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Coniston copper mines

The Coniston copper mines were a copper mining operation in Lancashire, England. It was functional for hundreds of years in Coppermines Valley above Coniston Water. Today there are industrial remains of the industry and the Coniston Coppermines Youth Hostel is based in the old manager's building. Mining for copper in the valley dates back to the 16th century and the area continued to be mined until the 1950s. In 1982 the buildings in the valley were purchased by The Coppermines Lakes Cottages founder Philip Johnston who set about a comprehensive scheme of rebuilding, restoration and conservation. The buildings were sympathetically restored from the original Victorian sawmill. In 1974, the area of Coniston and the Furness Fells was transferred for administrative purposes to the area of Cumbria County Council.

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1.2 km

Levers Water

Levers Water is a small lake in the English Lake District. It is located at the head of the Coppermines Valley, above Coniston village. To its south-west is Raven Tor, a spur of Brim Fell, and to its north-west are Little How Crags and Great How Crags, on the eastern side of the north–south ridge leading to Swirl How. A dam built in 1717 enlarged the existing tarn to provide water for the mines and for the village below. A public footpath on the north-east side of the lake connects the Coppermines Valley to Swirl Hawse. This traverses an area of vulnerable peatland and a path here was rebuilt in 2023 to help protect the landscape from erosion by walkers. To the south-west, a path leads up Gill Cove to Levers Hawse on the main ridge of the Coniston Fells.
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1.4 km

Coniston railway station (England)

Coniston railway station was the northern terminus of the Coniston branch line in the village of Coniston, Lancashire, England (now in Cumbria).
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1.5 km

Ruskin Museum

The Ruskin Museum is a small local museum in Coniston, Cumbria, northern England. It was established in 1901 by W. G. Collingwood, an artist and antiquarian who had worked as secretary to art critic John Ruskin. The museum is both a memorial to Ruskin and a local museum covering the history and heritage of Coniston Water and the Lake District. The museum is a registered charity in England & Wales, constituted as The Coniston Institute and Ruskin Museum.
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1.8 km

John Ruskin School

John Ruskin School (JRS) is an 11–16 school on Lake Road in Coniston, Cumbria. The school is part of the Rural Academy, a group of nine small schools in Cumbria which was awarded Technology College status in 2004, and a member of the South Lakes Federation of Schools. According to a 2009 Ofsted report, "It capitalises on its small size by providing a very welcoming and friendly ethos where relationships are very good and students and staff know each other well." It was classed as a good school and was noted for outstanding attendance and behaviour.