A rare limited edition map of the Lake District on which Windermere doesn’t appear is proving a popular attraction at one of the top hotels in the Lake District.
The map was created in 1843 before the building of the railway, and with no station, there was no town of Windermere at the time. Copies are now on sale at the award-winning Cedar Manor Hotel to raise funds for the Calvert Trust.
The original linen-backed map, once folded but later framed, is a family heirloom belonging to Windermere resident Stewart Greaves. Hoping to have a wider audience for the fascinating piece of local history, he had the original scanned and copied to a very high specification.
“It is a marvellous piece of map-making,” said Jonathan Kaye, owner of the Cedar Manor. “It was created before the railway came to the Lakes, so there is no Windermere town, where we are now, just the lake and the village of Bowness.”
Jonathan said that the map was proving popular with their guests but also map enthusiasts who were calling in. “Our visitors, especially the ones from America, are absolutely fascinated in the history of the Lake District,” he said. “This is particularly interesting for us because our town doesn’t appear. In fact, our hotel wasn’t built until 11 years later, in 1854.”
The 10 mile long railway line from Oxenholme which opened on 20 April 1847 was originally built as the Kendal and Windermere Railway and at its southern end connected into the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. The town of Windermere developed around the station.
An American print and online news magazine recently listed the Cedar Manor in its top ten of “adorable English inns and cottages”.
Sales of the map will benefit the Lake District Calvert Trust which runs challenging outdoor adventure breaks for those with disabilities. Jonathan Kaye and his wife Caroline are long-time supporters of the Trust; Caroline ran the London Marathon in April to raise funds for them. They also host one of the 61 painted Go-Herdwick fantasy sheep which stands under their eponymous Cedar tree at the entrance to the hotel. Named Beatrix, she was painted by Kendal artist Thuline de Cock.
A spokesman for the Lake District Calvert Trust said: “We are delighted to have the continued support of Caroline and Jonathon at Cedar Manor. The Calvert Trust works with over 3000 disabled children and adults each year. To enable us to keep the centre running we need to fundraise around £450,000 every year. Please be assured that if you purchase one of these maps, your donation will be helping to change lives.”
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