Windermere

Windermere, or WINANDERMERE, the largest lake in England, called from its beauty 'Queen of the Lakes,' is partly in the county of Lancaster, and partly divides that county from Westmorland. It is nearly 11 miles long and about 1 mile in extreme breadth; is fed by the Brathay and the Rothay, the waters of which become united before entering the lake, and by the streams which drain the neighbouring lakelets of Esthwaite, Troutbeck, and Blelham; and, lying 134 feet above sea-level, discharges its surplus waters southward into Morecambe Bay by the Leven. Next to Wast Water, Windermere is the deepest of all the English lakes, its greatest depth being 219 feet, while Wast Water is 258 feet deep. It contains a number of islands, the largest being 28 acres in area. Soft rich beauty is the principal characteristic of the islands of the lake, of the wooded shores, and of the scenery around; there being a total absence of that wildness and sublimity which characterise some of the other lakes, except at the north end, where Langdale Pikes, Harrison Stickle, Sca Fell, and Bow Fell stand forward prominently in the landscape. The east and west shores are bounded by gentle eminences exuberantly wooded, and numerous villas and cottages peeping out of the woods give an aspect of quiet domesticity to the landscape. About a mile from Waterhead, at the north extremity of the lake, is the town of Ambleside, $1\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ mile north-west of which is Rydal, the residence of the poet Wordsworth; in the vicinity of Waterhead is Dove's Nest, the cottage at one time occupied by Mrs. Hemans; farther down the east shore is Elleray, famous as the residence of 'Christopher North;' and half-way down the lake, on the eastern shore, is Bowness. The village of Windermere (pop. 1500), nearly a mile from the east shore of the lake, and 300 feet above its level, has a railway station. See LAKE DISTRICT, with map, and works there cited.