A Visit to Levens Hall

Written by: Gill

Location: Levens, near Kendal
Venue: Levens Hall & Gardens
Duration: Afternoon Visit

As part of Cumbria Tourism’s 50th anniversary, the team are trying out 50 different tourism experiences throughout the year – to help inspire your own days out across the Lake District, Cumbria. On this experience day, Gill from Cumbria Tourism visited Levens Hall & Gardens to explore all it has to offer.

A bite to eat at the Kitchen at Levens Hall, followed by a Riverside dog walk amongst the Bagot goats and deer, is a real treat and something I enjoy a good few times a year. It's a great place to catch up with friends, enjoy delicious food and stretch your legs in the pretty countryside at the southern edge of the county.

But it's likely 25 years or more since I last visited the hall and gardens so one warm sunny August afternoon I decided to do just that and I am so glad I did.

The house itself dates back to Elizabethan times, originally built around a 13th Century Pepe Tower. A family home to this day the tour explores each generation and the mark they have left on the building. It's a really fascinating place and the tour itself is really relaxed, all at your own pace with time to browse, read, examine and discover.

And then it was into the gardens. If you have ever driven past Levens Hall on the A6 near Milnethorpe you will have seen the high stone wall and spotted the peculiar shaped tree canopies peeking over the top and may well have been curious about what lies behind the wall. Well my advice is let your curiosity get the better of you. Take the time to stop and explore behind the wall because what you will find will surprise and delight you in equal measure.

Lush lawns, bountiful borders and of course the topiary trees, each shaped differently, each deserving of it's own examination, all enclosed by the stone of the high walls and of course Levens Hall. There are wide open areas, avenues that lead to enexpected finds, benches positioned to invite you to pause and gaze, even paintings of the garden mounted on giant easels easels, all adding to the magical masterpiece that is Levens Hall Gardens and that has more than a touch of the Alice in Wonderland to me.

It is thrilling but it's also calming, a beautiful, creative oasis, that just leaves you feeling happy. And when you have soaked it all in, head back to the Kitchen for lunch or just cake. A recipe for a perfect day out. 

Levens Hall and Gardens are open Sunday to Friday from 27th March to 4th October (closed Saturdays). The gardens are open 10am to 5pm (last entry 4pm) and the house is open 10am for tours, 11am for general admission, until 3.30 pm (last entry 3pm).

The café, bakery and shop are open 7 days a week all year round, 10am to 5pm (27th March to 4th October) and 10am to 4pm (5th October to 31st December and 15th January to 26th March). Closed  24th - 26th December and 1st - 14th January.

For more information visit:

The Levens Hall & Gardens website

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