Cumbrian heritage attractions are issuing a joint message, to encourage visits to their amazing historic properties by urging visitors to find out more about their ‘bureaux’, now the Euros are over and forgotten and there is more freedom to explore internal spaces.
Footfall is gradually coming ‘home’ to many of the family-run properties within Cumbria’s Living Heritage (www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk) as well as to the historic houses operated by charitable organisations or which are vibrant museums or exhibition spaces telling the story of the past. With the latest relaxation of Covid-19 regulations on July 19, there should be more opportunity to make a move back towards normality.
With all the attention now diverted from the Euros, it’s time to explore the wonderful furniture, furnishings, interiors and incredible objets d’art at the Cumbria’s Living Heritage properties which have already opened internal spaces. This now includes Holker Hall and Gardens, where the hall joins the gardens in welcoming visitors, as from July 21.
Stepping inside the properties can provide an array of marvellous things to drool over. In the case of Blackwell – the Arts and Crafts House, this is the exquisite craftsmanship of the various arts and crafts designers, who worked alongside architect Baillie Scott, to make a privately owned home a showpiece of British craftsmanship.
The house, built to accentuate the view of Windermere below and enable as much natural light as possible to cascade around, is full of breathtaking artistry – in mosaics, stained glass, hessian tapestries, stunning plasterwork in the awe-inspiring and romantic White Room and tiny little details that catch the eye in a myriad of places, within wood, wrought iron, lead or tiling. Blackwell’s beautiful rooms are the backdrop for uplifting and inspiring tours, with some stunning specific pieces on which to focus en-route.
A bedroom secretaire features in Baillie Scott’s catalogue, The Pyghtle Works, whilst the oak bed is one reimagined by contemporary designers, commissioned from Scott’s actual design in the catalogue, and is in a room with tiling by William de Morgan. A Liberty Chair was crafted by Liberty & Co around 1900 and features delicate fabric, carefully conserved for the visitor’s enjoyment.
At Brantwood (www.brantwood.org.uk) you can view many original pieces of furniture owned by philosopher, author and early environmentalist, John Ruskin, not to mention his Ziffern, built to his specification and reminiscent of an upright xylophone. With so many personal possessions around the property and now also his entire geological collection too within ‘The Treasury’, there is so much to see, whether it be furniture, his bath chair or his luxury coach. Enjoying the views of Coniston Water from the Turret Room is also something to remember for a lifetime.
Stepping inside Rydal Mount (www.rydalmount.co.uk), Wordsworth’s home for the last 37 years of his life, allows you to see the breathtaking view from his bedroom window, his beautiful dining room, his original bookcase, seat covers embroidered by Dorothy Wordsworth, William’s wife Mary and her sister, Sara, and, most importantly perhaps, the couch on which he lay, as referenced in his most famous poem, Daffodils, the definitive version of which was published here. Newly acquired items are the framed portrait in oils of Wordsworth, by Sir William Boxall, a plan for an elevation on a house William planned to build on nearby Dora’s Field, later planted with daffodils following the death of his daughter, Dora, and William’s walking stick, complete with silver crest. Charmingly, another addition is the Wordsworth family bible, which records the date of William’s parents’ wedding and the birth and christening dates of all of their children, including William and Dorothy, in beautiful copperplate writing.
A reimagining of an earlier home – Dove Cottage – part of Wordsworth Grasmere, now enables visitors to gain the true sensation of the family home when they tour, viewing rooms such as the tiny back kitchen and the simple living accommodation which the family occupied, as Wordsworth started to make his name as a poet. A new soundscape brings all to life, with subtle snatches of sounds, as you move room to room encountering some original items owned by the Wordsworths and other furnishings in the style of the period. Within the Wordsworth Museum, many of William’s personal possessions, including his ice skates and famous green goggles, are displayed, along with some particularly touching items such as the Book of Mosses, given to Sara Hutchinson by William, his ‘passport’ with visa stamps from his 1837 tour of Europe and his daughter Dora’s sketchbook. With so many works of art, letters and other items to see, a visit is a deep-dive into Wordsworth’s life.
At Levens Hall and Gardens (www.levenshall.co.uk) a tour of the hall allows you to view some incredible furnishings and possessions, some of which, including the campaign bed, have links to the Duke of Wellington, whose niece married into the Bagot family. Harpsichords that you will see at the property were the passion of former owner, Robin Bagot, so have special significance. Make sure you also appreciate one of the earliest examples of English patchwork, dating from 1708 and worked by the daughters of 17thcentury owner, Colonel Grahme, to a pattern probably taken from the chapel roof in which they prayed. Do also note the Gillow writing table and the many clocks in the house. If it’s a ‘bureau’ you want, however, ask to be shown the French walnut secretaire, used by Grahme when he was Privy Purse to King James II, with this really highlighting the hall’s 17th century royal connections.
Hutton-in-the-Forest (www.hutton-in-the-forest) will have you falling in love with its Cupids in an instant. You will find this motif in its Cupid Room bedroom in the centre of the delicate Rococo ceiling, designed in 1745 by Joseph Rose the Elder, but also on its incredible Cupid Staircase, where winged boys swing on acanthus leaves within the intricate carving and design, which is simply mesmerising as a piece of craftsmanship. This also echoes the panel from the ‘Playing Boys’ Mortlake Tapestries that you will find at the head of the stairs, making the design even more impressive Gillow furniture, side-by-side ‘quarrelsome’ chairs and an early Broadwood piano are also not to be missed.
Holker Hall will reopen on July 21 and provide a chance, once again, to see other notable items. Visitors can marvel at a Library containing 3500 books, see an Estate Rent Table worked by renowned furniture creator, Chippendale, revel in the grand staircase carved by estate workers, within which each of 100 balusters incredibly has its own unique design, and admire some star pieces, including the Regulator Clock and the Nursery Yacht. There are also a Hepplewhite four-poster bed, Chippendale chairs and a caricature by Joshua Reynolds to pick out amongst the many stunning items within Holker Hall’s rooms, not to mention the microscope of the man who discovered nitric acid!
Keswick Museum will continue to thrill visitors wishing to understand the landscape around them and the lives that people from the past experienced within it. All of this is possible by touring its fantastic galleries and exhibits, including its magnificent geological collection but also quirkier exhibits, such as that explaining how Lakes Poet Robert Southey also gave us the fairy tale of the Three Bears – one no Goldilocks fan should miss. Understanding pre-history and every age from Roman to Victorian and beyond, should open the eyes following a visit to the museum and provide greater sense of place during a Lakes visit. Be sure to not miss the 700-year-old cat or the musical stones!
With all venues within Cumbria’s Living Heritage due to open up more and with others now planning their reopening with more certainty given recent Government communications, it is time to give them a helping hand and put heritage back on the map. To do that, visit www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk, choose your preferred places and plan your day out, knowing it will be an all-weather experience and one that will really boost those for whom footfall really does need to come home.
