Some places are just overdue a visit.
I’ve lived in Cumbria for twelve or so years now, and in all that time have never once visited the beautiful Holker Hall & Gardens.
Almost feels criminal.
Well, after all the rain we’ve had in September, a relatively clear weekend was on the cards so we hightailed it to the Cartmel Peninsula to check this historic country house out.
Holker Hall and its exquisite gardens and grounds is the home of the Cavendish family, a noble family of Anglo-Norman origins with a long distinguished history. The country house was built originally in the 1500s but had major renovations in the 1700s and 1800s.
We timed the weather well. By the time we’d explored the house and gardens, then stopped at the cafe for a bite to eat, the rains arrived.
All photos taken on my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. RAWs developed in Capture One, merged in Photomatix, and edited and finalised in Affinity Photo.
The gift shop and cafe of Holker Hall, formerly a stable block that was used to house horses of the family as well as guests.
Holker Hall knows how to present itself. Here, morning autumnal light illuminated the house like a golden beacon.
Inside, we gently wandered around the various rooms. This is part of the Library. As you can imagine, there’s quite an extensive collection of books in this house.
A beautiful view to the gardens with gorgeous light filtering through in the Drawing Room.
The Billiard Room, decorated with portraits and paintings and featuring a full-size billiards table.
The Dining Room, with an extremely impressive fireplace mantel and decorative jambs.
The craftsmanship on show throughout was exquisite, especially in this staircase. An otherwise transitory space that nevertheless had considerable care and attention paid to its design.
The Gallery, with beautiful light streaming through the stained glass windows.
Queen Mary’s bedroom, named after her for when she stayed here in 1937.
The Duke’s Bedroom. Occupied by the 7th Duke of Devonshire during the latter years of his life. It is said that Holker remained his favourite residence even after he had inherited Chatsworth and all the other Devonshire houses.
What a beautiful spot for a writing desk, eh?
Time to visit the gardens, which you can immediately tell are immaculately groomed.
A clutch of curvy winding trees gave me the opportunity for a more ultra-wide angle perspective. I even focus stacked it.
This was basically impossible to take a bad photo of.
All in all, if you’re ever in this neck of the woods, I can definitely recommend having a wander in and around Holker Hall.