Lakes is a large civil parish in the South Lakeland

South Lakeland

South Lakeland is a local government district in Cumbria, England. Its council is based in Kendal. It includes much of the Lake District.The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...

 district of Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, with a population of 5,127 according to the 2001 census

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

. It covers the small town of Ambleside

Ambleside

Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...

, and the villages and hamlets of Clappersgate

Clappersgate

Clappersgate is a village in the South Lakeland District, in the county of Cumbria. Clappersgate is located on the B5286 road and on the River Brathay. It is near the town of Ambleside.- References :*...

, Rydal

Rydal, Cumbria

Rydal is an English village located in the shire county of Cumbria, which is in North West England. Historically within Westmorland, the village of Rydal is situated on the A591 road....

, Grasmere

Grasmere

Grasmere is a village, and popular tourist destination, in the centre of the English Lake District. It takes its name from the adjacent lake, and is associated with the Lake Poets...

, Troutbeck

Troutbeck, South Lakeland

Troutbeck is a village in South Lakeland district in Cumbria. It is north of Windermere town, to the west of the A592 road. It is a conservation area and includes the National Trust property of Townend.-Village Amenities:...

, Chapel Stile, Elterwater

Elterwater

Elter Water is a small lake that lies half a mile south-east of the village of Elterwater. Both are situated in the valley of Great Langdale in the English Lake District...

, Little Langdale

Little Langdale

Little Langdale is a valley in the Lake District, England containing Little Langdale Tarn and a hamlet also called Little Langdale. A second tarn, Blea Tarn, is in a hanging valley between Little Langdale and the larger Great Langdale to the north...

, and Waterhead.

The parish was formed in 1934 as an urban district

Urban district

In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....

, despite being largely rural, under a County Review Order

Local Government Act 1929

The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales....

, by a merger of Ambleside and Grasmere urban districts and parts of Windermere Urban District

Windermere (town)

Windermere is a town and civil parish in the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England. It has a population of 8,245. It lies about half a mile away from the lake, Windermere...

, South Westmorland Rural District

South Westmorland Rural District

South Westmorland was a rural district in Westmorland, England from 1894 to 1974. It saw various boundary changes during its life, particularly in 1935, when it absorbed Kirkby Lonsdale urban district, whilst the Lakes UD was split out at the same time. The district was merged in 1974 under the...

 and West Ward Rural District

West Ward Rural District

West Ward was a rural district of the administrative county of Westmorland. The area was directly based on the former West Ward rural sanitary district, and therefore indirectly on the old West Ward or hundred of Westmorland....

.

It is the area covered by the Kelsick Foundation, an organisation that helps locals with the costs of extra-curricular activities for children.

The urban district had an area of 49917 acres (202 km²). or 202 km².

The urban district was abolished in 1974, with the Patterdale

Patterdale

Patterdale is a small village and civil parish in the eastern part of the English Lake District in the Eden District of Cumbria, and the long valley in which they are found, also called the Ullswater Valley....

 ward becoming a civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Eden

Eden, Cumbria

Eden is a local government district in Cumbria, England. Its council is based in Penrith. It is named after the River Eden which flows north through the district toward Carlisle....

district, and the rest becoming a civil parish in South Lakeland.