Melanie Jones

beautifully situated high above lake coniston in the lake district, brantwood was the home of the victorian poet and artist, john ruskin.  from 1872 until 1900 ruskin developed brantwood into a magical place of literary and artistic associations.  a pioneering conservationist he forsaw the damage that man was causing to his environment following the industrial revolution and also challenged the moral injustices of the time.

his influence on art, economics and social thinking were revolutionary at the time and as relevant today as they were in his lifetime.

we visited his home on a cloudy spring day with the sun breaking through every-so-often.  the light is spectacular and the view far-reaching, with the scents and sounds of nature all-around.  it truly is an uplifting place with a very special aura.  the gardens merge naturally from cottage, to kitchen, to woodland…nature with the minimum of intervention.  there are places to sit in quiet contemplation all around, from wooden hewn benches on top of a hill, to ‘ruskin’s seat’, a grand slate chair set by a stream.

inside, the house is peaceful with beautiful wooden floors and walls lined with wallpaper designed by ruskin.  paintings hang on the walls and rooms are filled with antiques.  his collections are wonderful to see; cabinets filled with shells, feathers, stones and uncut gems, glass bell jars with butterflies, bees, spiders and nests.  in his study are stacks of boxes upon boxes, with his handwriting on the lids, all filled with his finds.

a piano stands in the drawing room with a sign on to ‘feel free to play’.  we were lucky enough to be there when an elderley gentleman visitor sat down and played a beautiful tune on it.  every window has a magnificent view and none more so than the turret window in ruskin’s bedroom where you can see right across the lake…

on coniston lake is a stunning steam yacht, ‘gondola’.  originally launched in 1859 it’s victorian passengers travelled in elegant splendour.  gondola retired in 1936 and then became a houseboat in 1945, however she was beached in a storm in the 1960′s and became derelict.  the boat was rescued from the lake, rebuilt and relaunched in the 1980′s.

gondola is a wonderful sight to see steaming across the lake with clouds of smoke from her funnel mingling with the clouds in the sky.  we all sat on the front deck with the wind blowing our hair and spray from coniston water splashing into our faces, i loved the view of brantwood from the boat…

“…the greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something, and tell what it saw in a plain way.  hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see.  to see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion, – all in one.”  john ruskin, 1819 -1900