Overview

The Armitt Musuem was founded to celebrate the heritage of Ambleside. It contains so much information inside such a small building, I was shocked by how much history I soaked up on a short visit. Beatrix Potter is now my favourite historical hero and before my visit I knew nothing about her life. The entry fee is £5 per person, which is not made clear on any signage and you are only told once you try to move from the gift shop into the museum. I was a little taken aback as I had assumed it was free and I was also told sternly "no photos!" when I took my phone out to check the time. We went through the double doors into the museum and started reading the wall features and looking the items on display. I didn't realise until after a few blocks of texts that we were actually moving around the small museum in the wrong direction and I was reading about Beatrix Potters life in reverse. It wasn't clear to myself or my carer where we should have started reading. In any case it was so interesting and it is nice that this history has been preserved. I feel like the knowledge I gained was worth the entry fee. There wouldn't be much to do for children or people who can't or don't enjoy reading as the display is extremely text heavy and more like you have stepped into a book. It's not interactive in any way. It's very bright, white and orderly. There is a library upstairs which I thought would be interesting to see. We used the wheelchair lift which was easy to use and the staff showed us how to use it safely. I was surprised that so much care had been taken to make the building as accessible as possible and was really happy that I could visit the library. The library is a collection of older books and you can look at as many as you want. I think I should have made a day trip out of this as book preservation really interests me but I didn't have time to look around. The volunteers do have two friendly little dogs who run around and greet you uostairs so if you are afraid of small dogs or have an allergy I would bear this in mind too. Overall it was a great place to visit.

Transport & Parking

There is a car park and also access is the same as anywhere else in Ambleside. If coming from the village centre you may need to go in the road witha powerchair due to poor pavements.

Access

Brilliant. Live the lift.

Toilets

I didn't see any toilet in the building and there was no signage for one. They do not sell drinks or food and they are not allowed to be consumed on premises so I assume they dont have to provide restrooms.

Staff

The lady upstairs operating the lift was fab. The person greeting us downstairs in the waiting area was a bit abrupt/stern and I have anxiety so this did unsettle me a bit.