Cherry Pick and Visit Levens Hall This September

With better weather forecast for early September, there is no excuse not to put a visit to Lake District visitor attraction, Levens Hall and Gardens, on the itinerary, especially as the clock is ticking down to its season’s closure, on October 6.

September presents an opportunity to see the clipping of the world’s oldest topiary garden – a sight to behold, whether the gardening team are trimming the trees in dramatic fashion from a cherry picker or eyeing up their silhouette from a wheeled scaffold tower.  

With over 100 pieces of topiary for them to tackle, this is just the start of a six-month long process but September and the first week of October present the only chance for the public to see it and pose some questions of the team.

With late summer glory also evident in the gardens and trees such as the toffee-scented Katsura also offering their own delights, walking around the various other ‘rooms’ in the Levens Hall Gardens is a true pleasure at this time of year.  Visitors can view the historic Bowling Green, once home to the infamous Radish Festival, wander into the dramatic Beech Circle, explore the herb garden or orchard or watch the water ripple in the Fountain Garden.

With a children’s play area and willow labyrinth too, the earliest English example of a ha-ha and beautiful rose garden, there is something for any lover of traditional English gardens.

Head inside Levens Hall this September and you can celebrate the Duke of Wellington, in the month of his passing, learning more about both him and his adversary, Napoleon Bonaparte, from various items that belonged to both and which were brought to Levens Hall by his niece.

The Elizabethan property is also a great joy to explore, with its exquisite furnishings, carved fireplaces, extraordinary plasterwork, antiques, works of art and much more.  Where else will you see Spanish leather wall-coverings or the earliest English patchwork?

Levens Hall and Gardens is also helping visitors have more incentive to explore the adjacent Levens Deer Park, by providing them with the opportunity to buy some delicious picnic treats.  The brand-new Levens Bakery offers them delicious baked good and cakes, which could provide a fabulous alfresco lunch for those wishing to head into the park, described in  1790, by Thomas West, author of the ‘Guide to the Lakes’, as “the sweetest spot that fancy can imagine.”   Once in Levens Deer Park, visitors can enjoy a riverside walk, spot the rare breed Bagot goats and deer herd and maybe espy some kingfishers and leaping salmon.

If they prefer to indulge on-site instead, they can head into the contemporary Levens Kitchen and have anything from a tasty brunch menu dish, to a sourdough pizza, warming soup, innovative main course or afternoon tea.

Levens Hall and Gardens opens Sunday to Friday (closed Saturdays) to October 6, 2023.  Gardens opening hours are 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.  Tours of the Hall run from 10.30am to 4pm.  

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.  

Ends

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.