Elterwater

Elterwater is a village in the English Lake District and the county of Cumbria. The village lies half a mile (800 m) north-west of the lake of Elter Water, from which it derives its name. Both are situated in the valley of Great Langdale.[1]

This article is about the village. For the lake, see Elter Water.

Elterwater

Elterwater bridge
Elterwater
Location within Cumbria
OS grid referenceNY327048
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townAMBLESIDE
Postcode districtLA22
Dialling code015394
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
A road sign in Elterwater

In the past, the principal industries have been farming, quarrying for slate and gunpowder manufacture. The first two activities continue, while evidence of the latter survives in the grounds of the Langdale Estate,[2] a holiday development founded in the 1930s and redeveloped as a timeshare in the 1980s. In the present day, tourism is a principal source of income and the village is popular with fell-walkers.

In the 1880s, the Guild of St George founded by John Ruskin revived small-scale linen spinning and weaving in Langdale, at a cottage in Elterwater, led by Albert Fleming and Marion Twelves and continued by Elizabeth Pepper.[3] The decorative textiles became known as Ruskin Lace. In 1947, German artist Kurt Schwitters created one of his Merzbau in a barn at Cylinders. This three-dimensional artwork, and the entire wall on which it was installed, was moved to the Hatton Gallery in Newcastle in 1965. Artist Bernard Eyre-Walker lived and painted in Elterwater in the 1930s and 40s. Watercolour painter Thomas Frederick Worrall's painting Elterwater Tarn and Langdale Pikes is in the Bishop of Carlisle's house in Keswick.

Only a quarter of the houses in Elterwater are permanently occupied, the rest being holiday cottages.[4]

Etymology

" 'The lake frequented by swans', from ON 'elptr'/'alpt' 'swan', in the gen.[itive], sing.[ular] form with '-ar', and 'water', probably replacing ON 'vatn' 'lake'. Whooper swans still winter on the lake".[5](ON is Old Norse).

References
  1. Parker, 2004, page 37
  2. Jecock, Marcus, "Elterwater Gunpowder Works, Cumbria: an archaeological and historical survey". English Heritage Report Series AI/9/2003, 2003.
  3. Brunton, Jennie, "The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Lake District". Centre for North West Regional Studies, 2001, pp 57-86.
  4. "Elterwater - Visit Cumbria". www.visitcumbria.com.
  5. Whaley, Diana (2006). A dictionary of Lake District place-names. Nottingham: English Place-Name Society. pp. lx, 423 p.108–109. ISBN 0904889726.

Bibliography
  • Parker, John Wilson (2004). An Atlas of the English Lakes. Cicerone Press. ISBN 1-85284-355-1.

Media related to Elterwater at Wikimedia Commons


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