Penny Bradshaw

Penny Bradshaw studied in Lancaster both as an undergraduate and as a postgraduate. Her PhD explored the newly recovered work of two female Romantic poets: Anna Barbauld and Charlotte Smith, and Penny continues to work and publish primarily within the field of British Romanticism. Penny worked briefly at Lancaster University before taking up her present post at the University of Cumbria. Penny was Programme Leader for the English Literature programme from 2001-2021 and is currently Programme Leader for the MA in Literature, Romanticism, and the English Lake District, which is based at our Ambleside campus.

Research interests

Romanticism and especially women’s writing of the Romantic period; nineteenth-century poetry; regional writing – particularly Romantic regionalism and the legacy of Romanticism within later Cumbrian poetry and fiction. Penny's latest project is an An A-Z of Beatrix Potter which is due to be published by Bloomsbury Academic in January 2026.

Penny is also very interested in literary tourism. She works with various external partners and regularly runs literary-themed walks and tours. She also recently led on a UKRI funded project to explore the role of literature in promoting more diverse engagement with rural landscapes. This resulted in the commissioning of new poetry by the Indian-born poet, Reshma Ruia. The new poems have been published on the University's Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas website.