Swallows & Amazons boathouse

The 'Swallows and Amazons' story is being revisited in Coniston - an area where the book was highly influenced and inspired by.

An original dinghy used by the children of the Altouyan family - who the characters in Ransome's book are thought to be based on - is on display in the village's Ruskin Museum.

Current boathouse owner Richard Nelson explains to ITV News just why building is so special.

The current owner of the 'Swallows and Amazons' boathouse, Richard Nelson, hopes the boathouse's literary heritage will attract a Swallows and Amazons enthusiast to buy it when it goes under the hammer.

A piece of the Lake District's sailing history is going under the hammer.

The boathouse at Coniston Water was the inspiration for Arthur J. Ransome's famous book 'Swallows and Amazons.'

Written in 1930, the book tells the story of children from two families learning to sail on the lake, and about their summer adventures.

Arthur Ransome spent his summers at Coniston as a house guest of the Altouyan family whose children he taught to sail - and who the characters in 'Swallows and Amazons' are believed to have been based on.