The Bridge House — Attraction in Lakes

About

Dating back to the 17th century, this unique building stands over Stock Beck in the middle of Ambleside as a quirky reminder of Ambleside’s past.

An influential family, The Braithwaites built Bridge House to access their lands on the other side of Stock Beck and also to store apples from their orchards, which surrounded Bridge House. Over the decades, the house has had many practical uses, include being used as a counting house for the mills of Rattle Ghyll, a tea-room, a weaving shop, a cobbler's, a chair maker's and, at one time, a home to a family of eight!

In the 1920s the residents of Ambleside recognised that Bridge House was in need of repair and they began fundraising, showing tremendous foresight in securing not only the safety of this monument, but also the aesthetics of the area. It was a great display of public action and conservation, securing the little house's future.

Today, The Bridge House is an extremely popular attraction, where thousands of visitors come every year to see it and have their...

A unique little visitor attraction owned by the National Trust. It only appears to be open on certain days during the spring, summer and autumn so it was closed when I visited, but it was still well worth coming to see and photograph this quaint 17th century house on its stone bridge straddling the fast-flowing Stock Beck. There are just two tiny rooms, the upper one reached up winding and uneven outside steps. Hard to believe that in the 19th century a family of eight lived here! It's located on a busy town centre road with continuous traffic but there's a quiet green space with benches behind the house on the opposite bank of the river, and a few yards further on there's a pub with a...

Its a small house built over the river, the tour operator told us the story that at one time 16 people used to reside over there. Built because the owners wanted to save tax on houses built on land, so they built it on a river so no tax. Quite ingenious method applied. Its made from thin slates from the honister pass slate mine and has the old mud cement used still intact with very old wooden doors still there. River beneath it and door opening right on the main road of the town. I wish i could live there.... such a nice...