Gresgarth Hall

Entrance to th Hall, with battlements and Georgian Styled windows. Formal lawn with topiary and magnificent Boar Statue.

This lovely house and garden is just about an hour’s drive from where I live. It is the home 

of Arabella Lennox-Boyd, the famous garden designer and modern day Aristocrat. She is 

married to Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd, the second son of Viscount Merton. So, technically she is 

Lady Arabella Lennox Boyd. However, as she was brought up in the Palazzo Pirisi, Rome, 

she is obviously no stranger to moving in the higher levels of society. Many modern Aristocrats 

eschew the use of formal titles in everyday life, as it can sound a little pretentious in these 

more egalitarian times.

She and her family moved to Gresgarth Hall in 1978. There is little information about the 

origins of the house, apart from the fact that there was a house on the site in 1330, and it has 

long been associated with the Curwen family (a widely distributed and powerful family in the 

north-west of England in times past). The current house looks to be a mix of a Gothic 

frontage with Georgian windows, mixed withVictorian or possibly Edwardian styles on the 

lakeview aspect. Despite the mongrel architectural styles, is as refined and gracious as one 

would expect of such a stylish lady. However, having a nosey round the house is not on the 

menu of a visit here - only the gardens are open to the public, and then only one day a month.

 

Side view of the house which has a romantic feel, looking across the serene water-lily flecked stillness of the lake.

But having grumbled about that, it is still well worth making the effort, the gardens are quite 

beautiful in that well mannered, tasteful way that one would expect of a six-time RHS Gold 

Medal winner, and winner of Best in Show at Chelsea Flower Show in 1998.

There is a lake, a most beautiful lake, which does not appear to have any form of pond weed 

sullying its pristine surface (I am quite jealous). No, there are beautifully serene water lilies, 

which seem to have been perfectly placed - but then Lady Arabella is not some merely gifted 

amateur - no she trained to be a garden designer, as well as being a self confessed gardening 

addict. And it shows. 

Lovely views across the lake.

There is a lot of structure in this garden. Lots of carefully primped yew, straight paths nearer 

the house, which become more meandering farther from it. There is a wonderful bridge 

crossing the stream connecting the more formal garden to the wilder parts, where she plants 

trees and large shrubs to great effect. 

Formal Yew avenue

Wonderful 'Angel' decorative paving.

Formal lawn with circular heding and a few formally clipped trees

. Classic

 

There is no dominant genus of plants here, though she does seem to like quite a few 

varieties of the beautifully flowering Cornus kousa. Most seemed to have been picked for 

their individual beauty, and placed with an artist’s eye. The only mistake that I detected was 

that someone has chosen to plant Iris ensata in semi-shade. They much prefer full sun.

Herbaceous borders with the turretted tower as a backdrop

Lilium canadensis(?) with a background of clematis and phlox. Not quite sure about this particular colour combination.

Acer japonicum aureum

Eryngium

Borders with a background of shrubs (Cornus kousa?)

I have only been to this garden once, but I shall give update posts as I revisit.

There is a lovely video of Gresgarth Hall on YouTube, featuring Lady Arabella in her 

favourite surroundings - the garden. It not only gives you a taste of these lovely gardens, but 

also a flavour of a modern lady Aristocrat in the 21st Century. You can enjoy it here.

Her book ‘Gardens in my Life' is available on Amazon.

 

 

What a patio! Superb planting, posing lion statues, and is that a Venetian mooring post on the right. Brilliant!

 

 Happy gardening, Detta! 

 

Levens Hall revisited

 I have been visiting Levens Hall for over forty years. However, that is a mere tick of the clock in time, compared to the venerable age of this lovely old Hall set in the north western corner of England. The pele tower (a defensive tower, built usually against attacks by the Scots) was built in 1350 by the Redman family, but I am sure that I have read somewhere that there was a building on the site back in the 1100s. However, much of the wonderful building that you can visit today dates back to Tudor times, and wow, what an example of a Tudor / Stuart interior it is. 

Unfortunately, photography is not permitted in the house so you'll just have to take my word for it. The old wood carving on several of the fireplaces is so detailed and ornate, that you could just spend the day studying them. Add to this carved doorways, oak panelling (diaper pattern mainly), Italian plastered ceilings and fabulous turned furniture, and you realise what an under-sung historic house this is. Oh, and I forgot to mention the Leather Wall Panels which were probably made in Spain during the 17th Century. These are important works on a global scale, as there are only eight collections worldwide. Of the thirteen patterns known, five are exclusive to Leven's Hall, and it is said that the Levens Hall panels are in some of the best condition known to the experts.

Added to this, there is an interesting collection of memorabilia associated with the Duke of Wellington. Apparently one of the Bagot family (their descendents are the current owners of Levens Hall) married his favourite niece. So here you can find one of Wellington's camp beds, some fantastic porcelain ordered by Napoleon for his Mum, various miniatures, letters and curios. 

There is also a fantastically preserved costume worn by a page to George IVs eye-wateringly expensive coronation in 1821, plus some of the correspondence relating to his funeral. Though, not a huge collection of Regency / George IV stuff, it is of interest to afficionado's of the period, such as myself.

But of course, what Levens Hall is really famous for are it's topiary gardens, which are believed to be the oldest in the world. Commissioned by Colonel James Grahme (Keeper of the Privy Purse to King James II)  in 1694, and designed by Guillaume Beaumont, they are something to behold at any time of year. They are also quite atmospheric, as, despite the many visitors (though it rarely feels busy) there is an age-old serenity to the place. Beautifully maintained, they provide examples of the classic shapes of topiary, such as the pyramid, the spiral and the box, with shaped hedging, walks and vistas to keep the interest of the visitor.

As a writer of historical novels, the croquet lawn fires my imagination. Whilst modern white sports gear is de rigeur these days, I can't help imagining quite a different scene. Imagine ladies in Crinolines, or perhaps 18th Century panniered skirts. The gentlemen would be exquisitely turned out by their valets in beautifully tailored superfine jackets, immaculateley tied cravats over snowy white shirts, pantaloons/breeches and impossibly glossy Hessian boots And it is quite probable that these indeed were scenes at this venerable old house. I'm sure that mental picture will work itself into one of my stories one day.

 

Once you have sated your cultural and horticultural appetites, you can then repair to the Levens Kitchen, for some delicious refreshment. This tends to be fairly modern fare, though I am glad to say that there are still some classics on the menu. The scones are delicious. And just as a reminder of where you are - your cappuccino will be chocolate dusted with a topiary cut out - classy!

If you are in the South Cumbria/ North Lancashire area, add Levens Hall to your 'must visit' list. You'll be glad that you did. For further info click here.