​We all have our in our minds a stereotype of the consequences of the New Poor Law of 1834, but Stuart Newstead will examine the actual situation for the poor of our district. Stuart says - "Our views of the Victorian workhouses is very much based on how Charles Dickens portrayed them in his novels. Oliver twist asking for more gruel is perhaps the best known image. Dickens related stories of misery, cruelty and desperation. But was Dickens correct or was the real situation more nuanced?  In south Westmorland the workhouses at Kirkby Lonsdale, Milnthorpe and Kendal had been founded under the Old Poor Law. They were brought together when the Kendal Poor Law Union was established under the New Poor Law. Tensions existed between the Kendal Union Guardians and the National Poor Law Commission about how these workhouses should be run. This presentation will explore these tensions and how the running of the South Westmorland workhouse compared to Dickens's portrayal.”

 Kevin Grice, who in addition to being an LLHG member is a retired barrister and former Secretary of the Kendal Historical and Archaeological Society, is now  Publications Officer and Council member at CWAAS as well as a Volunteer Supervisor for LDNPA. Kevin will talk about “the History of Brockhole”. Brockhole on Windermere is a  house built in the 1890s as a wealthy family’s home and having been a convalescent home has been in the hands the LDNP since 1966.

​Dr. Mike Winstanley will speak about how our area was presented in art in his talk “Westmorland, Lonsdale and Amounderness Illustrated: early 19th century prints and their artists” . Potential tourists could have a preview of a very popular area when they couldn't go on the Grand Tour  because of the Napoleonic War.

​Once upon a time when there were no fridges or freezers, trade in ice from frozen wastes beyond our shores was a major commercial activity as people sought the keep food from spoiling. It is a fact that a big heap of ice insulates itself and melts slowly, so from a domestic perspective if you had the wherewithal to build an icehouse in your garden you could buy a pile of ice to put in it to keep your perishables fresh for weeks. Levens Hall has a fine icehouse, thoroughly restored a few years ago, which will feature in Dr. David’s talk.

HELLO EVERYONE - Our 2025 programme begins with our AGM on Thursday 16 January. The business meeting will be followed by Ian Hodkinson giving a talk about William Lakin Turner - Portrait of a Lakeland Artist.

​LAST ONE THIS YEAR - On Thursday 21 November, Dr. Jean Turnbull will speak about "Rural Life in South Lakeland in the Early Twentieth Century". A chance to hear about how things, not that long ago, were very different from what we know today.

Thursday 20 June is LLHG's last meeting before our summer break. As is our custom this meeting is outdoor and we are looking forward to enjoying a tour of Backbarrow Iron works, to be guided by Richard Sanderson, the Chairman of the Backbarrow Ironworks Heritage Trust.  

​Unlike our ordinary meetings there is a limit to the number of people who can join in and demand for places has exceeded expectations. So although we are pleased to state that the tour list is now fully subscribed it means that no more places on the tour are available and attendance is limited to those who have received our email confirming their places. 

​The April LLHG meeting is closer than you think. On Thursday 18 April we will gather to hear Dr. Suzanne Tiplady speak about "A Mansion Fit for Demolition " - The the third in a succession of houses with the same name, the Grizedale Hall that had it's finest hours as a POW camp for German officers during the Second World War, was built by a wealthy Liverpool merchant in 1905 to replace the previous, insufficiently grand, incarnation.