Brockhole
Just off the A591, halfway between Windermere and Ambleside. In 1969 the Park Authority purchased this beautiful Victorian country house and made it England’s first National Park Visitor Centre. Brockhole is ideal for the whole family. This centre is home to shops, children’s adventure playground, numerous exhibitions and surrounded by 30 acres of wonderful gardens. This is the perfect place for families and for gentle walking as here you will find well marked paths and lots of interactive activities for children.
Brief history of Brockhole’s gardens
Approximately 100 years ago Thomas Mawson laid these gardens out for the Gaddum family. When the Gaddum family purchased Brockhole in 1899 they added a series of west and south facing terraces. These slope gently down to Lake Windermere and move from formal to informal planting using flower beds, woodland and meadow to the lake shore. These gardens have, over the past 15 years, been carefully restored by using many of the original ideas from Thomas Mawson.
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