Brockhole

On the eastern banks of Windermere and set in acres of gardens is the Lake District National Park property called Brockhole.

Brockhole is approximately half way between Windermere and Ambleside.

For over 40 years Brockhole was the home of the Gaddum family.

Beatrix Potters cousin Edith, married merchant William Gaddum, a wealthy silk merchant from Manchester who built the house.

 In the 1940s it became a convalescent home, and since 1965 it has been the main Visitor Centre for the Lake District National Park.

The gardens

The ten acres of formal gardens were designed by Thomas Mawson over 100 years ago.  

Although the house is protected from development the gardens are Grade II-registered. 

Thomas Mawson died in November 1933 at Applegarth, Lancaster and is buried in Bowness Cemetery. He also designed gardens at nearby Holker Hall and those at Langdale Chase.

The temperate climate at Brockhole allows for many unusual or slightly tender plants to flourish alongside the shrub roses, herbaceous borders and the scented and wildflower gardens.

Twenty acres of informal grounds surround the house which, set high overlooking the gardens, offers commanding views out to the fells and mountains of the Lake District.

A number of pieces of art also scatter the grounds.  Some are in the form of free standing stone carvings and others are integral to the fabric of the grounds.

The Future

The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) is considering the options for the site, including demolishing the house and building a “genuine 21st century world class visitor attraction.”

According to the LDNPA the development will cost in the region of nearly £30m, and attract around 170,000 visitors a year bringing in around £100,000 in rents and profits share.

The Victorian Society is now hoping the historic and architectural importance of Brockhole will be enough to earn it listed status and protect the house from plans to knock it down.