Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

purposes, it is in the ''Coniston and Crake Valley

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

'' of South Lakeland District Council. The total population of this ward as taken at the 2011 Census was 1,575. It belongs to the ''Broughton + Coniston Division'' of

Cumbria County Council Cumbria County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Cumbria in the North West of England. Established in April 1974, following its first elections held the previous year, it is an elected local government body respon ...

. The village also has its own Parish Council; ''Coniston Parish Council''.

Leisure and tourism

The creation of the Lake District National Park in 1951 provided a boost to tourism, with attractions such as the

and ferry services across the lake developing. Coniston is a popular spot for

hill-walking Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultiv ...

and

rock-climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants Climbing, climb up, across, or down natural Rock (geology), rock formations. The goal is to reach the Summit (topography), summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined Climbing ro ...

; there are fine walks to be had on the nearby

Furness Fells The Furness Fells are a multitude of hills and mountains in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. Historically part of Lancashire, the Furness Fells or High Furness is the name given to the upland part of Furness, that is, that part of Furness ...

and

Grizedale Forest Grizedale Forest is a 24.47 km2 area of woodland in the Lake District of North West England, located to the east of Coniston Water and to the south of Hawkshead. It is made up of a number of hills, small tarns and the settlements of Grizeda ...

, and some of the finest rock in the Lake District on the eastern face of

Dow Crag Dow Crag is a fell in the English Lake District near Coniston, Cumbria. The eastern face is one of the many rock faces in the Lake District used for rock climbing. The name Dow Crag originally applied specifically to the eastern face which l ...

, from the village. The Grizedale Stages rally also takes place in Coniston, using the surrounding Grizedale and Broughton Moor (or Postlethwaite Allotment) forests. The village is also home to a number of hotels and two

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ...

s, one at the edge of the village, the other in the nearby Coppermines Valley. The village also has a football team, Coniston AFC, who play their home games at Coniston sports and social centre.

Climate

As with the rest of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, Coniston experiences a

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

with cool summers and mild winters. Rainfall is high, at not much under 2000mm a year. Temperature extremes have ranged from during February 1986, to during August 1990. The nearest Met Office weather station is Grizedale, around 2.5 miles to the South East.

Mining and minerals

Two slate quarries still operate at Coniston, one in Coppermines Valley, the other at Brossen Stone on the east side of the Coniston Old Man. Both work Coniston's volcanic slates, being blue at Low-Brandy Crag in Coppermines Valley, and light green at Brossen Stone (bursting stone). The scenery around Coniston derives from

Coniston Limestone The Dent Group is a group of Upper Ordovician sedimentary and volcanic rocks in north-west England. It is the lowermost part of the Windermere Supergroup, which was deposited in the foreland basin formed during the collision between Laurentia and ...

and rocks of the

Borrowdale Volcanic Group The Borrowdale Volcanic Group is a group of igneous rock formations named after the Borrowdale area of the Lake District, in England. They are Caradocian (late Ordovician) in age (roughly 450 million years old). It is thought that they represent t ...

Services

Coniston is also an important local centre, with a secondary school (

John Ruskin School John Ruskin School (JRS) is an 11–16 school on Lake Road in Coniston, Cumbria. The school is part of the Rural Academy, a group of nine small schools in Cumbria which was awarded Technology College status in 2004, and a member of the South La ...

), primary school (Coniston Church of England Primary School), bank, petrol station and other such services. It has also repeatedly been highly placed in the Village of the Year award, winning it in 1997.

Twinning

The village is twinned with

Illiers-Combray Illiers-Combray () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in north central France. Population Literature ''Combray'' was the writer Marcel Proust's name for the village of Illiers (near the Cathedral town of Chartres), vividly depicted by ...

. The French village is associated with Marcel Proust for whom Ruskin's work was a source of inspiration.

Gallery

File:StAndrewsConRH.jpg, St Andrew's Church File:YewdaleRH.jpg, Yewdale Hotel File:BlackBullRH.jpg, Black Bull File:ConistonStreamRH.JPG, Church Beck File:FarmConnistonRH.JPG, Farmstead near Coniston File:Tarn Howes Cottage.JPG, Tarn Hows Cottage File:ConWaterRH.jpg, View over Coniston Water File:YewTreeRH.jpg, Yew Tree Farm File:ShelterConRH.jpg, Old Dog House File:Coniston from Old Man.jpg, Village from Old Man

References

External links

Coniston Community Website

Coniston Mountain Rescue Team

Coniston Webcam
– A view of Coniston village.
Lakelandcam
daily walkabout photos centered on Coniston and environs
Cumbria County History Trust: Church Coniston
(nb: provisional research only - see Talk page)
Cumbria County History Trust: Hawkshead and Monk Coniston with Skelwith
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page) {{authority control Villages in Cumbria Furness Civil parishes in Cumbria