Holker Hall
Encyclopedia
Cartmel Peninsula
Cartmel Peninsula is a peninsula in Cumbria in England. It juts in a southerly direction into Morecambe Bay, bordered by the estuaries of the River Leven to the west and the River Winster to the east...
, which was historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
part of the county of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, but is now part of the county of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
.
Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1536 the land on which Holker stands belonged to Cartmel Priory
Cartmel Priory
Cartmel Priory is the parish church of Cartmel, Cumbria . The priory was founded in 1190 by William Marshal, later 1st Earl of Pembroke for the Augustinian Canons and dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Michael. It was first colonised by a Prior and twelve monks from Bradenstoke Priory in...
. When the land came up for sale it was acquired by the Preston family, who were established local landowners. Since then it has passed from the Prestons to the Lowthers and then the Cavendishes by inheritance, but it has never been sold.
The Prestons are believed to have made Holker their main residence in about 1610. The estate was briefly sequestered by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, but was restored upon the payment of fine. The last owner from the Preston family died in 1697 and left the house to his daughter Catherine, who was married to Sir William Lowther. Sir William's son Sir Thomas laid out formal gardens and added a north wing to the house.
The third and last Lowther to own the property, another Sir William, died childless before the age of thirty and left the estate to his cousin Lord George Augustus Cavendish, a younger son of the 3rd Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
, who served for a time as Comptroller of the Royal Household, and in his old age became Father of the House of Commons. Lord George Augustus commissioned John Carr to make alterations to the east and north wings of the house in a gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style, and replaced the formal gardens with an informal natural landscape, thus beginning the evolution of the grounds towards their current form.
The estate passed through the hands of two more members of the Cavendish family until in 1834 it was inherited by William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Burlington. The Earl reconstructed the house between 1838 and 1842 with the assistance of the local architect Webster of Kendal. It acquired a gothic appearance throughout, with the addition of ornamental chimneys, gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s and mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and transomed windows. The gardens were also enlarged at this time. In 1858 the Earl became the head of the Cavendish family, inheriting the title of Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
, along with Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in North Derbyshire, England, northeast of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield . It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, and has been home to his family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549.Standing on the east bank of the...
, which is one of the grandest houses in England, and several other residences. However, he continued to spend much time at Holker, partly because it was near to the town of Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
, which he largely owned, and where, in an unusual move for a Victorian landowner, he made vast (and ultimately unsuccessful) investments in heavy industry.
In 1871 the west wing of the house, containing the main family apartments, was destroyed by fire. Most of the contents were lost, including many of the fine paintings collected by the second Sir William Lowther in the mid 18th century. The Duke had it rebuilt to much the same plan, but in a grander style. It was described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
: as "the grandest of its date in Lancashire, and it is moreover by the best architects living in the county Paley and Austin. It is their outstanding work, red sandstone in the Elizabethan style." The interiors are comfortably domestic, well lit and airy, with much wood panelling; a relaxed family retreat built for a man whose main country and London
Devonshire House
Devonshire House in Piccadilly was the London residence of the Dukes of Devonshire in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was built for William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire in the Palladian style, to designs by William Kent...
houses were opulent showplaces. The whole of the two principal floors of this wing are now open to the public, while the family lives in the older part of the house. Holker later passed to Lord Richard Cavendish
Lord Richard Frederick Cavendish
Lord Richard Frederick Cavendish, CB, CMG, DL, JP , known as Richard Cavendish until 1908, was a British aristocrat, author, magistrate and politician.-Background and education:...
, a younger brother of the 9th Duke of Devonshire
Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
Victor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire , known as Victor Cavendish until 1908, was a British politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 11th since Canadian Confederation....
, whose descendants including Hugh Cavendish
Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness
Hugh Cavendish, Baron Cavendish of Furness FRSA , who usually uses the name Hugh Cavendish, is a British Conservative politician and landowner. He owns Holker Hall, and its 17,000 acre estate, that overlooks Morecambe Bay in Cumbria...
still live there.
Holker Hall's 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) garden is a fine example of a mixed English garden, with formal and informal elements. The plantsmanship is of the first order. Features include an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, herbaceous border
Herbaceous border
A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. The term herbaceous border is mostly in use in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth...
s, a Victorian rockery and a late 20th century cascade. The garden houses the National Collection of styracaceae
Styracaceae
Styracaceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, containing 11 genera and about 160 species of trees and shrubs. The family occurs in warm temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere....
. In 1991 Holker won the Historic Houses Association
Historic Houses Association
The Historic Houses Association, a not for profit organsiation, represents 1,500 privately owned historic country houses, castles and gardens throughout the UK. These are listed buildings or registered gardens, usually Grade I or II* and often outstanding....
Garden of the Year Award and in 2002, Holker's Great Lime, which probably dates from the early 17th century, was selected as one of Britain's 50 Great Trees in honour of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's Golden Jubilee. The garden blends into the surrounding 200 acre (0.809372 km²) park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
. The current Lady Cavendish, Grania, has developed the garden and also the visitor facilities at the house.
The estate covers 17,000 acres, and consists predominantly of livestock farms. Cartmel Racecourse
Cartmel Racecourse
Cartmel Racecourse is a small racecourse in the village of Cartmel, now in the Ceremonial County of Cumbria, historically in Lancashire. Meetings are held on the May and August Bank Holidays. Although the racecourse is small, it is noted as having a four furlong run-in, the longest in Britain...
is part of the estate. The Lakeland Motor Museum
Lakeland Motor Museum
The Lakeland Motor Museum is a museum now located at Backbarrow, Cumbria, England which houses a collection of classic cars, motorcycles, bicycles, pedal cars and motoring related items and memorabilia and an exhibition dedicated to the land and water speed record activities of Sir Malcolm Campbell...
used to be located at the hall, but it moved to new premises a few miles away in 2010.