Of all the grand, Victorian properties on the eastern shore of Windermere, one stands out more than most. Set within four-and a-half acres of gardens that touch the lake shore, Langdale Chase occupies a prominent position and is notable for its scale and architecture with turrets and multiple chimneys.
The hotel had, of course, closed in autumn 2022 for a mammoth refurbishment under new owner Daniel Thwaites and has reopened with 30 luxury ensuite bedrooms – all bar two with lake views – and convivial social spaces. Original features of the 1890 grade II listed building have been preserved and restored and later, unsympathetic additions replaced with materials more in keeping with the period.
The gardens, originally designed by renowned landscape architect Thomas Mawson, who was based in Windermere village, are also being redeveloped in a four-year programme.
It has been the most extensive refurbishment of the property since it became a hotel in 1937.
“It has been a big undertaking but the building is worth it,” says Rick Bailey, CEO of Daniel Thwaites. “It’s got undoubtedly one of the best positions in the best location on the best-known lake and it deserved no corners being cut.”
Daniel Thwaites, which is based in the Ribble Valley, is a company with 216 years of its own history. It roots, however, come right back to the Lake District from where Daniel Thwaites, born in 1777, set out from his family’s farm to make a new life for himself. In 1807 he became a partner in the Eanam Brewery, in Blackburn, and by 1824 he owned the brewery outright. Daniel died in 1843 and his three sons inherited. The eldest, also Daniel, eventually became sole owner like his father, as well as MP for Blackburn in 1875. When he died in 1888 his widow Emma decided to continue growing the business. Decades of acquiring breweries, building a pub network and producing award-winning beers continued and in the 1980s the company founded Shire Inns and its first hotels.
It included acquiring a site in Penrith where it built the North Lakes Hotel. Opening in 1985, it was one of the first hotels in the UK to offer a large indoor swimming pool and provided a blueprint for future hotels offering a mix of conference facilities with leisure.
The company also owns the Royal Oak Inn, in Keswick, and the Crown Inn, at Pooley Bridge. Surprisingly, Rick didn’t know of Langdale Chase before coming across it by chance on a visit to Grasmere.
“I was waiting for my son so had a wander outside and thought what an exceptional position it’s in. When I got home I googled it and found it was for sale so we bought it,” he says. That was in 2017.
The hotel had been owned for the previous 25 years by the Schaefer family and run by managing director Thomas Noblett, who hit the headlines as a cross Channel swimmer. A £1m staff accommodation building was created during their time.
In such a high-profile location, and as a potential jewel in the crown of the Daniel Thwaites estate, the prospect of transforming the much-loved Langdale Chase may have been daunting. Not so, says Rick. “We have got a bit of experience under our belts. We knew when we saw it that we would be able to do something really special with it. As long as we had the courage to go for it, we knew we could deliver something really exceptional.”
Their experience of refurbishing historic buildings includes the grade I listed Judge’s Lodging, in York, and the grade II listed Beverley Arms Hotel. “We have built real skill internally for listed buildings and big, challenging projects. We bring planners, English Heritage and, here, the National Park Authority on board because there are all sorts of considerations, and we rise to the challenge,” he adds.
It has included a new roof, steam cleaning the whole building externally and pulling back tarmac that once ran right up to the building so that it now stands proud. Rick says: “It’s easier to patch up plumbing, do an electric test rather than a full rewire and not replace uPVC windows, but if you are going to give a building a new lease of life you have to do those things and our view is do it well, do it once.
“So far the customer feedback has been amazing. People are surprised by the feel of the place and that it’s got real wow factor downstairs, then when they reach their rooms they think they are sensational.” Timeless design is chosen to reflect the company’s ethos of ‘relaxed professionalism’ and ‘laid back luxury’ but at the heart of the hotel’s redevelopment – and the warm and friendly ambience it seeks to create – is its history as a home.
In this, it has been inspired by Edna Howarth, the indomitable lady who had Langdale Chase built.
In a nice link to Daniel Thwaites, Edna was the daughter of a brewer, Alfred Stopford, who owned Stopford’s Brewery Company, in Manchester. She had a daughter Lily with her first husband Thomas Howard Scott, who died aged just 33. She then married Manchester businessman George Howarth in 1882. He died seven years later but not before he had bought the Langdale Chase estate with plans to build a small, summer residence in The Lakes, in common with other wealthy, city industrialists of the time.
