Visit Lingholm Estate with Mountain Goat
The Lingholm Country House is a majestic property located just outside Keswick in the Northern Lake District. Built in 1870 for a family who’d made their fortunes from the beer industry, and designed by the same man who’d built both Manchester and Rochdale Town Halls, it is a luxury retreat and one which proved the popularity of the Lake District an aristocratic tourist destination during the Victorian times. Built on the shores of Derwent Water, this now Grade II listed building has much more than meets the eye.
In the late nineteenth century, this proved a favourite spot of one of the Lake District’s (and in fact the world’s) most well-known authors. Spending many months during Victorian summers here, taking vacations from London, the young Beatrix Potter considered Lingholm to be one of her favourite places.
Lingholm is possibly most well-known for its tremendous walled garden - quite simply a fruit and vegetable garden surrounded by a 3 meter octagonal red-brick wall. On its own, Lingholm’s walled garden is a marvel; a beautiful, if simple piece of architecture which physically encapsulates the essences of a Victorian home garden, even today. But there is so much more to this garden.
The young Miss Potter, although well educated and wealthy, was not the socialite which some of her generation were; her friends consisted mostly of imaginary creatures she would create from the wildlife which surrounded her. One of her best friends, Peter, was a mischievous character who would often find himself sneaking into the walled garden at Lingholm, searching for spoils for his siblings.
That’s right, Mr McGregor’s garden, one of the most famous gardens in the world, is believed to based upon Lingholm’s walled garden. In fact, at the Lingholm, there is even a gallery portraying the work Miss Potter did in the Derwent Water area.
Still in all its majesty, you can visit this magical place and follow in the footsteps of Miss Potter and her friends, both real and imaginary.
Mountain Goat can take you from wherever you’re staying in the UK and bring you to this unique and wonderful place; on the way, we will tell you all about the history of Beatrix Potter; the extraordinary lady who not just went on to become the world’s biggest selling children’s author, but also the greatest preserver of land in the Lake District - one of our true heroes.
We will tell you about the breed of sheep now unique to the Lake District which she helped to save, and on the way you can even visit Hill Top Farm, her famous holiday cottage where most of her writing took place.
You can even stay at the Lingholm – make a weekend of it! Contact Mountain Goat Holidays today to enjoy our special relationship with this even more special place.