Townend Tour

Written by Janie

Location: Troutbeck
Venue: Townend
Duration: 1 hour

To celebrate Cumbria Tourism’s 50th anniversary, the team are trying out 50 tourism experiences we haven’t tried before. Follow along as we continue our journey across the Lake District, Cumbria throughout the year! On this experience, Janie Oates and Sam Marsh visited the National Trust’s Townend in Troutbeck for an afternoon guided tour…

Troutbeck is a pretty village nestled in the hills above Windermere. From here you can summit many fell tops such as Wansfell and Ill Bell. But on this occasion, we were here for a different type of adventure… a step back in time to get to know the Browne family with a visit to the historical farmhouse of Townend, a place looked after by the National Trust.

There is so much history to discover at Townend with 12 generations of the Browne family living there over the course of 400 years, from 1525 through to 1943. A visit to this special place will mean learning all about the everyday, rural life of this fascinating family full of interesting characters.   

As we strolled down the footpath from the parking, we stopped to enjoy the view. The setting was just idyllic. The old white building stood out against the lush green of the landscape, surrounded by a flourishing garden of flowers. A beautifully tranquil place to spend an afternoon.  

 

We entered the property via the Downhouse (the kitchen), and as soon as we stepped through the doorway it felt like we had stepped back in time to the 17^th century – the dim lighting, the earthy colours, the wonky steps, and the many curious objects all adding to the atmosphere. After a warm welcome, our tour began at 3pm, led by Kim who was simply brimming with knowledge and enthusiasm for the story of the Browne family. Over the course of the next hour, we learnt how they were well educated, very entrepreneurial and full of aspiration to gain wealth and better themselves. They did this by marrying well, maintaining different streams of income to avoid the uncertainties of farming, and by acquiring books on many different subjects, sourced from local auctions.

George Browne was a keen wood carver and made much of the furniture in the house. He was so passionate about his craft that he would even add carving designs to existing furniture which one visitor, Beatrix Potter, wasn’t that in favour of! Further objects that demonstrated George’s character included prizes for sheep from the 1879 Royal Agricultural Society Show in London. These were for Herdwick sheep that he took to London on the train from Windermere!

 

Elizabeth Birkett married into the family later in life and was another interesting character. She wrote her own book full of recipes and home remedies to ward off various ills. Some of these recipes had been recreated, with food such as clap bread, bean cakes, shred pie and wicker cakes laid out on the Kitchen table. Thanks to the busy ports on the western coast of Cumbria, Elizabeth could also obtain ingredients from further afield. For those interested to find out more, the Thursday guided tour always has a special focus on food.

 

In the rest of the house, there was much more to explore, with plenty of unusual and decorative objects and stunning examples of careful restoration. I particularly liked the tiny room with a desk, hidden away in the corner of a bedroom. What a great spot to gaze out the window and contemplate the next endeavour, which I am sure the Brownes did many times.  

 

Townend is open Tuesday to Friday – 10am to 3pm for general admission and then for guided tours from 3pm to 4pm (book in advance).

The guided tours focus on: General History Tour (Tuesday-Wednesday), Taste of Townend Tour (Thursday), Books and Library Tour (Friday). Tickets go on sales two week before for all tours.

There are Special Superstition Tours for Halloween on 30-31 October & 1 November 2024.

Townend is closed over the winter from 1 November 2024 but reopens on 18 March 2025.

In 2024, there are special openings for Townend's Victorian Christmas – 6-7, 13-14, 20-21 December.   

Find out more about Townend here

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