![Lowther Castle 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Lowther_Castle_02.jpg)
Lowther Castle is a country house in the historic county of
Westmorland
Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...
, which now forms part of the
modern county of
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 has belonged to the Lowther family, latterly the
Earls of Lonsdale
Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 (becoming extinct in 1802), and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowth ...
, since the Middle Ages. It is a fully managed ruin, open to visits by the public to the shell of the castle and some of the gardens since 2011. Additional work was completed since that time, most recently on the extensive gardens.
Francis Knollys escorted
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
to Lowther Castle on 13 July 1568 on her way to
Wharton Wharton may refer to:
Academic institutions
* Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
* Wharton County Junior College
* Paul R. Wharton High School
* Wharton Center for Performing Arts, at Michigan State University
Places
* Wharton, Ch ...
and
Bolton Castle
Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England (). The nearby village of Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle was da ...
.
![Lowther Kip edited](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Lowther_Kip_edited.jpg)
In the late 17th century
John Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale
John Lowther, 1st Viscount Lonsdale, PC FRS (25 April 165510 July 1700), known as Sir John Lowther, 2nd Baronet, from 1675 to 1696, was an English politician.
Early life
He was born at Hackthorpe Hall, Lowther, Westmorland, the son of Col. Jo ...
rebuilt the family home, then known as Lowther Hall, on a grand scale. The current building is a castellated mansion which was built by
Robert Smirke for
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale
William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, KG (29 December 175719 March 1844), also known as Sir William Lowther, 2nd Baronet, of Little Preston, from 1788 to 1802, and William Lowther, 2nd Viscount Lowther, from 1802 to 1807, was a British Tory pol ...
between 1806 and 1814, and it was only at that time that the site was designated a "castle". The family fortune was undermined by the extravagance of the
5th Earl of Lonsdale, a famous socialite, and the castle was closed in 1937. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, it was used by a tank regiment. Its contents were removed in the late 1940s and the roof was removed in 1957. The shell is still owned by the Lowther Estate Trust.
George Macartney, when visiting the summer retreat of the Chinese emperor in
Chengde
Chengde, formerly known as Jehol and Rehe, is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, situated about 225 km northeast of Beijing. It is best known as the site of the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden and palace formerly used by t ...
in 1793, could compare the magnificence of what he saw only with Lowther Hall: ''If any place in England can be said in any respect to have similar features to the western park, which I have seen this day, it is Lowther Hall in Westmoreland, which (when I knew it many years ago) from the extent of prospect, the grand surrounding objects, the noble situation, the diversity of surface, the extensive woods, and command of water, I thought might be rendered by a man of sense, spirit, and taste, the finest scene in the British dominions.''
In the 19th century, an
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
ship, HCS ''Lowther Castle'', was named after the estate.
History
The original settlement at the site was founded in 1150 by
Dolfin de Lowther, a nobleman descended from
Danelaw
The Danelaw (, also known as the Danelagh; ang, Dena lagu; da, Danelagen) was the part of England in which the laws of the Danes held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. The Danelaw contrasts with the West Saxon law and the Mercian ...
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
conquerors.
William and Augusta Lowther, 1st Earl and Countess of Lonsdale
![William Lowther 1st Earl of Lonsdale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/William_Lowther_1st_Earl_of_Lonsdale.jpg)
William Lowther was born in 1757, and he was about 52 years old when he built Lowther Castle. He was the eldest son of Reverend Sir William Lowther and Anne Zouch. He was educated at Cambridge University, and in 1780 at the age of 23 he became a Member of Parliament. A year later he married Lady Augusta Fane, the daughter of John 9th Earl of Westmorland. He was an MP for 22 years until 1802, when he inherited the estates from his cousin
Sir James Lowther
James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (5 August 173624 May 1802) was an English country landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 27 years from 1757 to 1784, when he was raised to the Peerage of Great Britain as Earl of Lonsdale. ...
.
![Augusta Countess of Lonsdale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Augusta_Countess_of_Lonsdale.jpg)
Sir James Lowther had a rather disreputable history. He incurred a large debt to the father of
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
and refused to pay it despite numerous requests from the family. When Sir James Lowther died in 1802 and William inherited his fortune he immediately refunded the money to the Wordsworth family with interest. He also befriended William Wordsworth and assisted him financially. Wordsworth frequently stayed at Lowther Castle; many of his published letters are written from there.
