From Auschwitz to Ambleside
For more information about this permanent exhibition and the exhibition below please visit:
The exhibition tells the story of the three hundred child Holocaust Survivors who came from Eastern Europe to the Lake District in 1945 in order to begin their recovery from years of unimaginable suffering.
It really is a unique and inspiring story of recovery and resilience that links the horrors of the Holocaust with the beauty of the Lake District.
“It stirs the soul. The stories of survival are humbling. Makes you proud to be human again” . Ramon, The Netherlands.
“It’s really nice to have such an exhibition as a recording of history. Thanks a lot for Windermere bringing us a rich experience here”. Lynne Zhang, Nanjing, China.
“Extremely touching. Amazing people to survive the horrendous conditions they encountered. These stories are the future of the past”. Barbara and Ira, Florida, USA
“Thank you for an interesting and very moving exhibition, a piece of history that should never be forgotten”. J and M Knight, Lincolnshire
You can find the exhibition on the First Floor and it is accessible by a stairway or lift.
Entrance to the exhibition is free and visitors are welcome.
The exhibition opening hours are
Monday 9.30 – 1pm. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30 – 5pm.
Saturday 10am-1pm. Excepting public holidays.
We look forward to seeing you in the future.
© Another Space
Reality is not simply there, it must be searched and won. Paul Celan
Of the many secrets that Cumbria holds in its heart none could be more compelling than the story relating to the three hundred Jewish children, survivors of the Holocaust, who touched down in Britain at Crosby on Eden airfield near Carlisle in August 1945.
They had been transported to the UK for recuperation and were to stay in hostel accommodation provided for them on the now ‘lost’ wartime village of Calgarth Estate which stood near Windermere.
We have spoken with some of these children, now much older, and have begun to discover just what that moment meant to them. We have also spoken with some of the local people of the Lake District community who remember the children being amongst them in 1945.
Remarkable archive interviews and images from several sources have also been uncovered, and this website brings them together for the first time.
How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold. William Wordsworth
The landscape of the Lakes had a crucial role to play at this, the beginning of the children’s road to recovery from unimaginable horror. Perhaps it takes a poet from another age to adequately describe what the significance of the Lake District had in this context.
Educational Work and Projects
Produced and managed by Another Space, the Lake District Holocaust Project has progressed enormously since it began in 2005. The project has evolved to provide a hugely important and significant contribution to the historical and cultural sphere in the Lake District and especially in the field of Holocaust education. Its work in Cumbria, northwest England and nationally is unique. It holds a comprehensive archive of documents, photographs and oral history testimonies that tell both the story of the arrival of the Jewish children and also of the community who welcomed them.
It is uniquely successful in ensuring that the teaching of the Holocaust remains relevant to people young and old, be they in schools, community centres, social spaces or visitors to the Lake District. The work of the LDHP seeks to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are taught at the heart of the community and applies the lessons to everyday situations.
It develops projects locally, nationally and internationally that focus on tolerance, inclusion and understanding between individuals and cultures.
The Lake District Holocaust Project organises visits for primary and secondary schools to the exhibition in Windermere Library and to the former site of the Calgarth Estate where the children arrived in 1945 and have run a variety of workshops with direct reference to the child Holocaust survivors’ story.
The Project frequently receives requests, not only from schools, but also from national and international University Research students.
Further information at
Above and Below the Holocaust Landscape
For information about this project please visit the news page and