The University of Cumbria is a university in Cumbria, England. Its headquarters are in Carlisle. and other major campuses are at Penrith, Ambleside and Lancaster. It was established in 2007, with roots extending back to the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts established in 1822 and Charlotte Mason teacher training College in the 1890s. The university is based upon the idea of a "distributed learning network", so that teaching takes place both at the university's main campuses, and at colleges of further education around Cumbria, a rural county that includes the Lake District. The university also has further education provision at its Penrith and Carlisle campuses. The University of Cumbria was formed by the merger of St Martin's College, Lancaster, the Cumbria Institute of the Arts (CIA) and the Cumbrian campuses of the University of Central Lancashire. These institutions formerly ran degree programmes accredited by Lancaster University and the University of Central Lancashire.