Wordsworth wrote several poems for William. Part of his verse about Lowther Castle is as follows:
''"Lowther! in thy majestic Pile are seen''
''Cathedral pomp and grace in apt accord''
''With the baronial castle’s sterner mien"''
Lady Augusta Lonsdale, William's wife, was also a patron of the arts, and she kept an album in which some of the poets visiting Lowther Castle wrote verse. Wordsworth wrote a long poem in her honour in the album; it has been included in his published works.
Robert Southey
Robert Southey ( or ; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey began as a ra ...
, another famous poet, was also a frequent visitor at the castle and he too wrote in Lady Lonsdale's album. A verse he composed about Lowther Castle is as follows:
''"Lowther! have I beheld thy stately walls,''
''Thy pinnacles, and broad embattled brow,''
''And hospitable halls.''
''The sun those wide spread battlements shall crest,''
''And silent years unharming shall go by,''
''Till centuries in their course invest''
''Thy towers with sanctity."''
![Lowther Castle - Evening by Turner 1810](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Lowther_Castle_-_Evening_by_Turner_1810.jpg)
The Earl and Countess also encouraged artists to visit Lowther Castle. The most famous of these was
J.M.W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...
. He painted the recently acquired work called “Lowther Castle – Evening” which hangs in the Bowes Museum. William also became the patron to Jacob Thompson who painted his portrait which is shown above.
In 1839 Mrs Harriette Story Paige visited Lowther Castle with
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, ...
, a famous American politician. A detailed account of her experiences were given in her diary, in which she noted that:
''"We reached Lowther just at the hour of lunch, contrary to the English etiquette, which usually establishes the time for arriving, an hour or two only, before dinner, when at the announcement of that meal, the guests meet, for the first time. The Castle bell was rung, as we passed through the arched stone gateway, after a drive through the noble parks."''
Daniel Webster's wife also kept a diary and described her experience of the same visit to Lowther Castle.
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale
![William Lowther 2nd Earl of Lonsdale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/William_Lowther_2nd_Earl_of_Lonsdale.jpg)
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale was born in 1787. He was educated at Harrow School and Cambridge University and in 1808 he followed in his father's footsteps and became a politician. He was an MP for the next 33 years until 1841. In 1844, when his father died, he inherited the Lowther Estates.
From 1842 until his death he gathered a remarkable collection of ancient works of art at Lowther Castle, composed of more than 100 pieces of Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, and mostly Roman sculpture, whose selection reflected the spirit of the collections of the ‘Golden Age of Dilettantism’ during the Victorian era.
Lowther did not marry, but had several illegitimate children. Two of these inherited from him large sums of money on his death. One of these was a daughter, Frances (Fanny) Lowther, born in 1818 to the
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...
dancer Pierre-Narcisse Chaspoux. Narcisse later had a liaison with
Charles Lewis Meryon
Charles Lewis Meryon (1783–1877) was an English physician and biographer.
Life
The son of Lewis Meryon of Rye, Sussex, from a Huguenot background, he was born on 27 June 1783. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, from 1796 to 1802. Obt ...
and gave birth in 1821 to
Charles Meryon
Charles Meryon (sometimes Méryon, 23 November 1821 – 14 February 1868) was a French artist who worked almost entirely in etching, as he had colour blindness. Although now little-known in the English-speaking world, he is generally recognise ...
, the French artist. Frances Lowther later married the MP
Henry Broadwood
Henry Broadwood (8 August 1795 or 1793 – 1878) was a British Conservative politician.
He was a younger son of John Broadwood (by his second wife) and came from the famous piano-making family who owned John Broadwood & Sons, and supplied Beeth ...
and had three children.
His other child who was given an inheritance was Francis William Lowther, a Royal Navy officer. He was born in 1841 to Emilia Cresotti, a singer in the Paris Opera. William also appears to have had two other illegitimate daughters. One was Marie Caroline Lowther Saintfal, born in 1818 to Caroline Saintfal and registered in the Paris Baptisms. The other was to the famous French ballerina
Lise Noblet
Marie-Élisabeth Noblet (24 November 1801 in Paris – September 1852 in Paris), known by her stage name of Lise Noblet, was a French ballet dancer. She débuted at the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris in 1819 in a pas de deux with Albert, then d ...
, who wrote to him about their daughter.
