Experts urge planners to save Windermere's forgotten gem

Built between 1898 and 1900 for wealthy Manchester silk merchant William Gaddum and his wife Edith Potter, cousin of Beatrix Potter, Brockhole is a significant feature in the Cumbrian landscape. Although unlisted, it stands within a Grade II-registered garden by Thomas Mawson, an internationally renowned landscape designer who worked with Dan Gibson, the architect of Brockhole, on several projects.

 ‘Brockhole is an asset to the Lake District National Park,’ said Alex Baldwin, Conservation Adviser of the Victorian Society. ‘It’s an attractive Arts and Crafts house with interesting associations to the family of one of Britain’s best-loved children’s authors. With its Grade II-registered garden, it contributes a great deal to the setting of Lake Windermere.’

 Yet the future of the house is far from secure: the Lake District National Park Authority is considering the options for site, with the preferred solution being to demolish Brockhole and build a new visitor centre in its place. This, despite a recent report putting forward a number of new uses that would allow for the retention of the building.

 ‘The demolition of Brockhole would be a great shame,’ continued Alex Baldwin. ‘It would compromise the setting of the registered garden, which was designed for the house, and rob Windermere of one of its most attractive and historically interesting buildings. If the Authority are unwilling or unable to adapt Brockhole, they should put it on the market to give someone else a chance to use and enjoy the house. We have no doubt that a suitable use could be found which would ensure the survival of Brockhole for many years to come.’