Cartmel - Holker Hall Cark In Cartmel

Whilst staying in one of our Lake District Cottages or fine Lake District Self Catering Holiday Homes you may like to dip into a few of our towns and villages for a bit of shopping, café culture and maybe sample the varied cultural and historic side of Cumbria. In the village of Cark you near to Cartmel you can visit the Holker Hall and its beautiful gardens.

Holker Hall is the home of Lord and Lady Cavendish who welcome visitors of all ages to one of the best-loved stately homes in Britain. Magnificently situated only a short distance from Grange-over-Sands and the expanse of Morecambe Bay, Holker Hall is set in exceptionally beautiful countryside with gardens that merge into Parkland framed by the Lakeland Hills.

Holker is a Norse word, which can be translated as 'a rising in marshy land'. The earliest records of a house on the present site date back to the beginning of the16th century.  The Estate has never been sold but passed, by inheritance, through the family line, with each generation leaving its impression on both the gardens and Hall.  Despite its grand scale, this handsome rose coloured neo-Elizabethan mansion and its Gardens provide a soft and gentle contrast to the ruggedness of the Lakeland countryside to the north. The record reveals that Lord Cavendish's ancestors felt that for them Holker was more desirable, more favoured by Providence and more enhanced with natural beauty than any other place on earth.

The Gardens

In 2008 the Holker Gardens opened throughout all four changing seasons for the very first time. Spring will see thousands of bulbs coming through thanks to the tireless work of the new head Gardener, Yvonne Cannon and her team. A series of seasonal walks are being planned to coincide with the launch of the new Holker Garden Guide which will be on sale in the summer.

The immaculately kept gardens (25 acres in all) are part woodland, part formal and essentially Victorian in character, though never heavy or oppressive. The 200-acre 'natural' parkland is in fact the result of the late 18th century planting of Lord George Cavendish. In the early 19th century several new features were added: an arboretum, a conservatory, balustraded terraces by the House, and a large walled kitchen garden.

Lord and Lady Cavendish have sought not only to conserve the historic but have made changes and additions to the gardens that are still being made today, with great liveliness and confidence: the shelter belt of trees, planted in the last 20 years, gives protection between the Park and gardens. Not to be missed are the spectacular displays of Rhododendrons in the spring. The magnificent blooms of all hues grace the arbours and cascade with a riot of colour never able to be captured completely on film. Also not to be omitted from your visit is The Great Holker Lime, labelled as one of the finest and largest common limes (Tilia europaea) in Britain. This awe-inspiring tree measures 7.9 metres in girth. It was probably planted as part of a formal garden in the early 17th century. Today its huge trunk stands in a cavern formed by overhanging branches. In 2002 Holker's Great Lime was awarded the distinction of being one of Britain's 50 Great Trees in honour of Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee.

Another must is Lord and Lady Cavendish's National Collection of Styracaceae. This National Collection is registered with the National Collection for Conservation of Plants and Gardens: NCCPG). The family includes genera such as Halesia, Styrax, and Pterostyrax.

The House

Visitors have access to a large part of the house where guided tours are available.

The Food Hall & Courtyard Cafe

Holker Food Hall, in its elegant Courtyard setting, is at the heart of 17,000 acres of rural Cumbria encompassing a major proportion of the Cartmel Peninsula. The Estate has a long tradition of farming through the craftsmanship of tenant farmers producing cheese, prime Shorthorn Beef, seasonal Venison and the famous Holker Saltmarsh Lamb. This is local fresh, seasonal food at its very best and wherever possible we try to keep the carbon footprint to the minimum. Finaly eating out at Holker is a delight.  Our courtyard cafe, pictured below, is an ideal place to take a break from looking round the house and gardens.  We also have two fabulous dining rooms that can be hired for that special occasion or corporate event.

Holker Hall website - http://www.holker.co.uk/

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The Lakeland Cottage Company, Woodside, Charney Road, The Lake District, LA11 6BP. Telephone 015395 38180 or Email us