Wainwright: A Love Letter to the Lakeland Fells

A major new exhibition opens this Saturday, 23rd May at Keswick Museum and Art Gallery and will run all through the summer until 8th November. Under the title "Wainwright: A Love Letter to the Lakeland Fells" it will highlight Alfred Wainwight's love affair with the fells of the Lake District.

Wainwright's love affair with the Lakes began at the age of 23, when he enjoyed his first holiday there and took in stunning views on climbing Orrest Head in Windermere. That lead to him writing his illustrated guides, published between 1955 and 1966, which ignited interest for a future generation of visitors.

When he died in 1991, Wainwright's ashes were scattered beside Innominate Tarn on his favourite fell, Haystacks near Buttermere.

Sue Mackay, curator of the museum which re-opened last year after a £2m refurbishment, said it covers every key point of Wainwright's life including, of course, that famous pivotal moment he stood transfixed at Orrest Head in 1930.

The exhibition's title comes from Wainwright's own introduction to his book, A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, where he wrote:

This book is one man's way of expressing his devotion to Lakeland's friendly hills. It is, in very truth, a love-letter.

The show will include original drawings, letters and manuscripts on loan from the Kendal Archive Centre, which acquired a large archive of the walker's material as part of a Heritage Lottery-funded project.

Wainwright's early years will also be captured in film and interactive exhibits as will his vast knowledge of the hills he acquired on his walks.

Another section will focus on his working methods including the unusual perspective he adopted in his detailed drawings and his innovative method of mapping. Sue said:

His books were so innovative. They were all done by hand, 13 years in advance as a set, and the perspective he used was quite invasive. He devised a method of creating a picture which was a bird's eye view at one end yet had an outline of hills on the skyline.

Visitors will be brought up to date with sections on his legacy and the challenge his work presents as others follow in his footsteps today - such as the "fell-bagging" challenge of 214 Wainwrights which includes all the fells mentioned in his seven pictorial guides to the Lakes.

The Wainwright Society has also been helping to gather information for the exhibition and chairman Eric Robson, who worked with Wainwright on a series of TV programmes, said:

His work changed the lives of tens of thousands of people. I'm delighted to see his achievements celebrated.

And TV presenter Julia Bradbury, who recreated some of his walks for a recent series, said:

My enthusiasm for Wainwright's work and my love for the Lakeland Fells is brilliantly celebrated in this exhibition.

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