Holker Hall (pronounced Hooker) is a privately owned country house located about 1 mile to the southwest of the village of Cartmel in Cumbria. The building dates from the 16th century, with alterations and additions in the 18th century, in 1859–61 and in 1871–74; the last alterations involved rebuilding a wing that had been destroyed by fire.
The land on which the house stands was originally owned by Cartmel Priory. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century it was bought by the Preston family, who were local landowners. The estate has never been sold since then, being passed on by inheritance.
The first house was built in the early 16th century by George Preston.
In 1644 the estate was confiscated from his successor, Thomas Preston, by
Parliament, but was later restored to him. On his death the estate passed to
the Lowther family by the marriage of Thomas' heiress, Catherine, to William
Lowther. In 1756 it passed again by marriage to Lord George Augustus Cavendish,
and has remained in the ownership of the Cavendish family since. This is the same Cavendish family that own Chatsworth and Hardwick Hall in the Peak District.
The house stands in an estate of about 80 hectares, and is surrounded
by formal gardens, parkland and woodland. The house itself is listed at Grade
II*, and the surroundings gardens and grounds at Grade II.
We were attending the annual Holker Garden Festival which is held within the grounds of Holker Hall. As you can see the weather was fabulous.
During the Festival there were tours of the splendid gardens - led by Head Gardener, Yvonne Cannon.
The more formal gardens merge seamlessly into the surrounding parklands
For more details of Holker Hall see the link Holker Hall - if you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit.
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