Blencowe Hall

About

A 14th-century castle renovated for modern living.

Crenellated towers rise up as you approach. Buttressed walls silvered with lichen welcome you through an archway to a cobbled courtyard. Blencowe has impact. After drinks on the terrace, summon guests with the castle gong to a banquet by glittering candlelight in the claret dining hall overlooking the gardens and Cumbrian bluffs beyond. The kitchens and butler’s pantry are ample for whipping up feasts or bringing in caterers on a lavish scale. Catch up for quiet conversation in the Oak Room snug or shoot the breeze in the Billiards Room under the glow of a Tiffany lamp.

Blencowe Hall is licenced for weddings and is perfect for any gathering or occasion.

All self-respecting castles have a story. Blencowe’s no exception. So gather your guests around roaring log fires in the Solar Room that spans an entire wing, crack open wine and delicacies from your welcome hamper and regale. When Cromwell’s men attempted to storm Greystoke, they stumbled on Blencowe instead. Cannon fire split the North Tower in two. Their idiocy is your gain. The dramatic V-shaped chasm, now shored with glass, is an award-winning architectural feature of the multi-million pound restorations, allowing light and modernity to flood inside.

As bats swoop the dusk outside, climb the wide spiral staircase to five-star comfort in the tower bedrooms. Unwind in a claw-footed bath, rest a while on a chaise longue or sink into your four-poster. With carved beds, stone fireplaces, Elizabethan beams and mullioned windows, you feel the history at every turn. If you don’t do stairs, choose from the ground floor bedrooms with chandeliers and private gardens. And if you don’t do antique, there’s the cutting-edge renovations of Cromwell’s Folly suite or glass-screened bathing area of the West Range Master Bedroom. Wherever you choose to drift off, it’ll be under feather down duvets and Egyptian cotton and accompanied by the soft bleats of Lakeland sheep.

Beyond the labyrinthine stairways and passages, explore the rolling countryside with your hounds at your heels. (Dogs are always welcome at Blencowe.) Along the Eden Valley, ancient stone circles and Lacy’s Caves keep the mystery alive. Or get down to earth and muddy, hiking and biking the hills and fells. Mess about in boats on the Lakes – Ullswater’s a ten-minute drive away. Take a spin along the A66, voted top in The Telegraph’s Five Most Beautiful British Drives. Shoot grouse on the moors and fish for brown trout along the Pettrill River. Stroll into Greystoke village to tour the castle Cromwell’s army missed and enjoy a local brew at The Boot and Shoe.

Minimum Age for Children - 1 month