Грасмер: Англия көлінің маңындағы ауыл

Village in Cumbria, England
the village in England

Grasmere is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Lakes, in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England, and situated in the centre of the Lake District and named after its adjacent lake. Grasmere lies within the historic county of Westmorland. The Ambleside and Grasmere ward had an estimated population of 4,592 in 2019. William and Dorothy Wordsworth, the 'Lake Poets', lived in Grasmere for 14 years and called it "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found."

One possibility is "the lake (mere) flanked by grass." Although early spellings with "Grys " or "Gris(s) " might suggest Old Norse "griss", meaning "young pig" as the first element, evidence points to the Old English/Old Norse "gres", meaning grass, with the modern form influenced by Standard English. The medial " s(s)e " may, as suggested by Ekwall, point to the Old Norse "gres saer" or "grass lake" as the original name. The element "mere" refers to a still extant word meaning "lake" or "pool".

The village is on the River Rothay, which flows into Grasmere lake about ⅓ mile (500 metres) to the south. The village is overlooked from the north west by the rocky hill of Helm Crag, popularly known as The Lion and the Lamb or the Old Lady at the organ. These names derive from the shape of rock formations on its summit, depending on the side from which it is viewed. The several walks that begin in the village include the ascent of Helm Crag, a longer route up to Fairfield, and a moderate 600' (200 metre) ascent to Easedale Tarn. The village is also on the route of Alfred Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk. The main A591 road connects Grasmere to the Vale of Keswick over Dunmail Raise to the north, and to Ambleside to the south. In other directions, Grasmere is surrounded by high ground. (At Christmas 2015, the A591 was washed away on the Keswick side of Dunmail Raise, causing traffic to make a long detour. It reopened in May 2016.) To the west, a long ridge comes down from High Raise and contains the lesser heights of Blea Rigg and Silver How. To the east, Grasmere is bordered by the western ridge of the Fairfield horseshoe.

Grasmere lies on the main A591 road between Keswick and Kendal. The town is well connected by public transport, primarily served by the Stagecoach 555 bus service. This service links various towns, including Keswick, Ambleside, Kendal, and Lancaster. Additionally, Stagecoach operates an open top bus service, known as the 599 or 'Lakesider,' providing a scenic journey connecting Ambleside, Bowness on Windermere, and occasionally Kendal in the evenings. The nearest railway station is Windermere, located 9 miles (14 kilometres) away; both bus routes provide direct access to and from the station.

Grasmere's Rushbearing Ceremony, centred on St Oswald's Church, has ancient origins. The present day ceremony is an annual event which features a procession through the village with bearings made from rushes and flowers. In this procession there are also six Maids of Honour, a brass band, the church choir, and others carrying their own decorated rush bearing.

The annual Grasmere Sports in August were first held in 1852. Participants compete in a variety of sports, including Cumberland wrestling, fell running and hound trails (similar to drag hunting).

Grasmere Gingerbread is made to a "secret recipe" popularised by Sarah Nelson (1815–1904). By the early 19th century, Grasmere gingerbread was being sold as fairings and as a popular seller in its own right. Poet Dorothy Wordsworth wrote in 1803 that she and her brother William craved the gingerbread.

Until September 2013, Grasmere's three main church parishes (Catholic, Church of England and Methodist) gathered three times a year to celebrate mass in the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Wayside. Quakers still hold meetings of worship in Grasmere.

Grasmere has many thriving community groups, including a branch of the Women's Institute which meets regularly.

The Lakes were governed by an urban district council, before becoming part of the Lakes Urban District in 1934. The parish was abolished on 1 April 1974 to form Lakes. In 1961 the parish had a population of 1029. Grasmere is part of the Westmorland and Lonsdale parliamentary constituency, and is represented by the Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron. Grasmere has lost population since the 1960s.

George Pickering painted many views around Grasmere, and an engraving of one of these, Grassmere Lake and Village, Westmorland, was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Sketch Book, 1834, accompanied by a humorous sketch by Letitia Elizabeth Landon about a lover of poetry who, given a legacy, buys a property here only to find extraordinary steps would be required to make life bearable.