The Lingholm Estate near Keswick in the Lake District has opened a new visitor attraction, featuring a Victorian walled garden, as well as a café and shop.
The estate is said to be the place where children’s author Beatrix Potter wrote The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin during her summer holidays spent there, and the opening this month coincides with the 150th anniversary of her birthday month.
Walled garden
The new octagonal Victorian walled garden has been built on the spot of the old kitchen gardens, which, in a letter to her publisher, Beatrix Potter credited as the inspiration for Mr McGregor’s garden in The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
The garden will predominantly grow seasonal produce for the Lingholm Kitchen and there will be a particular focus on vegetables popular during the Victorian age.
An additional feature will be an area devoted to Meconopsis Lingholm, a blue poppy that is said to have originally propagated at Lingholm.
Café and shop
Forming The Lingholm Kitchen will be a new café and shop. It will be housed in a 3,000 square foot building, which has been made from re-claimed Lakeland stone from the same quarry used to build the main house.
Groups will be able to enjoy a range of locally sourced foods, home-baked breads, cakes and pastries in the new café overlooking the garden. The café includes both indoor and outdoor seating and can seat up to 180 people.
The shop will offer a range of gifts, art, books, toys and cards.
Footpath
Walking groups can also enjoy a new footpath leading through the estate and linking to Catbells, a fell in the Lake District, and the Cumbrian Way.
The path is also set to provide easy access to the first new jetty on Derwentwater for over five decades.
For more information visit www.thelingholmestate.co.uk.
