Keswick Railway Station

The Story of Keswick Railway Station

It’s hard to imagine steam trains arriving in the heart of Keswick today, but our hotel stands alongside the town’s former railway station, which played an important role in the development of Keswick as a popular Lake District destination.

The railway was originally built to provide a more direct route for transporting iron ore from the West Cumbrian coast. As rail travel grew during the Victorian era, it also opened the Lake District to increasing numbers of visitors.

Keswick Station opened to passengers on 2 January 1865 and remained in service for more than 100 years, with the final passenger trains running in March 1972.

Today, the former railway line lives on as a popular walking and cycling route. The Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Path follows much of the original trackbed, taking visitors through beautiful Lakeland scenery and forming part of the Coast to Coast cycle route.

The history of the railway can also be discovered at Keswick Museum, where a fascinating collection of railway artefacts includes the spade and wheelbarrow used to cut the first sod of the railway in 1862, historic tickets and a railway guard’s whistle.