Harriet Martineau was quite a girl in sedate Victorian circles.

She fell out with Charles Dickens, befriended the likes of Florence Nightingale and Charlotte Bronte, became an adversary of Thomas Carlyle, who banged on about her being too small and noisy.

At home in Ambleside, she was in with the smart set.

Wordsworth and distinguished visitors flocked to her home, The Knoll, where her writing flowed.

She was appointed American correspondent to the Daily News.

An anti-slavery zealot, her powerful views also helped keep Britain neutral during the Civil War.

There was even a Martineau guide to the Lakes, one of the first to emerge.

Lynda Powell is another petite, potentially influential woman making a name for herself in Ambleside.

She is an enthusiastic exponent of Harriet, intent on keeping her in the public eye.

Since Lynda took over as curator of the Armitt Museum and Library, she has been struck by the fervour of a formidable group of 19th century women who helped shape this village.

"It is almost unbelievable that there were so many strong, powerful women here at one time," she said.

There was Charlotte Mason, who set up the village's renowned teacher training college, and established girl guides at the same time as Lady Baden-Powell.

The two later met and agreed to merge their organisations.

The Armitt sisters arrived on the scene in 1896 and threw themselves into the intellectual and cultural life, writing about everything from spiders in Rydal to major scientific studies.

Mary Louisa started the Armitt collection and, lo and behold, the other Lakes lady luminary Beatrix Potter leant her support.

When the world famous children's novelist died, she left 400 priceless natural history drawings to the Armitt, which is making a name for itself as a progressive museum of the Millennium.

It started with 100 books and ten objects.

These days, in a smart new home, its ever burgeoning collection boasts 10,000 books, 500 objects, 700 manuscripts and 5,000 photographs.

Lynda passes over details of the current appeal to buy 10,000 photographic glass plates by 19th century Windermere portrait photographer William Brunskill.

She sighs and says the £6,500 set would be a Godsend, a complete social history in one fell swoop.

At first, she had been attracted to the museum basically because it was in the Lakes.

Lynda had worked in a Hampshire transport and technology collection and it was like moving from mammoth to miniature.

"At the interview, I knew Armitt was going to be very different.

Everyone is so enthusiastic about the place.

There are two part-time staff, apart from me.

The other 25 are all volunteers!

"The whole community seems to pull together to make this work."

Armitt, after all, tells the story of Ambleside and its people past and present.

Lynda is determined that alongside the likes of Wordsworth and Ruskin (the museum has a whole lock of his hair), sections should be devoted to present-day personalities.

Cecil 'Tickle' Otway, the nonagenarian shoemaker, is featured, so is shoe seller Malcolm Tyson and dry stone waller Thomas Dugdale.

World famous contemporary sculptor Josefina de Vasconcellos also takes her place.

"I still can't believe there are all these sorts of people in one small area," said Lynda.

Two years into the job she is still taking it all in, an eager pupil with plenty of late night learning stints.

"I'm ashamed to say when I stay on in the evenings and eventually look at my watch, it is 10.30pm.

There is so much here.

It is so exciting.

Hopefully, we can introduce it to a wider audience."

Admission figures currently stand at around 7,000 a year, but the number is steadily rising.

Lynda says it is a bit sad that Armitt seems to be one of the best kept secrets around.

She has put the centre on-line for maximum exposure.

"We've had a positive spin-off from foot-and-mouth.

We have been given 1,000 books from the Fell and Rock Climbing Club and, while walkers have been off the fells, they have been coming here and reading instead."

Lynda talks about exhibits like old friends.

This is no career move, Armitt has taken over her life.

She pulls out an early gentleman's magazine from 1731.

It talks about issues of the day, current Acts of Parliament and details the different types of loves, romantic, platonic etc.

Lynda Powell's love of Armitt is easily defined - total devotion.