Keswick Art Museum & Art Gallery

Keswick Museum and Art Gallery in the Fitz Park was built at the turn of the century for ‘the inhabitants of Keswick and the visitors thereto’. The grand opening of the museum was on Easter Monday April 11th 1898, and it has remained unchanged ever since, apart from the provision of electric lighting and heating. Its Victorian style, and the range of exhibits make it a fascinating place to visit for all the family. The picture gallery was added later through the energies of Canon Rawnsley. It opened in July 1907.

The local history collection stretches back to Roman times, and includes such items as the famous 500 year old cat, a penny farthing cycle, and a man trap. One of the prime exhibits is a set of musical stones (below), variously termed the stone dulcimer, the rock harmonicon or the geological piano. It has travelled to London where performances were given to Queen Victoria.