Arthur Mitchell Ransome was born on January 18th, 1884 at 6, Ash Grove, Headingly, Leeds.
Ransome wrote the Swallows and Amazons series of books which were loved by young and old alike.
The 12 books in the Swallows and Amazons series have been translated into 18 languages.
Ransome was born in Leeds on 18th January 1884 but spent part of his childhood near Windermere on holiday and at school.
He learned to sail on both Windermere and Coniston and later in life lived nearby with his wife.
In 1948, he and his wife bought Lowick Hall, a grade II* listed Georgian house and estate, where he wrote his autobiography.
He spent his last years in the Rusland valley about 15 miles from Lothlorien in Kents Bank.
His grave and that of his Russian-born wife Evgenia are in the churchyard of St Paul’s Rusland.
He first gained a reputation as a War Correspondent for the Daily News and his reporting of the 1917 Russian Revolution. He knew many of the Revolutionary Leaders and played chess with them.
His chess set, desk and favourite books, and other items can be seen in a special room at the Abbot Hall Museum in Kendal.
He marries Evgenia Shelapina, Trotsky’s secretary, and returned to England in 1925 to live at Low Ludderburn in the Winster Valley where he started writing Swallows and Amazons in 1929.
The Arthur Ransome Society, founded in June 1990, is based at the Abbot Hall, and aims to celebrate his life, promote his works, and disseminate ideas of Arthur Ransome.
It seeks to children to engage in adventurous pursuits and educate the public about Ransome and his work.
Interestingly, there is an active Arthur Ransome Club of Japan that has contributed generously to the restoration of the sailing dingy Mavis which is the model for the AMAZON. The boat is on display at the Windermere Steamboat Museum.
