A group of Cumbrian historic houses and gardens, museums and heritage attractions, Cumbria’s Living Heritage, is highlighting exactly what to do in Cumbria when it rains.
As autumnal raindrops fall, the group says a great bolt-hole is Keswick Museum, where thrills include a 500-million-year-old trilobite, playing musical stones, seeing an Ice Age relic in the form of a Vendace and even saying hello to a 700-year-old cat. Visitors can explore the life and works of Lake Poets and relish a fantastic geological collection.
Staying dry is also enormous fun at Dalemain Mansion and Gardens near Penrith, where you can enjoy a two-hour ‘Secrets of Dalemain’, enjoying an in-depth look at one of Cumbria’s oldest family homes, also the residence of Mrs Mouse and a place where you can see 18th century hand-painted wallpaper brought to Britain by tea-clipper. The tour provides the opportunity to join a specialist guide and hear stories of those who lived and worked at Dalemain in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, offering access to unseen areas of the house and then wowing with a delicious cream tea served in the Great Barn. The mansion is open for guided tours only from Sunday to Friday. Tickets for the Secrets of Dalemain tour are priced at £25.
With grand interiors, intriguing history and spectacular architecture in abundance, rainy days can also be spent exploring Holker Hall in Cark-in-Cartmel, with its magnificent West Wing and fine examples of craftsmanship, including the grand oak staircase, built on a cantilever principle and featuring 100 balusters. Climb this and visitors can also see the room in which Queen Mary stayed in 1937, plus other wonderful sights, such as the Nursery Yacht.
Stepping out of the raindrops can mean stepping back to Elizabethan times at Levens Hall and Gardens near Kendal, where fine oak panelling, ornate plasterwork, Cordova leather-clad walls and fascinating collections of furniture, clocks and paintings await. There is even an opportunity to find out more about the Duke of Wellington, by viewing possessions of his and Napoleon’s that feature on a Wellington Trail. Levens Hall and Gardens is open Sunday to Thursday until October 6, 2022.
For some further famous connections, there is the opportunity to escape the showers at Cumbrian country manor house, Mirehouse, near Keswick, where an unusual display of manuscripts including James Spedding’s collection of Francis Bacon’s works, sit alongside letters from Wordsworth, Tennyson, Southey, Thomas Carlyle and John Constable – all friends of the family. The house is open on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, 1.30pm to 4.30pm until the end of October 2022.
For those with an interest in the Arts and Crafts movement, its influence on architecture and interiors can be seen across Cumbria. A visit to Hutton-in-the-Forest near Penrith uncovers some of the finest examples of William Morris wallpaper but also leaves a lasting impression of the spell-binding Cupid Staircase, featuring a magnificent carving of winged boys swinging on acanthus leaves, echoing a panel from a Mortlake tapestry at the top of the stairs.
A trip to Blackwell in Bowness-on-Windermere, designed by architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, offers the chance to indulge in Arts & Crafts movement heaven. Rain is the last thing on the mind of those reflecting on the beauty of the White Drawing Room, the detail in the carvings and plasterwork, or the sheer beauty of the exquisite stained glass. Blackwell is open from 10am to 5pm each day.
There is much more besides. When your focus is on the water, you rarely notice the rain, so heading to the Windermere Jetty Museum is a brilliant rainy-day thing to do. As well as offering you the sight of a large number of gorgeous and beautifully designed and constructed steamboats, there are lots of insights into Lakeland life that will intrigue and fascinate, plus, from September 23 to January 2, a unique exhibition – Yellow Submarine: Bill Morrison’s Odyssey Through Pepperland, featuring the work of respected American comic artist, Bill Morrison and paying homage to the Beatles and their 50-year-old film, Yellow Submarine.
All-weather action is assured at Brockhole on Windermere, whether visitors opt for archery or laser clay, or ‘Brave the Cave’ and take a caving adventure costing £13 and lasting around 25 minutes. Cavers are kitted up with a helmet and head torch, ready to take on a series of challenges, ranging from finding ancient cave paintings to retrieving hidden creepy creatures. The experience is suitable for all cave adventurers aged 5-plus, with pre-booking recommended and supervision for under-14s a must.
Browsing collections and galleries at Tullie House in Carlisle is a fabulous rainy-day activity that transports visitors back to Roman times, as they explore the history of Carlisle and Cumbria. There are three permanent galleries, including The Roman Frontier Gallery, and two temporary spaces hosting a programme of changing exhibitions throughout the year, plus a cafe serving delicious food and gift shop to browse. With an average visit taking 3 hours, there is plenty to entertain.
More indoor joys can be discovered at venues such as Wordsworth Grasmere and Rydal Mount, for those wishing to explore the life and works of William Wordsworth, whilst at Brantwood, on Coniston, the life of John Ruskin is the thematic and there is the opportunity to view his fantastic geological collection.
If you like a little tomfoolery, or a good ghost story, then Muncaster is the place to put down the brolly and explore, being the former home of Tom Fool and, allegedly, one of the most haunted places in Britain.
To find out more about Cumbria’s Living Heritage and each of its members, head to www.cumbriaslivingheritage.co.uk
