Celebrate the genius behind some of Cumbria’s greatest gardens
Written by John Williamson on 21/04/2021
- National Gardening Week (26 April – 2 May 2021)
- 160 years since the birth of Lake District landscaping legend, Thomas Hayton Mawson (5 May 2021)
With the country’s biggest annual celebration of gardening fast approaching – National Gardening Week – Cumbria Tourism is encouraging people to embrace the genius and stunning legacy behind many of the Lake District and Cumbria’s greatest gardens.
Thomas Hayton Mawson designed gardens across Cumbria including at Rydal Hall, Holker Hall, Brockhole, Blackwell House and Graythwaite Hall. With lockdown restrictions easing many are now open to visitors in time for RHS National Gardening Week, with others following in the coming weeks.
Thomas Mawson was born in Lancashire in May 1861 and in the 1880s started Lakeland Nurseries in Windermere before turning to garden design. Over the next thirty years he created some of the most celebrated gardens in Cumbria – among them the formal gardens at Rydal Hall near Ambleside – viewed by experts as a great example of Arts and Crafts design.
See video of Rydal Hall’s Mawson-designed gardens here
The President of Cumbria Tourism, Eric Robson was the former chairman of BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time for more than 30 years. He says: “Thomas Mawson was a remarkable man. He really invented the phrase landscape architecture. He was able to take his twin interests in architecture and horticulture and blend them in a very successful way.
“So much so he was in demand all over the world. He designed the “Palace of Peace” gardens at the Hague and was involved in developing The Smoky Mountains National Park in America.”
But it was in the Lake District that he made his reputation.
“The Lake District landscape gave him a canvas against which to work,” explains Eric. “With his new style, he was able to bring sophistication to a garden without losing the basic horticulture. He linked those formal gardens with the wider, natural landscape in a way people loved.”
Eric hopes National Gardening Week, combined with the Mawson anniversary, will encourage people to get out and enjoy more of Cumbria’s stunning gardens.
He adds: “The value of green spaces to mental health and wellbeing has been highlighted by the pandemic. We have seen through lockdown that a way of assisting mental health is by visiting some of these green spaces and gardens. There is a peace and an excitement about them. Thomas Mawson’s gardens combine different factors so well. He creates a wonderful peaceful environment and then you walk around a corner and you meet with a spectacular piece of architecture.”
Among the celebrated gardens originally designed by Thomas Hayton Mawson are:
- Barrow Park, Barrow-in-Furness: A 45-acre haven in the middle of the town.
- Blackwell House: Terraces with sweeping views of Windermere and Coniston fells.
- Brockhole: Garden listed by Historic England for its national importance.
- Graythwaite Hall near Newby Bridge: Some of the best surviving examples of his design work.
- Holker Hall, Cark-in-Cartmel near Grange-over-Sands: Rose Garden and Sunken Garden.
- Holehird, near Windermere: Home to the Lakeland Horticultural Society.
- Langdale Chase Hotel: Terraced gardens on the shores of Windermere.
Cumbria is not just famous for Thomas Mawson designs. Other stunning gardens well worth a visit include Muncaster Castle, Dalemain Mansion, Acorn Bank, Hutton-in-the-Forest, Askham Hall, Lowther Castle, Mirehouse, Levens Hall, Sizergh Castle and Brantwood.
If you fancy reconnecting with Cumbria’s great gardens check out www.visitlakedistrict.com for inspiration. Please always check summer opening times and plan ahead before any visit.
