Boasting some of Britain’s most beautiful countryside, the Lake District, in the north-west corner of England, is a draw for anyone with a love of the outdoors. Its hills and mountains, including England’s highest, Scafell Pike at 978m, attract walkers and climbers, while in the valley bottoms, vast lakes, such as Windermere and Ullswater, invite quiet contemplation.
There are also many intriguing gardens to visit in the Lake District, including one of the country’s most notable topiary gardens. Levens Hall, five miles south of Kendal, is an Alice in Wonderland confection of magical topiary shapes, crafted over centuries. There are more than 100 pieces, each clipped to a unique design, including chess pieces and peacocks.
The gardens at Levens date back 300 years and were first laid out by Monsieur Guillaume Beaumont, who had been responsible for the wilderness garden at Hampton Court Palace under James II. The unique collection of ancient and extraordinary topiary characters, sculpted from box and yew, rise up from spectacular seasonal underplanting. Their formal layout follows the Dutch style, which was very fashionable in the 1690s when the garden was created. Hardly any gardens of this period still exist.
Further on, beyond the romantic old orchard and separated by the great beech hedges, lie magnificent herbaceous borders. There is also a tranquil herb garden laid out in Levens’ recurring quartered theme of a central circle and four pathways; a traditional English rose garden with a wide range of richly scented, repeat flowering varieties; a fountain garden, fine lawns, wildflower meadows and a willow labyrinth.
The gardens at Lowther Castle near Penrith, meanwhile, are currently undergoing an ambitious programme of
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