Entertainment
As the numbers of people visiting the Lake District began to increase, so did the number of business opportunities for locals looking to profit from entertaining an audience drawn by the grandeur of the lakes and mountains. Various types of entertainment enterprises flourished, patronized by tourists looking for a pleasant way to spend their evenings — or to escape the rain.
The number of guides in the area increased accordingly. Guides were local men familiar with the area who would lead tourists on walks and mountain hikes, provide Claude glasses to enjoy the scenery, and regale their clients with local tales and knowledge. Guides were often connected to a particular inn or hotel which would recommend them to their guests.
Several commercial museums were also founded during this period, allowing visitors to examine curious and intriguing exhibits from the local area such as, minerals and Anglo-Saxon finds, and others from further afield: exotic taxidermy, or the clothing and objects of the people of Asia and the South Pacific.
Some annual, more spectacular events also appeared: regattas in towns such as Keswick and Windermere proved particularly popular with tourists. These included competitive boat races, foot races, wrestling and horse racing. The Keswick regatta also included an impressive mock sea- battle.
Theatre companies were attracted to the Lakes by the large influx of visitors who descended on the area during the summer season. During this time, an abundance of travelling players’ companies travelled the country, setting up in pubs and inns, such as Mr & Mrs Dean’s small theatre company which travelled the North.
W. Gauci after James Baker Pyne, Lake Windermere. Regatta, Manchester: Thomas Agnew and Sons, 1853, hand-coloured lithograph, The Wordsworth Trust.