William died in 1872. As he had no legitimate heirs, the Lowther Estates passed to his nephew Henry Lowther.
Henry and Emily Lowther, 3rd Earl and Countess of Lonsdale
![Henry Lowther 3rd Earl of Lonsdale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Henry_Lowther_3rd_Earl_of_Lonsdale.jpg)
Henry Lowther was 54 years old when he inherited the Lonsdale Estates. He died only four years later after an attack of pneumonia. He therefore had little impact on the development of Lowther Castle.
Henry was born in 1818. He was the nephew of the 2nd Earl of Lonsdale and the eldest son of the Hon. Henry Cecil Lowther, the 2nd Earl's brother. His mother was Lady Lucy Sherard. He was educated at Westminster School and Cambridge University and in 1841 he joined the 1st Life Guards. He was also a Member of Parliament representing West Cumberland between 1847 and 1872.
In 1852 he married Emily Susan Caulfeild, the daughter of St George Caulfeild of
Donamon Castle
Donamon, or more correctly, Dunamon Castle ( ga, Dún Iomáin) is one of the oldest inhabited buildings in Ireland and stands on raised ground overlooking the River Suck in County Roscommon.
There was a fort here from early times (hence the name ...
of Roscommon, Ireland. The couple had six children. When Henry died in 1878 the Lowther Estates were inherited by his son St George Lowther who became the 4th Earl of Lonsdale.
St George and Gladys, 4th Earl and Countess of Lonsdale
![Gladys Lady Lonsdale circa 1880](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Gladys_Lady_Lonsdale_circa_1880.jpg)
St George was born in 1855 and was only 23 when he inherited Lowther Castle. He had a passion for exploration and when he obtained his fortune he spent much of his time aboard his two steam yachts making long voyages to far parts of the world. He had a scientific interest in the sea, and his careful studies of the behaviour of the
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...
were important enough to be published by the American Hydrological Department.
In 1878 he married Lady Gladys Herbert, a very famous socialite. She has been described as “one of the professional beauties, a select group of a half-dozen society ladies who like the super models of today were constantly talked about and whose portraits were on sale to the public. Everything about her seemed impressive. She was six feet tall and her dark eyes and brilliant colouring made any women near her look pale."
The marriage was not considered to be a success, as St George was constantly away travelling and Gladys was caught up in a social set which did not meet with his approval. Gladys often entertained at Lowther Castle and one of her visitors was
Lillie Langtry
Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer.
Born on the isl ...
, who was said to be the mistress of King Edward VII. In her autobiography Langtry describes her stay at Lowther Castle as follows.
“Lady Gladys Herbert and Later Countess of Lonsdale was superbly beautiful, with brilliant colouring and the features and carriage of an ideal Roman Empress. We were great friends and at one time almost inseparable. I spent part of one summer with her at Lowther Castle soon after her first marriage and she met me at Carlisle Station with her pony car to drive me to the Castle. As we wisked through the Park and the impressive walls of Lowther loomed before us she intimated that the one thing she was most anxious for me to see was the emu strutting about the grass."
In 1882, at the age of twenty-six, St George died after a short illness which was followed by pneumonia. His younger brother Hugh Cecil Lowther inherited the castle.
Hugh and Grace Lowther, 5th Earl and Countess of Lonsdale
Hugh Cecil Lowther was born in 1857 and was only 25 when he inherited the castle. Being the second son of the Earl, he did not expect to be the manager of an estate, and so had not been appropriately educated. He was at Eton for only two years and left at the age of twelve, after which he spent his time playing sport.
In 1878, four years before obtaining his inheritance, Hugh married Lady Grace Gordon, third daughter of the
Marquess of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing ...
, who was three years his senior. Her family opposed the marriage, as Hugh was then not wealthy and seemed irresponsible. Their assessment of his character proved to be correct, as the following year he invested a great deal of money in cattle in America. The venture collapsed and the Lowther family was forced to save him.
The couple then lived near
Oakham
Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...
and Grace became pregnant but suffered a bad fall while hunting and lost the baby. After this she was unable to bear children and she remained a partial invalid for the rest of her life.
After he obtained his inheritance in 1882 Hugh indulged his many passions. He bought chestnut horses, carriages and many other extravagances. He had yellow-liveried footmen, a groom of the bedchamber, a chamberlain and a master of music to supervise the 24 musicians who travelled from house to house. His household travelled in a special train. Hugh declared that because of his childlessness he was the last of the Lowthers. This ignored the rights of his younger brother Lancelot, who was to inherit the vastly depleted estate.
