Tuesday 23 August 2011

Blackwell House & Lowther Castle

On my trip to the Lakes I treated myself to a visit around Blackwell House, a beautiful arts and crafts house, situated in Bowness and overlooking lake Windermere. 

Some of the house interior seems quite Tudor in style but the house was only completed in 1900 and it's one of the most important icons of arts and crafts architecture. Inside there is beautiful panelling & plasterwork, exquisite stained glass, textiles and carvings. It is a homely house with a lovely feel and also strikingly modern in places.
No photos were permitted inside so I bought the guide book and some postcards.

I love the arts and crafts ethos, the ability to achieve beauty through simplicity and practicality, very much inline with the make do and mend principles of todays crafters.





Another interesting piece of architecture, although currently being restored, is Lowther Castle. It wasn't too far from the hotel I stayed in so went past it a few times and it looked rather impressive in the low evening sun.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I could see myself living in a house like that, especially with that view. :)
Your postcards are lovely! Stunning photo of the castle too!
Vivienne x

patty said...

You'd love the house Vivienne, when you pay to go in the staff encourage you to spend as long as you like drinking in the atmosphere and encourage you to sit in the window seats in the rooms to contemplate. It's just lovely without being too grand and dripping with gold like stately homes.