The Bowder Stone ladder: modern upgrade for one of the Victorians' 'strangest' attractions

A Victorian-era tourist attraction that once drew crowds from across the country has been given a modern upgrade.

The giant boulder of Bowder Stone in Keswick, Cumbria, became a famous stop for thrill-seekers when a flimsy wooden ladder was installed by an eccentric local landowner in 1798.

Dubbed "one of the strangest attractions of the Lake District" - the boulder was even commemorated in an 1860s painting by John Atkinson Grimshaw, one of the most famous artists of the day.

Now the National Trust, which cares for the stone, has installed a new nine-metre metal ladder to allow tourists to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors.

What is the Bowder Stone?

The Bowder Stone is approximately nine metres high and 15 metres wide, and is estimated to weigh 1,253 tonnes.

It is thought to have fallen from the crags above after the last ice age, coming to rest at its current improbable angle.

Two hundred years on, it is partially hidden by important woodland which has grown around it.

It's hoped the new metal ladder will restore excitement to the once-famous location.

National Trust curator Harvey Wilkinson said: "The Bowder Stone is a powerful reminder of change in the landscape, viewed through the eyes of the painters, poets and writers who portrayed it. "The once visible landmark is now very much a hidden treasure, part of the evolving story of this landscape.