In August 1895 the
Kaiser
''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...
visited Lowther Castle for some grouse shooting, and the imperial flag flew over the house. The kings of Italy and Portugal later came to stay, and the Kaiser a second time in 1902. The Kaiser gave Lonsdale the
order of the Prussian crown (first class) and a Mercedes. Hugh's fondness for cars made him the first President of the
Automobile Association
Automobile associations, also referred to as motoring clubs, motoring associations, motor clubs, are organizations, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists (drivers and vehicle owners) can join to enjoy benefits provided by the club relat ...
. He was also the first president of the
International Horse Show
The Royal International Horse Show (originally the International Horse Show) is the official horse show of the British Horse Society and consists of both showing and showjumping events. The event is held during July each year at the All England ...
at Olympia. In 1920 the walls of Horse Show arena were decorated with a replica of the gardens at Lowther Castle.
During the First World War he helped to found the
Blue Cross animal charity, where his chief role was as a recruitment officer of both men and horses. He had his own
pals battalion
The Pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbour ...
called the Lonsdale battalion (11th Battalion,
Border Regiment
The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot.
After service ...
). The battalion was almost wiped out on the
Somme __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
*Somme, Queensland, Australia
*Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), a ...
.
After the war Hugh gave up hunting and became more involved with race horses. He became a senior steward of the
Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...
. He had only one major win and that was the St Leger in 1922. He was rarely seen in the House of Lords.
Because of his extravagance he was forced to sell some of his inherited properties. In 1921
Whitehaven Castle
Whitehaven Castle is a historic building in Whitehaven, Cumbria. It is a Grade II listed building.
History
The building was constructed for Sir John Lowther as his private residence; it was originally known as Flatt Hall and was completed in 176 ...
was sold, and in 1926
Barleythorpe Hall in
Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire.
Its greatest len ...
. The same year the west Cumberland coal mines closed. In 1935 he left Lowther Castle because he could no longer afford to live there, and moved to much smaller accommodation. Grace died in 1941 and three years later in 1944 Hugh died, aged 87.
Closure of Lowther Castle
In 1939 or 1940 the castle was requisitioned for the war effort, and used for tank development. It was returned to the family, but not before 1954. The family could not afford to use or maintain it, and offered to give it away to the
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
and other institutions. However, in those depressed post-war years they did not find takers. To avoid taxes they stripped the castle and removed the roof.
Hugh Lowther was the last resident of Lowther Castle. His brother Lancelot, the 6th Earl, inherited the estate in 1944; but because of Hugh's large debts he was forced to sell many of the family's treasures. A large auction sale was held in 1947. Lancelot died in 1953 and was succeeded by James, his grandson.
James wished to develop the estates, and concentrated on farming. He saw Lowther Castle as an extravagance. After he returned from World War II, he said “it was a place that exemplified gross imperial decadence during a period of abject poverty". The army had damaged the grounds and buildings during the war, and the castle had been empty for many years. James offered the castle as a gift to three local authorities, but all refused. At that time the only options for large country houses were to open them to the public or to demolish them. Faced with £25 million in death duties, he could not afford the former, so he decided to remove the roof and demolish much of the stonework. "Just the façade and outer walls remained", according to the castle's owner.
The forecourt became pig pens; and the concrete on the south lawns that the army had laid he used as a base for a broiler chicken factory. The remainder of the gardens was used as a
timber plantation
A tree plantation, forest plantation, plantation forest, timber plantation or tree farm is a forest planted for high volume production of wood, usually by planting one type of tree as a monoculture forest. The term ''tree farm'' also is used to ...
, with
Sitka spruce
''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-larg ...
trees.
[https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/country-gardens-and-gardening-tips/199478-199478, Lowther Castle: The spectacular and historic gardens that rise from one of Britain’s most evocative ruins]
Significant improvements have been achieved since then. After the death of Lord Lonsdale in 2006, the chicken-broiler unit and the trees were removed. With a great deal of funding from various sources, some garden restoration was done and a restoration of the castle shell and the full reinstatement and conversion of the stables was also completed.
Early 20th century
The gardens of Lowther Castle were abandoned in 1935 but before that they represented centuries of careful cultivation by successive generations of the Lowther family. There exists a detailed description of the gardens written in the lifetime of the 5th Earl who was the last person to live at the Castle. This description is given in the following paragraphs with appropriate photographs accompanying the narrative.
Gardens on the Western side of the Castle
''“To the back of the shrubbery behind the Terrace one finds the Rock Garden. This was the especial interest of Lady Lonsdale and is particularly noted for its unique collection of Alpine plants and Japanese dwarf maples turning to scarlet and crimson in the autumn. All manner of climbing plants trail over rustic arbours and rustic bridges span its water lily ponds.''
''Nearby accessible only by two almost invisible paths and completely hidden away is the Sweet Scented Garden. This stands alone among gardens – an oval gem surrounded by tall dark shrubs. All known sweet scented flowers grow here in round and oval beds arranged down the centre with scented lilies in the middle of each bed (these scented lilies can be seen in the photo to the right). Around the edges of this oasis of concentrated perfume are set rustic seats in arbours of honeysuckle with, between them pools fed by miniature waterfalls (these water features are still in the Sweet Scented Garden at Lowther Castle today.) In the centre bed is an old French vase which was originally in the gardens of a house in Coblentz and had been much admired by Lord Lonsdale when in Germany for the Army manoeuvers. Round it are carved the lines from Omar Khayyam which commence “O moon of my delight”. This was placed in the Sweet Scented Garden by the Kaiser himself as a gift to Lord Lonsdale, during one of his visits to Lowther. To this garden came Lord and Lady Lonsdale on most evenings after dinner — to sit and enjoy its scents and quiet.''
''Close to it, and equally hidden away, is the Japanese Garden, adorned with Chinese and Japanese ornaments, life-size bronze birds and animals, Japanese shrines, dwarf trees, scarlet lacquer dwarf bridges set among miniature lakes, filled with Japanese water-lilies and iris, tiny islands, and hidden paths.'' ''Beyond the Japanese Garden lies the Rose Garden. Here are set out some 25,000 rose bushes with rambler rose tents in all four corners. The bushes are planted on a stretch of green turf with a fountain and small rockery in the centre. (the remains of this fountain are still in the garden today) Leading out of the Rose Garden is an Iris Garden enclosed by a clipped hedge and containing more lily ponds with stone seats and lead figures arranged round and about them.”''
The Japanese Garden was created by local gardener Thomas Richard Hayes in 1904. A local expert in rock and water garden design, Hayes imported trees from Japan and used pools, curved bridges and statues of water birds to create an authentic feel.
The Terrace
''The Terrace is one of three natural terraces formed within the grounds by land subsidences of past days - the rocks and boulders of the sub-soil having been left bare. Lying a little to the south-west of the castle, it has been turfed- over and faced with stone on the drop side to prevent deer or cattle getting up or rabbits getting in. The artificial portion of this lay-out is about a mile long and is bordered on the garden side by trees and shrubs. From this terrace the views over to the mountains beyond are unrivalled. Below, through the foreground of this landscape, wanders the River Lowther - sometimes over shallows and rapids, with deep pools intervening and crossed at intervals by stone hump-backed bridges. Between it and Hawes Water lie rolling hills whilst looking slightly left there is an uninterrupted view of miles over the park to the fells. Lord Lonsdale and his brother Lancelot have built a large rustic summer-house in the centre of the terrace which contains an old water clock taken from one of the former Lowther houses and having on it the inscription “Night cometh”''
Gardens to the east of the castle
''“Hugh's Garden was laid out to the designs of Lord Lonsdale himself just before the Great War and a most beautiful design it is, it is, with Versailles as its pattern. Radiating from the centre of a high piece of ground to the south-east of the castle, six wide turf avenues stretch down the slope like the spokes of a vast wheel broadening as they descend. Dividing the avenues are beautifully trimmed tall yew hedges worked along the top at intervals into strange shapes. There are two miles of these hedges and beds along their foot were planted with many thousands of bedding-out plants – a blaze of glory from early spring to late autumn. Some lovely old Italian well-heads in carved stone with wrought iron overthrows are set here and there amidst the wheel. The conception of this garden was entirely Lord Lonsdale’s own. From the hub of this wheel the views are almost the equal of the outlook from the Terrace. Close to Hugh’s Garden is Jack Crofts Pond originally a cattle watering place now turned into a charming ornamental stretch of water."''
