Mirehouse
Location : Bassenthwaite / Keswick – Grid Ref: NY 232282
A remarkable historic house and gardens facing Bassenthwaite Lake, with Dodd Wood and Skiddaw at the rear. The gardens contain four wooded adventure playgrounds, varied sheltered gardens to amble around, and lakeside walks through woods and parks.
Being a private house, opening times to the House are restricted (see below), the grounds and tea-room being open daily. The House has been in the Spedding family for over 300 years, and contains a wide range of literary and artistic connections, including portraits, James Speddings collection of Francis Bacon’s works, as well as manuscripts of Southey, Wordsworth , Tennyson, Thomas Carlyle and John Constable – all friends of the Speddings in the last century. Relax and enjoy live classical music in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
In the grounds are 4 adventure playgrounds, collections of Rhododendrons and Hydrangeas, a sheltered Bee Garden, traditional orchard, a heather path maze, the Canada garden, terraced lawns, and a rare wildflower meadow. A circular walk of around a mile leads from the house, through the woods, along the lake shore and back to the entrance.
The poetry walk, housing a rose garden at the centre, has recently been extended and shows poems associated with Mirehouse, including works by Tennyson, Wordsworth and Hartley Coleridge.
The Old Sawmill Tea Room is located beside the car park opposite the entrance to Mirehouse and specialises in traditional Cumbrian home cooking. Open daily 10am to 5pm.
The beautiful little church of St. Bega, is in the Mirehouse grounds.
Lord Alfred Tennyson stayed at Mirehouse in 1835 while he was writing his poem ‘Morte D’Arthur’ and St Bega’s Church inspired the opening lines:
‘..to a chapel nigh the field,
A broken chancel with a broken cross,
That stood on a dark straight of barren land,’.
A small distance along the shore from the church you will find a simple open-air theatre erected by the Tennyson Society at the place where it is thought he composed much of the poem.
2021 opening times
The gardens and the playhouse are open daily from the 1st of April until the 31st of October 2021, The house is currently not open.
2021 admission fees
Payable at The Old Sawmill Tearoom beside the car-park.
Keswick, Cumbria CA12 4QE. Tel: 017687 72287
Email : [email protected]
(updated 09/07/2021)
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