Kendal is a market town in Cumbria, possibly best-known for its Mint Cake, which has a reputation as being popular with walkers and climbers as a source of energy. Another, perhaps less well-known fact about Kendal is that the post office in Postman Pat is based on a former post office called Beast Banks in Greenside in the town! The Waterstones is located in Westmorland Shopping Centre with entrances from there and from the street and is set on two floors.
AW Wainwright
Alfred “A W” Wainwright, the famous fell walker and guidebook writer, moved to Kendal when he was 34 and took a job working for the council having fallen in love with the area on an earlier visit. He wrote seven books in the series Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells, which were originally self-published, and were written by hand, with his own drawings as illustrations. The desk shown below was Wainwright’s desk in the council office (also shown).
Mrs Goggins’ Post Office
Postman Pat’s creator, John Cunliffe, was friendly with the sub-postmistress here, and is said to have based Mrs Goggins on her.
Kendal Library
The Carnegie library in Kendal opened in 1909. We stuck our heads in the door – it really is a beautiful building.
We loved this signpost in the town!
Janet's Adventures in Waterstones 