‘Mind the japonica’ as you disembark from Cumbria Living Heritage’s very own ‘Garden Line’ – part of its exciting Heritage Cumberground initiative that will help you make your way around, from one venue appealing to your green fingered interests to the other.
The newly launched Heritage Cumberground map highlights 17 stops on the imaginary Garden Line, running from the gardens at Muncaster at one end, to Wordsworth House and Gardens in Cockermouth at the other.
In between, visitors can ‘disembark’ at gardens at Holker Hall, Sizergh, Levens, Blackwell, Brantwood, Hill Top, Holehird Gardens, Brockhole, Dove Cottage, Allan Bank, Acorn Bank, Askham Hall, Hutton-in-the-Forest, Dalemain and the penultimate stop, Mirehouse.
The map highlights the multitude of glorious and exceptional gardens to visit and enjoy at heritage houses, castles, homes of renown and sites across Cumbria and its two World Heritage Sites. Each garden can be interpreted in terms of its individual history – when it was first planted, when new fashions were incorporated, when restoration occurred and why certain features can still be found there to this day.
Every green haven on the route tells a powerful story, traceable across the centuries, whilst some boast more recent features that add a narrative for future generations, who will one day wish to know more about historic events such as the Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and the bicentennial of Alfred Lord Tennyson.
To assist garden lovers wishing to quickly consider reasons to visit, Cumbria’s Living Heritage has put together a stop-off pitch for all gardens on the line. The Cumberground Heritage map, which features nine other themed lines, besides the Garden Line, can be downloaded at www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk
