The Brockhole Lake District Visitor Centre, also known as the Brockhole National Park Visitor Centre, is a
visitor centre and
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural beaut ...
managed by the
Lake District National Park Authority. It is situated on the shore of
Lake Windermere, roughly equidistant between the towns of
Bowness-on-Windermere and
Ambleside. It includes the Brockhole house and of grounds, including of formal gardens and an
adventure playground. The centre organises a number of activities, including
orienteering
Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigation, navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specia ...
,
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
and
open water swimming, as well as regular exhibitions.
In March 2025, The Visitor Centre and Cafe was permanently closed by the National Park Authority, although the grounds remain open.
Entrance to the grounds is free of charge, although a charge is made for car parking.
History
The site that is now the visitor centre was bought in 1896 by William Gaddum, a
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
merchant from
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, to build a summer house. He had the house built the following year, to a design by the architect
Dan Gibson. The gardens were created by
Thomas Mawson. Mawson, who is known for his work in the design of gardens during the
Arts and Crafts movement, had previously collaborated with Gibson at
Graythwaite Hall
Graythwaite Hall, near Ulverston, Cumbria in the Lake District of England is the home of the Sandys family.
One of the more famous members of the family was Edwin Sandys (archbishop), Edwin Sandys, who was Archbishop of York (1576–88) and was ...
.
Beatrix Potter was a frequent visitor to the house, and makes reference to it in her Journals. In 1946 William Gaddum died and the house was sold. In 1948 the house was converted into a
convalescent home. The
Lake District National Park Authority purchased the property in 1966, and in 1969 it was opened as the UK's first National Park Visitor Centre.
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]
Transport links
The centre is situated off the A591 road between Windermere
Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...
and Ambleside. Stagecoach
A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
bus routes 555 ( Lancaster to Keswick) and 599 ( Bowness-on-Windermere to Grasmere) stop outside the centre. Both these routes also serve Windermere railway station.jetty
A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...
served by a number of boat services provided by Windermere Lake Cruises between March and October. A passenger launch service runs from Ambleside, returning to Ambleside via Wray Castle on the opposite side of the lake. A second launch service runs from Bowness-on-Windermere, returning to Bowness via Ambleside. A third service, known as the Bike Boat and operated with a boat adapted to carry cycles, shuttles across the lake to and from Bark Barn in Claife.
References
External links
{{commons category, Brockhole Lake District Visitor Centre
Brockhole official web page
Country houses in Cumbria
Gardens by Thomas Hayton Mawson
Grade II listed parks and gardens in Cumbria
Lake District
Tourist attractions in Cumbria
Visitor centres in England