Mirehouse is a 17th-century house to the north of Keswick in

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 ...

, at the foot of

Dodd Dodd may refer to: Places *Dodd (Buttermere), a fell near Red Pike in England *Dodd (Lake District), a fell in Cumbria, England *Dodd, Indiana, a community in the United States People *Dodd (surname), people with the surname ''Dodd'' Other uses * ...

, near Bassenthwaite Lake and St Bega's Church, on the

A591 road The A591 is a major road in Cumbria, in the north-west of England, which lies almost entirely within the Lake District national park. A 2009 poll by satellite navigation firm Garmin named the stretch of the road between Windermere and Keswick ...

. Although still a family home it and its grounds are open to the public and in 1999 won the award for 'Best Heritage Property for Families in the UK'.

History

Mirehouse was built in 1666 by

Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby (19 January 1628 – 21 December 1672) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte de La Trémouille. Life As Lord Strange, he took little p ...

, who sold it in 1688 to his agent, Roger Greg. The Greg family and then their descendants, the Storys owned the estate until 1802 when Thomas Story left it in his will to John Spedding. The Spedding family, who still own the house, have enlarged the house several times, with the last major changes occurring in the 1960s, when extensive renovation work was carried out, and in the 1980s, when the ground floor and grounds were opened to the public. The grounds now include a bee garden, a wild flower

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

, a "poetry walk", squirrel island and adventure playgrounds. The Spedding family had strong links to a number of poets, including

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

, Robert Southey, Edward FitzGerald and

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...

. In celebration of these poetic links, an annual Poetry competition is now held.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Mirehouse
Country houses in Cumbria Historic house museums in Cumbria Gardens in Cumbria 1666 establishments in England Grade II* listed buildings in Cumbria Allerdale