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Derwent Island and House

View of Derwent Island on Derwentwater and Keswick, seen from Catbells, Lake District
Derwent Island on Derwentwater and Keswick, seen from Catbells | © National Trust Images / Simon Fraser

Derwent Island and House is an exciting element of the Borrowdale landscape. From housing a German mining colony to being the site of Pocklington's Keswick Regatta, this island has a storied past. Find out all you need to know about the history of the island and the many owners of the house here.

Derwent House and Island are currently closed to visitors

Due to staff shortages, we will be unable to run open days at Derwent Island this year. We hope to once again be able to welcome visitors soon.

About Derwent Island and House

Derwent Island is one of the Lake’s most fascinating treasures. The 18th-century house on this little wooded island makes this the only inhabited island in the Lake District.

The island is not currently open to visitors, however you can still capture beautiful glimpses of the picturesque villa when boating on the lake.  

The Rich History of Derwent Island & House

View of Derwent House from Derwent Island on Derwent Water under a clear blue sky, Lake District
Derwent House on Derwent Water | © National Trust Images / John Millar

Pocklington, the 'Alien Improver' 

 

Wordsworth's ridicule  

By 1781, ‘Pocklington's Island’, as he called it was crowned with a Palladian villa of five bays surmounted by a gigantic pediment. It was built by Samuel and Thomas Ladyman of Keswick, to Pocklington’s own design. Many were enraged by the starkness of this intrusion in the natural landscape. Wordsworth ridiculed it as being ‘like an astronomer's observatory, or a warren-house reared upon an eminence for the detection of depredators…’. 

 

The Regatta  

Derwent Water Regatta has never been a quiet affair. The first one held in 1781 by Joseph Pocklington included a sweepstake for swimming horses and an attack on Derwent Island in a mock battle. Pocklington’s regattas were all about people pitching in to create a dramatic, and slightly chaotic, spectacle. 

For example, in 1789, a wooden ‘battery’ - a castellated facade for the porter’s lodge or ‘blockhouse’ was built on the island which he renamed Fort Joseph. The fortifications were used in the mock battles hosted at the Regatta. Local men armed with muskets would be organised to make a sham naval attack on the island from a fleet of rowing boats, amid the thunderous uproar of Pocklington’s six cannon, and eventually land near the blockhouse to plunder its store of roast beef and beer.  

Artistic Views of Pocklington's Island

This gallery presents paintings capturing Derwent Island and its house during the late 18th century, when the estate was owned by Joseph Pocklington.

A painting of Pocklington's Island from the shore, showing several buildings on the wooded island.
Painting of Derwent Island house during Pocklington's ownership | © © National Trust / Robert Thrift

A View from the East of Pocklington's Island (after Joseph Pocklington) by Samuel Middiman

This picturesque engraving captures Pocklington’s Island on Derwentwater, viewed from the east. The original drawing was made on-site in 1786 by Joseph Pocklington. Presented in an ebonised gilt frame, the piece is inscribed: “A view from the East of Pocklington's Island in Derwent Water, near Keswick in Cumberland. Drawn upon the spot by Joseph Pocklington Esq of Carlton House near Newark, Nottinghamshire, 1786.”

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Clouds and mountains reflected in the water on a sunny day at Borrowdale and Derwent Water

Discover more at Borrowdale and Derwent Water

Find out how to get to Borrowdale and Derwent Water, where to park, the things to see and do and more.

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Things to see at Derwent Water and Keswick 

Take in the views from Friar’s Crag and visit historic sculptures on a lakeside walk around Derwent Water or set off from Keswick to explore the surrounding woodlands and fells.

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Things to see and do in Borrowdale 

Discover the top things to see and do during your visit, including scenic walks, ancient woodlands, far-reaching views and famous Lakeland highlights such as the Bowder Stone

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Activities on Derwent Water 

Take to the water for a spot of canoeing, paddleboarding or paddling. The islands of Derwent Water are waiting to be discovered

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Wildlife in Borrowdale and Derwent Water 

Discover the internationally significant ‘Atlantic oakwoods’ and Derwent Water which support a variety of rare species of plants and animals, including the red squirrel and vendace.

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History in the Borrowdale valley 

The Bowder Stone, Borrowdale Yews and Castlerigg stone circle have stood watching the Borrowdale valley evolve around them. Discover the history of these ancient residents.

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Houses and buildings 

Historic houses and buildings are full of stories, art and collections. Learn more about their past and plan your next visit.

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Houses and buildings in the Lake District 

Alongside its natural outdoor wonders the Lake District also has many inspiring houses and buildings to visit, from the impressive Allan Bank where Wordsworth once lived, to the former farmhouse of Beatrix Potter.

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