Brantwood Coniston

28/08/2026

Extended until Monday 7th September 2026. There is still time to catch the amazing 'I Turned and Looked' exhibition in the Severn Studio. Don't miss this opportunity to come and experience this amazing collaboration of music and poetry.

I Turned and Looked Conversations between Music & Photography by Music & Being: Jess Dandy, contralto & Brantwood artist-in-residence; Debbie Green, movement artist; Alex Mills, composer; Clare Park, photographer; Dylan Perez, pianist; Bobby Williams, sound engineer. The Making Of I TURNED AND LOOKE...

28/08/2026

Extended until Monday 7th September 2026. There is still time to catch the amazing 'I Turned and Looked' exhibition in the Severn Studio. Don't miss this opportunity to come and experience this amazing collaboration of music and poetry. https://www.brantwood.org.uk/exhibition/i-turned-and-looked/

27/08/2026

🤩 This August Bank Holiday make your way to Brantwood - we’ve got it all planned out for you…

Whatever the weather, John Ruskin’s former Lake District home on the shores of Coniston Water promises a trip full of inspiration with history, art, nature and spectacular views guaranteed:

🏡 Step inside our historic house and explore the rooms, collections and fascinating stories behind the man who made beautiful Brantwood his home for the final years of his life.

💎 Discover ‘Treasures of the Earth’ - our major exhibition of the year reveals Ruskin’s lifelong fascination with minerals and geology and the extraordinary beauty he found in the natural world. Get up close to some spectacular sparkling, magical finds…

☕ Stop for lunch at The Terrace - settle into our cosy cafe with something delicious to eat or drink and take in those panoramic views across the lake with a tasty treat!

📷 Immerse yourself in a different view of Brantwood with ‘I Turned and Looked’ bringing together music and photography in an exhibition inspired by landscape, place and perception.

✨ Head through the red door and explore The Treasury, displaying some of the finest specimens from Ruskin’s original vast geological collection and offering another fascinating view on his passions and interests.

🌿 Between the clouds head outside - when weather is kind, make the most of our 250-acre estate and colourful gardens, weave in and out and all around our stunning estate pathways, there’s always something new to discover. We’ve also got a free treasure trail for young explorers 🔍

🎟️ And the best bit? Adult tickets are just £16.50 and give you unlimited entry for 12 months – plus under 16s go FREE!

So, whatever the Lake District weather has in store - we’ll see you soon 💚

Plan your visit now at https://www.brantwood.org.uk/

21/08/2026

Historical artefacts taken north by Western explorers
Thursday 17th September 7.00pm
Talk by Eugene Rae, Principal Librarian of the Royal Geographical Society.
Join us for a talk which will share insights into several rare and unusual artefacts from the Society’s celebrated Polar collection, including:

Ship’s biscuit and trade goods from James Ross’ search for Sir John Franklin, 1848
Oil stove from Robert Peary’s North Pole expedition, 1909
Phyllis Wager’s boots from the British East Greenland Expedition, 1935–1936
Eugene Rae will share the fascinating stories of how the everyday artefacts of exploration become almost iconic through their association with significant events in the history of Western exploration.

Tickets £10.00 to non-members (includes glass of wine on arrival) Doors open at 6.30pm. Free to RGS-IBG members. Booking essential via website: https://www.brantwood.org.uk/event/historical-artefacts-taken-north-by-western-explorers/

21/08/2026

🐾 A day in the life of Poochie, Sunny and Mabel at Brantwood!

It’s bring your dog to work day every day here on the shores of Coniston as our Head Gardener Simone is often joined by her three beautiful poodles who love to lend a paw when they can 🐩

It’s been busier than ever in the gardens since we returned from RHS Chelsea Flower Show and we absolutely love introducing new visitors to the stunning colours and the incredible views we have here!

Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome across all our gardens here at Brantwood and outside at The Terrace Café.

P.S – Poochie, Sunny and Mabel were granted special permission to run free for creative purposes on this occasion 🎬
 

16/08/2026

📷🎵 Explore ‘I turned and looked’ this August.

An exhibition by Jess Dandy, Brantwood Artist in Residence...

‘I turned and looked’ is an immersive music and photography installation created by the interdisciplinary group, Music & Being for the Severn Studio here at Brantwood, Coniston – the home of 19th century polymath, John Ruskin.

Emerging over two and a half years of art residencies, the work asks what it means to attend seriously, sensuously, and collectively to a place – and to be changed by it. At its heart is a desire to create an installation space soft and intricate enough to engage with the deepest parts of our shared human existence.

Brantwood is not scenery but solvent, source, provocation, and living environment - a place whose lifeforms and histories exert cumulative, visceral force.

Part listening room, part secular chapel, ‘I turned and looked’ invites visitors into an ecological matrix in which sound, image, history, and the more-than-human world are woven together in one charged and living space.

Come and see us before the end of the summer to enjoy this unforgettable experience from Music & Being. 📷

📍 Brantwood, Coniston, Lake District
📅 I turned and looked is open until 31 August 2026
🎟️ Free entry with your Brantwood admission ticket
Visit: https://www.brantwood.org.uk/exhibition/i-turned-and-looked/

11/08/2026

Light up your life! Biofluorescent Night Walks
Sunday 13th September 2026 6.30pm-8.00pm & 8.30pm-10.00pm

Join us for an extraordinary adventure as we explore the fascinating world of biofluorescence! Biofluorescence is a unique phenomenon where certain organisms emit light in different colors than the ones they absorb, and we will embark on a guided walk to discover this captivating natural phenomenon up close. £20 pp. Booking essential via our website. https://www.brantwood.org.uk/event/biofluorescent-night-walks/

09/08/2026

💎 Discover our new exhibition at Brantwood!
‘Treasures of the Earth’ is now open ✨

Step inside Brantwood's Blue Gallery and experience a fascinating exhibition celebrating John Ruskin's lifelong passion for minerals and their profound meaning to him…

Set within Ruskin's historic home overlooking Coniston Water, the exhibition in partnership with The Ruskin at Lancaster University, brings together for the first time some of his most precious minerals, including the famous Edwardes Ruby and the Somerville Regalia.

As a child growing up in London, the young John Ruskin spent time playing in a small gravelly stream in the grounds of his house. Like so many young children, he modelled his world in miniature, and it was from this attention to small things that he built his understanding of the wider world.

In later life Ruskin attributed his love of minerals to his childhood experiences and to his father’s gift of a small set of semi-precious stones. His father observed, ‘From Boyhood he has been artist, but he has been a geologist from Infancy’.

The treasure store of nature was Ruskin’s great teacher – prepare to be inspired 💙

For our younger Brantwood visitors we’ve also created a free Treasure Trail around the gardens, simply pick up your map from us when you arrive and see if you can find the lost treasure…

Finally, we’d have to recommend a visit to The Terrace Café to enjoy homemade treats and take in the spectacular views across the water! 🍰

Event details:
📍 Brantwood, Coniston, Lake District
📅 Treasures of the Earth is open until 25 October 2026
🎟️ Free entry with your Brantwood admission ticket
Visit: https://www.brantwood.org.uk/treasures-of-the-earth-2026/

31/07/2026

Looking for some 'time out' mindfulness this weekend? Our Studio Exhibition offers the opportunity to sit and contemplate, read or listen to music created by Music & Being while surrounded by extraordinary photography by Clare Park. Part listening room, part secular chapel, I Turned and Looked' invites visitors into an ecological matrix in which sound, image, history, and the more-than-human world are woven together in one charged and living space. Admission to Studio with House ticket. On display until September.