Rheged Discovery Centre Museums

The Dark Ages. At its peak around 590AD, the Kingdom of Rheged stretched from Southern Scotland to the Midlands and from coast to coast. Rheged's most famous King was Urien meaning 'city born'. Urien was known as the 'Raven King' because of the talisman or good luck charm, which he wore around his neck and bore the symbol of a Raven. It was this symbol which provided the inspiration for our logo. The stone on which the Rheged Raven is often shown reflects the shape of the County of Cumbria today.

Rheged is the dream and vision of 4 Cumbrian born directors who recognised that tourism presented one of the few positive options for sustainable growth in Cumbria's rural economy. They therefore decided to create a visitor centre, which would encapsulate the spirit of this beautiful region and inspire visitors to go out and explore the whole of Cumbria and North Pennines rather than just visiting the well-known honey pots.

Rheged is the largest grass covered building in Europe and many visitors to the centre travel from far and wide to admire this breathtaking building.

The hollow of the quarry has allowed Rheged to remain hidden from the main road and not to obstruct views of Helvellyn, Cumbria's second highest mountain. Inside Rheged covers 85,000 square feet on five different levels.

The Rheged gift shop is a splendid place in which to browse and select that special memento of your visit. It combines an attractive range of gifts from tea towels to pottery, painted glass, soaps, perfume and jewellery, to biscuits, chocolates and chutney. There are also a good selection of maps and books of local interest. The 'Made in Cumbria' section includes beautifully designed hats, children's clothes, wrought iron work, candles, pottery and much more all produced by local craftsmen from throughout Cumbria and the North Pennines. .