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English Lake District

The English Lake District World Heritage property is a single, discrete, mountainous area. All the radiating valleys of the English Lake District are contained within it. The property is of sufficient size to contain all the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value needed to demonstrate the processes that make this a unique and globally-significant property.

England

English Lake District

Located in northwest England, the English Lake District is a mountainous area, whose valleys have been modelled by glaciers in the Ice Age and subsequently shaped by an agro-pastoral land-use system characterized by fields enclosed by walls.

The combined work of nature and human activity has produced a harmonious landscape in which the mountains are mirrored in the lakes. Grand houses, gardens and parks have been purposely created to enhance the landscape’s beauty.

This landscape was greatly appreciated from the 18th century onwards by the Picturesque and later Romantic movements, which celebrated it in paintings, drawings and words. It also inspired an awareness of the importance of beautiful landscapes and triggered early efforts to preserve them.

Official website

Did you know..?

The process to be inscribed as a World Heritage Site has taken over 30 years.

Since the Lake District Osprey Project began in 2001, ospreys have nested successfully at Bassenthwaite every year, raising nearly 30 chicks, while over 1.5 million people have visited the project.

The English Lake District is the UK’s 31st WHS and its largest. It covers 221,000 ha, has a population of 41,000 and 23,000 homes.

Stats

Location: Cumbria

Country: United Kingdom

Year of Inscription: 2017

UNESCO Criteria: (ii), (v), (vi)

Contact information:

For more information about English Lake District, visit the website or contact visitor information on +44 (0)1539 724555