in 1895 by Canon H D Rawnsley to be competed for annually in a striking competition. Rawnsley was the vicar of
Crosthwaite, at the edge of Keswick, from 1883 to 1917. He was one of the three co-founders of the
National Trust and was a prominent figure in philanthropic enterprises in the area, helping to establish a grammar school, a hospital and a farm school. Inspired by the precepts of
John Ruskin, Rawnsley and his wife set up free evening classes in the parish rooms, beginning in November 1884, to teach metalwork and wood carving under the supervision of a London professional woodcarver and a local jeweller. In the winter months there was considerable unemployment in the town; the Rawnsleys provided training in skills that could alleviate the problem. Its numbers now more than a hundred, it had outgrown its cramped home in the parish rooms, and Rawnsley raised funds for a purpose-built school nearby. Among his supporters were
Walter Crane,
Holman Hunt, and
G. F. Watts. The workrooms were on the ground floor, with the showroom and a library on the upper floor. Beneath the balcony of the façade is the slogan: The loving eye and patient hand Shall work with joy and bless the land The school was mainly financed from sales of its products. Its funds became inadequate in the 1980s, from a combination of inadequate marketing and cheaper imported goods. The school closed in 1984. The
Keswick Museum displays a range of the school's works. The building, with its façade intact, became a restaurant. ==Directors==