MenuFell Foot Park, Lancashire
Fell Foot Park is a historic estate situated at the southern end of Windermere in Lancashire. It is north of Newby Bridge in the civil parish of Staveley-in-Cartmel. Formerly the grounds of a Victorian estate, it is now a country park in the care of the National Trust. In ancient times, Fell Foot was the only place to cross Lake Windermere’s southern end from Kendal to the Furness Abbey lands, and by the early 18th century the site had become a prosperous farm. It was bought by Jeremiah Dixon, mayor of Leeds, in 1784, and he began the process of converting it into an estate fit for a member of the gentry. He replaced the farmhouse with a villa overlooking the lake and laid out a pleasure ground, moving the public road in about 1810, from the lakeside to the landward side of the house. In so doing, they created one of the earliest classic villa landscapes of the Lake District. It is within the council area of Westmorland and Furness. More...
Place Type: Historic Estate
Historic County: Lancashire
Lat, Long: 54.274307,-2.951667
Grid Reference: SD 3812 8693
Civil Parish: Staveley-in-Cartmel CP
Council Area: Westmorland and Furness CA
Police Area: Cumbria PA
GBPN ID: 319159
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Fell_Foot_Park,_Lancashire_319159
Peruse Lancashire on Wikishire
After the Dixon family sold the house, Francis Astley, then Colonel George Ridehalgh made further developements such as a small harbour, piers, boathouses, woodland trails, carefully designed views up the lake, an arboretum stretching up the hill from the lake, planting of unusual conifers and deciduous trees, and extended the walled garden. In 1907 the estate was sold to Oswald Hedley, who tore down the villa and began building a neo-Jacobean mansion in its place. Tragically, Hedley's second wife died and he abandoned the project. His third wife gave Fell Foot to the National Trust in 1948 and has been operated as a recreational facility ever since. In 1969, the National Trust took over running Fell Foot as a country park. It was the first in the Lake District to be designated as such under the Countryside Act of 1968, which provided government aid to set the facilities necessary for outdoor recreation. The park opened in 1972 with 19 holiday chalets in the woodland, facilities for touring caravans in the former walled garden and a car park on the site of the house. The manager's house (originally a gas works which provided lighting for the estate), the boathouses (including one converted to a cafe), a workshop, and the dock are all Grade II listed buildings.
Place Type: Historic Estate
Historic County: Lancashire
Lat, Long: 54.274307,-2.951667
Grid Reference: SD 3812 8693
Civil Parish: Staveley-in-Cartmel CP
Council Area: Westmorland and Furness CA
Police Area: Cumbria PA
GBPN ID: 319159
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Fell_Foot_Park,_Lancashire_319159
Peruse Lancashire on WikishireAfter the Dixon family sold the house, Francis Astley, then Colonel George Ridehalgh made further developements such as a small harbour, piers, boathouses, woodland trails, carefully designed views up the lake, an arboretum stretching up the hill from the lake, planting of unusual conifers and deciduous trees, and extended the walled garden. In 1907 the estate was sold to Oswald Hedley, who tore down the villa and began building a neo-Jacobean mansion in its place. Tragically, Hedley's second wife died and he abandoned the project. His third wife gave Fell Foot to the National Trust in 1948 and has been operated as a recreational facility ever since. In 1969, the National Trust took over running Fell Foot as a country park. It was the first in the Lake District to be designated as such under the Countryside Act of 1968, which provided government aid to set the facilities necessary for outdoor recreation. The park opened in 1972 with 19 holiday chalets in the woodland, facilities for touring caravans in the former walled garden and a car park on the site of the house. The manager's house (originally a gas works which provided lighting for the estate), the boathouses (including one converted to a cafe), a workshop, and the dock are all Grade II listed buildings.