Make Levens Hall and Gardens Your No. 1 September Attraction

Make a beeline for Levens Hall and Gardens, near Kendal in the Lake District, this September, to celebrate some unique facets of this Cumbrian heritage house and gardens, before it closes for the autumn and winter.

September is the perfect month to visit Levens Hall and Gardens for four key reasons.  Firstly, it is the month in which the work of clipping the exquisite and quirky trees within the world’s oldest topiary gardens gets into full swing, with gardeners operating their clippers with gusto and from cherry-pickers at times, according to the height of the tree.

The historic Topiary Garden, established from 1694, features over 100 pieces of topiary, some shaped geometrically and other pieces in human, animal, every-day object or character form.  Keeping the trees growing in their desired and often centuries-old shape, and ensuring the topiary retains its character and personality, is a mammoth task and September is when the gardening maintenance programme really kicks in, to the entertainment of many visitors.

September is also the month in which the Duke of Wellington died (14 September, 1852), so it’s also a great time to learn a little more about him, using objects within Levens Hall as the spark that brings his history to life.  Thanks to his favourite niece, Mary Wellesley, having married the extremely handsome Charles Bagot of Levens Hall, the home now contains some of the Iron Duke’s personal possessions, as well as some of those of his adversary Napoleon.

A third reason to visit during September is the weather, as it is often climatically perfect  for a stroll through stunning Levens Deer Park, besides the Hall and Gardens.  Visitors can take an idyllic walk alongside the River Kent, spotting wildlife such as  kingfishers, leaping salmon, red squirrels, the deer for which the park is renowned and rare breed Bagot goats, gifted to Levens Hall and Gardens’ owners, because of the family name connection.  Alternatively, get the boots on and opt for a 3.5-hour circular walk, heading towards Force Bridge and then Hawes Bridge, before looping back to Crowpark Bridge, Larkrigg Hall Bridge, Horse Park Bridge, Sedgwick and Levens Bridge.  

Combining a walk with a refreshment or meal at the contemporary, stand-alone café, Levens Kitchen, which will stay open when the Hall and Gardens close their doors on October 7, makes a wonderful day out.  In 1790, Thomas West, author of the ‘Guide to the Lakes’, described Levens Park as “the sweetest spot that fancy can imagine.”  In 2021, it can be just as sweet, particularly when followed by a delicious cake or wonderful hot chocolate.

Should an Indian summer emerge, the gardens in general will be a delight to explore, featuring, as they do, some of the UK’s very finest herbaceous borders, for which 30,000 bedding plants are grown on-site each year.  With many other garden joys, including the Willow Labyrinth, Rose Garden and Beech Circle, September could be a perfect month for garden lovers to enjoy garden dwell-time, at their leisure.  Should rain see visitors having to head indoors, the Indian summer can be spent learning more about a man who fought in India and whose brother was Governor-General there.

Levens Hall and Gardens has all you could wish for in a venue to visit this September and you can even celebrate that fact by downing a glass of its historic Morocco Ale, brewed to a very secret recipe that was hidden from Cromwell’s troops during the English Civil War.

Levens Hall and Gardens opens Sunday to Thursday (closed Fridays and Saturdays) to October 7, 2021.  Gardens opening hours are 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.  Tours of the Hall run from 10.30am to 4pm.  

Levens Kitchen opens every day, from 10am to 5pm to October 7, 2021 and then closing one hour earlier thereafter, through to December 23, 2021.  The Gift Shop is also open daily from 10am to 5pm, Sunday to Thursday, and 10.30am to 3pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Adult entrance costs £14.50 for Gardens and tour of the Hall.  A child’s ticket is priced at £5 and a family ticket at £36.  Gardens-only tickets are priced at £10.50, £4 and £26, respectively.  Hall and Gardens tickets currently have to be bought on the day, but Gardens-only tickets can be purchased online at www.levenshall.co.uk and can be upgraded on arrival, to include a tour of the Hall (subject to availability).

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Editors notes

Levens Hall & Gardens is a historic house in the South Lakes, Cumbria, close to Kendal and home to the world's oldest topiary gardens, dating from 1694, created by French garden designer, Guillaume Beaumont. The Hall is a stunning Elizabethan house built around a 13th century pele tower and has close links to the Duke of Wellington, as well as various items which once belonged to him and Napoleon Bonaparte. Levens Park is home to the rare Bagot goats gifted to the Bagot family and a place in which to stroll and enjoy nature. Levens Kitchen is the contemporary new cafe, full of delights for cake lovers and foodies alike.