Abbot Hall Art Gallery

The Lake District


After a three-year closure, Kendal's fine-art gallery will reopen to the public on May 20, 2023. It houses one of the northwest's best collections of 18th- and 19th-century art. It's especially strong on portraiture and Lakeland landscapes: look out for works by David Hockney, John Ruskin and local boy George Romney, who was born in Dalton-in-Furness in 1734 and became a sought-after portraitist, as well as a key figure in the 'Kendal School'.

Look out for signposts as you head south along Kirkland Rd.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Lake District attractions

1. Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry

0.04 MILES

Directly opposite Abbot Hall, this museum recreates various scenes from Lakeland life during the 18th and 19th centuries, including a farmhouse parlour, a…

2. Kendal Museum

0.59 MILES

Founded in 1796 by the inveterate Victorian collector William Todhunter, this mixed-bag museum features everything from stuffed beasts and transfixed…

3. Sizergh Castle

2.91 MILES

Three-and-a-half miles south of Kendal along the A591, this castle is the feudal seat of the Strickland family. Set around a pele tower, its finest asset…

4. Levens Hall

4.62 MILES

This Elizabethan manor is built around a mid-13th-century fortified pele tower, and fine Jacobean furniture litters its interior, although the real draw…

5. Blackwell House

7.39 MILES

Two miles south of Bowness on the B5360, Blackwell House is a glorious example of the 19th-century Arts and Crafts Movement, which championed handmade…

6. World of Beatrix Potter

7.66 MILES

This themed attraction brings to life various scenes from Beatrix Potter's books, including Peter Rabbit's garden, Mr McGregor's greenhouse, Mrs Tiggy…

7. Windermere & the Islands

8.13 MILES

Windermere gets its name from the old Norse, Vinandr mere (Vinandr's lake; so 'Lake Windermere' is actually tautologous). Encompassing 5.7 sq miles…

8. Wray Castle

9.04 MILES

An impressive sight with its turrets and battlements, this mock-Gothic castle was built in 1840 for James Dawson, a retired doctor from Liverpool, but it…