HOLKER HALL & MOTOR MUSEUM

Holker Hall is situated in South Lakeland at Cark-in-Cartmel, Near Grange-over-Sands.

Holker Hall with its three [3] superb attractions Stately Home, Collection of Historic Transport and its awarding winning Gardens all in one superb setting.

Holker Hall is one of the finest stately homes in the North West of England in which you can admire room after room of fine craftsmanship.

The present building dates from 1871 when a fire destroyed the original house and is the home of Lord and Lady Cavendish with the family tracing its origins back more than four hundred [400] years. There is also a record of a house being on the Holker site at the beginning of the 16th Century.

Within the house you will fine examples of European furniture, paintings, sculpture and carvings with many of them being brought to Holker Hall from other family homes in England.

Adding to this magnificent house are the carpets and tapestries, elegant fireplaces and ornate ceilings which are priceless that adorn the rooms.

The gardens are described as being "amongst the best in the world" in the Good Gardens Guide, with the gardens being cared for by talented and respected gardeners over the years gone by. In the garden are exotic and unusual trees, plants and shrubs thrive due to the high rainfall and mild climate the area as to offer. In early spring and summer rhododendrons, magnolias and azaleas come into their own offering an array of colour. Also housed at Holker is the thriving national collection of styracaceae, one of Britain's 50 great Trees the Great Holker Lime which measures 7"6' across and the recent addition of a labyrinth in the wildflower meadow. Amongst the various trees, shrubs, plants and flowers are water features with the fountain, cascades and ornamental ponds enriching the area and where you can sit and relax and admire the beauty of the gardens.

Within the grounds you can visit the deer park; children can entertain themselves in the adventure playground. Holker is also becoming the place to eat as the Holker Food Hall sticks over 1800 items to tempt you. The Courtyard Café is fast gaining popularity for its locally sourced Cumbrian menu and of course the Gift Shop is a treasure trove of special somethings to take home, including Holker plants.

Starting in the Spring with their Spring Festive Market to the Holker Festival, a celebration of Garden, Countryside and Food and their Festive Winter Market Holker provides variety and appeal for all ages. There are special Garden Walks every Thursday at 2.00pm for a small charge which feature the latest blooms in the Garden.

Lakeland Motor Museum is situated at Holker Hall offering a nostalgic reminder of transport and horticultural of years gone by with famous marques from Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Cadillac, Ford, Jaguar, Lotus and Norton just to mention a few.

You will find over ten thousand [30,000] exhibits that includes vintage and classic, transport and sporting vehicles, bicycles and motorbikes and enter into re-creation of a garage of the 1920's. All the exhibits are maintained and displayed in the former Shire horse stables and courtyard.

One of the exhibitions is a tribute to Donald Campbell in the Bluebird K7, who was killed in 1967 while making his last attempt at his own water speed record on Coniston Water which was 276.3mph. Within the exhibition is the full size detailed replicas of the 1935 Bluebird car and the famous jet hydroplane, Bluebird K7 along with photographs and video detailing the lives, careers, failures and achievements of the Campbell's father Malcolm and son Donald.

There is a fine collection of mechanical rotavators, trimmers, cutters and rollers along with lawnmowers, hand gardening tools and equipment.

With these excellent attractions is a varied range of ticket prices and tours offered depending on what you want to do.

EVENTS

Festive Winter Market 12th & 13th November 2005

Spring Festive Market 8th & 9th April 2006

The Holker Festival 2nd, 3rd & 4th June 2006

National Garden Scheme Open for Charity Day 12th July 2006

Festive Winter Market 11th & 12th November 2006

It is advisable to contact Holker Hall prior to your visit if there is something specific you wish to see or any alterations have been made to the Opening times and the attraction itself. Disclaimer

+44 [0] 15395 58328

+44 [0] 15395 58509