Holehird Gardens is an extensive 10-acre site located near
Windermere
Windermere (sometimes tautology (language), tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere, Cumbria (town), Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in leng ...
,
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
, England. It is the home of the Lakeland Horticultural Society. The garden consists of a large variety of plants, particularly those suited to the local climate with its high rainfall. It is made up of extensive rock and heather gardens, alpine houses, and a
walled garden
A walled garden is a garden enclosed by high walls, especially when this is done for horticultural rather than security purposes, although originally all gardens may have been enclosed for protection from animal or human intruders. In temperate c ...
which is of particular interest for its
herbaceous border
A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants (plants that live for more than two years and are soft-stemmed and non-woody) arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. ...
s. It was once voted by
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gardeners to be one of the nation's favourite gardens.
History
Holehird was built in the 1860s as a private home to a design by
J. S. Crowther
Joseph Stretch Crowther (1820 – March 1893) (usually known as J. S. Crowther) was an English architect who practised in Manchester. His buildings are mainly located in Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria.
Life and career
Crowther studied ...
.
The house is currently used by
Leonard Cheshire Disability
Leonard Cheshire is a major health and welfare charity working in the United Kingdom and running development projects around the world. It was founded in 1948 by Royal Air Force officer Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC.
Leonard Cheshire's aims ...
.
The garden was created in the late nineteenth century by three successive owners of the mansion. The landscape architect
Thomas Mawson
Thomas Hayton Mawson (5 May 1861 – 14 November 1933), known as T. H. Mawson, was a British garden designer, landscape architect, and town planner.
Personal life
Mawson was born in Nether Wyresdale, Lancashire, and left school at age 12. H ...
enlarged the garden in 1902.
However, by 1945 it became too expensive to maintain and it was effectively abandoned and totally overgrown.
In 1969 the Lakeland Horticultural Society was formed and began to rescue the derelict garden.
The staff at the gardens are all volunteers from the Lakeland Horticultural Society. They are the planters, weeders, propagators, designers and administrators.
The guidebook “The Best of Britain” described it as a garden with “numerous different areas to explore including rock heather and walled gardens and herbaceous borders all bursting with colourful plants and enhanced with stunning views".
[The Best of Britain: The Lake District, p. 90.] The
astilbe
''Astilbe'' is a genus of 18 species of rhizome, rhizomatous flowering plants within the family (biology), family Saxifragaceae, native plant, native to mountain ravines and woodlands in Asia and North America. Some species are known by the comm ...
s are a national
Plant Heritage
Plant Heritage, formerly known as the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG), is a botanical conservation organisation in the United Kingdom and a registered charity. It was founded in 1978 to combine the talents of bot ...
collection.
Access
The garden is open to the public throughout the year. Donations are invited for the upkeep of the gardens. There are also openings as part of the
National Gardens Scheme
The National Garden Scheme opens privately owned gardens in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Channel Islands on selected dates for charity. It was founded in 1927 with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to th ...
. Holehird has been a regular participant in a "daffodil day", which the NGS organises in Cumbria.
Gallery
Image:Holehird house - geograph.org.uk - 278095.jpg, A water feature at Holehird Garden with a partial view of the house in the background
Image:Windermere - geograph.org.uk - 17845.jpg, A Spring-time floral display at Holehird Garden.
image:Holehird Garden - geograph.org.uk - 331219.jpg, An expanse of lawn surrounded by flowers within the walled garden.
References
External links
Website of Holehird Gardens
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Gardens in Cumbria
Gardens by Thomas Hayton Mawson