Dalemain facts for kids
Dalemain is a beautiful old country house in Cumbria, England. It's about 5 miles southwest of Penrith. This special house is part of the amazing Lake District UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's also a "Grade I listed building," which means it's super important and protected because of its history and beauty.
A Look Back in Time
People have lived at Dalemain for a very long time! There's proof of a settlement here even in Saxon times. This spot was good because the River Eamont could be crossed easily. Also, the valley here offers shelter from bad weather.
A strong tower, called a peel tower, was built on this site when King Henry II was in charge. The oldest part of the house, called the old hall, dates back to the 1100s. More parts were added in the 1500s.
In 1679, a man named Sir Edward Hasell bought Dalemain. His family has owned it ever since! When he bought it, he made many big changes. He added a grand staircase and updated the farmyard. His son finished the impressive Georgian front of the house in 1744. This new front wrapped around the old house, creating a central courtyard. These new rooms looked very elegant and balanced. The garden side of the house was also rebuilt in 1748 to match the new front. No big changes have happened since then.
The courtyard used to be like a small village in medieval times. It was built for protection around the original peel tower. Today, it has farm buildings that are still there. Above the courtyard is the Deer Park. A herd of fallow deer has lived there for hundreds of years, just as they do today.
Amazing Gardens
The gardens at Dalemain show off different styles of gardening from over the years.
- There's an Elizabethan knot garden with plants woven into patterns.
- The parkland around the house has wonderful views of the High Fells mountains.
- You can find a herbaceous terrace with many different flowering plants.
- There's also a wild garden, inspired by the gardener William Robinson.
This garden is a plant lover's dream! It has an amazing variety of plants. You can see a great collection of roses and a timeline of apple trees. There's also a huge Silver Fir tree, called Abies Cephalonica. It has the largest trunk of its kind in the UK! This tree was a gift from the famous botanist Joseph Banks in the 1840s. You might also spot the beautiful Himalayan blue poppies called Meconopsis grandis Dalemain. In spring, the ground is covered with snowdrops, aconites, and later, daffodils.
But these gardens are also full of imagination! You can find a box topiary dragon and a sleeping earth giant. Or, through a special door, you can enter Lob’s Wood. It's a leafy green area filled with beech trees. In 2013, Dalemain won the Garden of the Year Award. This award was sponsored by the Historic Houses Association and Christie's.
Some famous people have lived at Dalemain. The writer and reviewer Elizabeth Julia Hasell lived here. Eva Hasell was also born here in 1886. She grew up at Dalemain and later became a missionary in Canada. She was a strong supporter of the church and the British Empire.
The World's Original Marmalade Awards
Since 2005, Dalemain has hosted the World's Original Marmalade Awards and Festival. This event happens every March and has become a very important food festival. People send their marmalade entries from all over the world! Jars come from places like Taiwan, Japan, Australia, and Lebanon.
This festival also helps others. It has raised almost £250,000 over the years for a local charity called Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland. It also supports palliative care (special care for people with serious illnesses) in the UK and other countries.
In May 2019, a similar festival started in Japan. It's called the Japanese Marmalade Awards and Festival. It takes place in Yawatahama, Ehime, which is a big center for Japan's citrus fruit production.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Cumbria
- Listed buildings in Dacre, Cumbria