Conservation and reopening
In 2000 the Lowther Estate and
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
jointly commissioned a team of historians, landscapers, architects and engineers to review the status of the castle and its grounds, and they produced the ''Lowther Castle & Garden Conservation Plan''. In 2005 the estate formed an informal partnership with the
Northwest Development Agency
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) was the regional development agency for the North West England region and was a non-departmental public body.NWDA Who We Are/ref> It was abolished on 31 March 2012.
The Agency was responsible for t ...
, English Heritage, Cumbria Vision and the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
to regenerate the site. The objectives were to consolidate the ruin,
restore the garden and open the site to the public. Sheppard Robson
RIBA
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
were appointed as architects. The castle and 130 acres of grounds were transferred to a charity called the Lowther Castle and Gardens Trust in 2007
and the site opened to the public on 22 April 2011.
After an initial £9 million consolidation, the castle and some gardens opened for public visits in 2011, for the first time since 1938; other garden areas were still overgrown at that time.
In 2016, the Lowther family again began to manage the property in advance of the official reopening for the 2017 season. In March 2016 the property was sub-leased to Lowther Castle Limited, a non-charitable company formed to manage the activities undertaken at the Castle and Gardens.
[ In summer 2016]
The Lost Castle
- The largest wooden playground in the country was opened at Lowther Castle. The hand-built playground is made from 11 miles of sustainably sourced timber.
A report in October 2018 summarised the situation at that time as follows: "The part-demolished castle shell and the wrecked garden have been resurrected with impressive energy and conviction. Lowther is now once again one of the leading showplaces of Cumbria". In the same year, the property was cited as the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2018 in the Cumbria Tourism Awards.
Developments in the gardens continue. Work on the 130-acre garden was continuing in mid-2019, based on plans by Patrick James and Dominic Cole, under the guidance of designer Dan Pearson and the castle's current owner Jim Lowther (son of the 7th Earl of Lonsdale).[https://www.countrylife.co.uk/architecture/lowther-castle-incredible-transformation-ruins-one-britains-greatest-regency-castle-185665, incredible transformation of the ruins of one of Britain’s greatest Regency castle]
One of the projects is the Garden in the Ruin, a new phase after the 2015 plantings, including Hydrangea aspera Sargentiana and Parthenocissus henryana. The new Rose Garden had already received 1,250 eglantine roses, underplanted with brunnera, Galium odoratum and Chaero-phylum hirsutum Roseum; in spring 2019, 6,000 perennials were added, white Geranium macrorrhizum White-Ness, Calamintha sylvatica Menthe and Brunnera macrophylla Betty Bowring and Narcissus poeticus and Camassia leichtlinii alba.
In late 2019, an additional 2,255 David Austin roses
David Charles Henshaw Austin (16 February 1926 at Albrighton – 18 December 2018 in the same village) was a British rose breeder and writer who lived in Shropshire, England. His emphasis was on breeding roses with the character and fragra ...
were to be planted. Future phases will include the addition of Japanese plants in The Japanese Garden and the conversion of the Scented Garden to Katsura Grove. The area around an old summer house to the west of the garden will be planted with honeysuckle, roses and bulbs. The modified gardens were planned to open to visitors in spring 2020.
Events
Lowther Deer Park hosts the music festival Kendal Calling
Kendal Calling is a music & arts festival, held annually at Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District, Cumbria in the North West of England. It has grown from a two-day, 900 capacity event in 2006 to a 25,000 capacity 4-day music festival. Kendal C ...
, and Born Survivor, a obstacle run.
See also
* Askham, Cumbria
Askham is a village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It is in the historic county of Westmorland. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 360, decreasing slightly to 356 at the 2011 Census. It is s ...
References
Sources
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External links
*{{Official, http://www.lowthercastle.org/
Kendal Calling
July 2003 BBC story on the restoration plans
Heritage and History - Pictures from the first open day for over 70 years
Country houses in Cumbria
Castles in Cumbria
Gardens in Cumbria
Rose gardens in Cumbria
Grade II* listed buildings in Cumbria
Gothic Revival architecture in Cumbria
Ruins in Cumbria
Mock castles in England
Tourist attractions in Cumbria
Lowther family
Gardens by Capability Brown
Grade II* listed houses
William Talman buildings
Houses completed in 1814