Exhibition Notice – “Painting the Wainwrights” by Victoria Rose Miller

Exhibition Notice

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of Alfred Wainwright’s first book being published, we are delighted to announce a one-of-a-kind solo exhibition in collaboration with Lake District artist and fell runner Victoria Rose Miller (left). “Painting the Wainwrights” will be the first of its kind to showcase original oil paintings depicting all 214 of Wainwright’s Lake District fells.

Wainwright was a legendary British fell walker, guidebook author and illustrator and is best known for his seven-volume work Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, sales of which have exceeded 20 million copies since they were first published in 1955. In the books, he outlines 214 Lake District peaks which have become known as ‘the Wainwrights’. Walking them and ticking off or “bagging” the summits has become a challenge that has enthralled walkers and runners for many decades. What he is perhaps less well known for, and which Victoria wants to draw attention to, is his artistic talent.

Inspired by his detailed sketches of the fells, Victoria will be following in his footsteps, climbing and painting all 214 of the Wainwright peaks. This will culminate in a solo exhibition that will run for two months here at the gallery. The “Painting the Wainwrights” exhibition will be one of the biggest and longest running exhibitions we’ve ever hosted and the first known exhibition to feature original oil paintings depicting all 214 Wainwright peaks!

About Victoria

Victoria was raised in South Africa and trained under the late Francois Visser. Her early work focused on the dramatic African landscape with its expansive skies and rugged interior. She sold her first painting at the age of 14, before being represented by renowned galleries in her late teens and early twenties.

Victoria moved to the Lake District permanently in 2018, finding a natural affinity with the mountainous Cumbrian landscape. She said: “After a thyroid cancer diagnosis in my early thirties, I decided to leave a career in marketing and return to art. Life is too short not to follow your dreams”.

Victoria works predominantly in oil, painting the landscape as she experiences it on her travels by foot over the fells. She is passionate about capturing the power and beauty of nature through art and her work embodies her love for the area.”

An avid fell runner, Victoria has completed many of the iconic Lake District fell races, including the classic Lake District Mountain Trial, Wasdale Horseshoe and the Great Lakes fell race.

She has also provided crucial hill support to several fellow runners who have endeavoured to break the record for the shortest time taken to complete the Wainwrights in one continuous run – a record currently held by John Kelly (5 days, 12 hours and 14 mins).

Victoria says “I know only too well the healing power that being out in nature offers, along with the therapeutic benefits of the arts. I hope this exhibition will inspire others not only to get out into the fells but to embrace their own artistic talents too.”

“Painting the Wainwrights” will run from 2 August 2025 until 3 October 2025 here at the Old Courthouse Gallery in Ambleside. There will be an invitation-only event on the evening of Friday 1 August, please let us know if you would like to attend. There will be a full catalogue of the exhibition online but in the meantime you can see some of Victoria’s current work in our online shop.

Also, if you’re a fan of Alfred Wainwright, don’t miss the special exhibition being held this year at the Armitt Museum here in Ambleside – it’s a fantastic introduction to him and his legacy.