Mirehouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mirehouse |
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Mirehouse
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| General information | |
| Status | Grade II* listed |
| Type | Stately home |
| Location | Bassenthwaite, Cumbria, UK |
| Coordinates | 54°38′41″N 3°11′30″W / 54.6446°N 3.1916°W |
| Construction started | 1666 |
| Owner | The Spedding Family |
Mirehouse is a historic house in Cumbria, England. It was built a long time ago, in the 1600s! You can find it near Keswick and Bassenthwaite Lake. Even though a family still lives there, Mirehouse and its beautiful gardens are open for everyone to visit. It's a really great place for families, and it even won an award in 1999 for being the 'Best Heritage Property for Families in the UK'.
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A Look Back in Time
Mirehouse was first built in 1666. A person named Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby had it constructed. He later sold it in 1688 to his helper, Roger Greg.
The Greg family and their relatives, the Storys, owned the house for many years. In 1802, Thomas Story passed it on to John Spedding in his will.
The Spedding Family and Changes
The Spedding family still owns Mirehouse today. They have made the house bigger several times over the years. Some big changes happened in the 1960s with lots of repairs. Then, in the 1980s, the family decided to open parts of the house and its grounds to the public.
Fun in the Gardens
The grounds around Mirehouse are now a fantastic place to explore! You can find a special garden for bees and a field full of wild flowers. There's also a "poetry walk" where you can enjoy nature and words. Kids love the squirrel island and the adventure playgrounds.
Famous Friends and Poetry
The Spedding family had close connections with several famous poets. These included Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Southey, Edward FitzGerald, and Thomas Carlyle. Because of these special links to poetry, Mirehouse now holds an annual poetry competition.
