Our Eras Tour #5: Even More Lake District

Lowther Castle & Gardens

The next morning, we made one more stop in the Lake District before heading on the Wales.

Lowther Castle & Gardens is a crenellated (meaning a wall with regular gaps in it) country house that sits on an estate that has belonged to the Lowther family, latterly the Earls of Lonsdale, since the Middle Ages. Now in ruins, the shell of the castle and the gardens have been undergoing extensive renovations since 2011 as part of a planned 20-year project.

A huge house; Photo: Caty Stevens

The original settlement at the site was founded in 1120 by Dolfin de Lowther, a nobleman descended from Danelaw Viking conquerors.

Mary, Queen of Scots visited in 1568 on her way to Wharton Hall and Bolton Castle. 

Roofless interior

In the late 17th century, the 1st Viscount Lonsdale rebuilt the family home, then known as Lowther Hall, on a grand scale.

Sir James Lowther had a rather disreputable history. He incurred a large debt to the father of William Wordsworth and refused to pay it despite numerous requests from the family. When he died in 1802, his son, William, 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.

Turret

From 1842 until his death, William gathered a remarkable collection of ancient works of art at the Lowther estate, comprising 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.

The current house was built by the 1st Earl of Lonsdale between 1806 and 1814. That was when the house was designated a "castle,” although it never served the defensive role that most castles play. It was really just a replica of a castle built to demonstrate wealth and position.

What Lowther Castle looked like in the early 20th Century; Photo: Horse Network

The family fortune was undermined by the extravagance of Hugh Lowther, the 5th Earl of Lonsdale, a famous socialite, and the castle was closed in 1937.

It looks like a castle

During the Second World War, it was used by a tank regiment for maneuvers.

Some treasures that remain are on display

Hugh 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, Lancelot was forced to sell many of the family's treasures at an auction in 1947. Lancelot died in 1953 and was succeeded by James, his grandson.

The army had damaged the grounds and buildings and the Castle had been empty for many years. James wished to develop the estate, concentrating on farming. But because it was expensive to maintain, he offered the Castle as a gift to three local authorities. Depleted by wartime expenses, all refused. 

No one wanted it

At that time, the only options for large country houses were to open them to the public or to demolish them. James could not afford the former, so he removed the roof and demolished much of the stonework, leaving just the façade and outer walls.

No roof = no taxes

The forecourt became pig pens; and the concrete on the south lawns that the army had laid down became a base for a broiler chicken factory. The remainder of the gardens were used as a timber plantation, with Sitka spruce trees.

Now, the gardens are being reinstated

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 of the gardens and part of the Castle shell were restored and the stables were repaired.

Making progress

Before they were abandoned in 1935, the gardens of Lowther Castle had been carefully cultivated by successive generations of the Lowther family.

Now, plants grow inside the walls of the house, giving it a romantic “secret garden” appearance.

The dragon isn't a ghost; it's a door decoration

It's wildly overgrown

But, it isn't home to little princesses; rather, it is the domain of Eurasian Jackdaws, hundreds of them ...

Look at that face!

The rose garden, themed around the story of Sleeping Beauty, has been partially restored ... 

 But, it maintains a wild look

It has 25,000 rose bushes ...

... and benches and trellises with a thorny look

Here, we had some fun, finding and photographing birds ...

Barn Swallow

Coal Tit (looks like a Chickadee)

European Robin with a fly ...

... that she was feeding to her babies

The rose garden is reached by ...

... walking down some dicey stairs ...

... and along a lane flanked by tall Yews

At the beginning of the path is the Countess Summerhouse, still somewhat cloaked in weeds.

It's like a fairy's house

Beyond the garden is the Rose Garden Summerhouse, also overgrown.

And, maybe, an elf's

The Japanese Garden was in the midst of some major renovation. The massive lawn behind the ruins is a wildflower garden.

This isn't overgrown, it's on purpose

The Castle has a small welcome area, a store, a cafe and a museum. A brief film provides historical context.

Renovated interior

Caty in the yews

We probably spent too much time at Lowther, especially because this wasn't a planned stop. But it was such a pleasant and somewhat quirky stop, we just couldn’t help ourselves. 

It was nice to stroll slowly among the wild gardens and down the shady lanes, admiring the flowers and looking for birds. The place was magical.

But, we couldn't dally any longer; we needed to get to Wales.

Trip date: June 6 - 20, 2024