Edna decided, however, that she would like a much larger house and, with no expense spared, commissioned architects and Mawson to design her new home and gardens all orientated for the best south and west-facing views for herself and her daughter, who were served by 16 staff. Lily had the honour of placing the last finial stone on the tower at the end of construction.
Micro mosaic tiling was brought from Italy, Manchester sculptor JJ Millson was commissioned – his work included coats of arms carved on stone panels in the porch – and stained glass was installed in mullioned windows, features that greet guests on arrival. They then move into the extra special reception hall. At 21 feet in height, Edna clearly intended for it to be a statement with its elaborately carved oak staircase with galleries and stained glass windows with heraldic coats of arms
Using old photographs for inspiration, an 1890s period fireplace and wallcoverings have been reinstated, replacing Gothic-style panelling. In the evening, a cocktail and brandy dresser is opened up with drinks served to guests for some social bonhomie.
Rick says: “The quality of the original craftsmanship was outstanding so wherever we could we have kept and enhanced it. It all just needed revealing and polishing up.”
A second smaller staircase from the hall leads to the former ladies’ bower over the porch, a cosy, quiet hideaway with bird’s eye views, that is now a small library and cards room with a fireplace.
In the bar, which was the piano room, they have reinstated inglenook seating by the fire. Here, the contemporary interiors blend with Art Deco touches, mirrors and a spectacular pewter bar inspired by The Connaught, in London. French doors open onto an extended terrace which will come into its own in spring and summer.
A total of 186 uPVC windows and glazed external doors have been replaced at undisclosed cost with heritage, narrow profile, bronzed steel frames sourced by specialist company Holdsworths, of Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire.
Two further lounges continue from the bar – The Oak Room is dominated by an elaborately carved dark oak fireplace and panelling; The Sitting Room is a lighter space with a large bay window framing the lake view. Both rooms have drinks cabinets to continue the relaxed feel that is more home than hotel.
A further seating area lies at the entrance to the restaurant for pre-dinner drinks or coffee afterwards. Significant work has been carried out to replace the ‘conservatory’ style look of the old restaurant and create a sophisticated dining room that, from its elevated position, provides a unique restaurant experience with uninterrupted views across the lake and to the fells beyond. It is spacious and with 48 covers will never feel crowded; contemporary artwork adorns the walls, though all eyes are likely to be drawn to the views.
Executive chef Michael Cole’s a la carte menu comprises five starters, main courses and desserts inspired by the Lake District and the Cumbrian coast. Lakeland Dexter beef, Herdwick lamb and Goosenargh guineafowl appear along with local artisan cheeses. Non-residents can book for dinner, Sunday lunch and afternoon tea too.
An extensive all-day menu can be taken anywhere and begins with breakfast rolls, moving through dishes like Langdale chowder, New England lobster roll, fish and chips and the company’s trademark 1807 burger for lunch to supper dishes of chicken pie and dry aged sirloin.
Below stairs are two additional features: a cinema room seating nine people with three movie screenings per day and snacks and ice cream for guests to help themselves; and a wine cellar where the hotel’s new sommelier Julian Hennebelle hosts wine tastings.
Hotel general manager Mike Vincent says: “We encourage our guests to have a very individual, personal experience and help to create it for them to ensure they get the most out of their stay. We offer concierge services and can organise guided walks, arrange picnics, make bookings at other restaurants if they’re here for a long stay and suggest places to visit.”
The hotel has teamed up with Gilly McArthur to offer guided lake swims – the hotel has two jetties with steps into the water – and Graythwaite Estate for 4x4 driving, clay pigeon shooting and other outdoor activities and, in season, will offer sailing and paddle boarding instruction. It can transport guests across to Graythwaite in a rib and has a Land Rover Defender for doing Windermere station pick-ups.
Alternatively guests can head down to Windermere Jetty Museum and see Branksome, Edna’s former steam launch. One of the finest surviving Victorian vessels of its kind in the world and a member of the UK’s National Historic Fleet, Edna commissioned her in 1896 from boatbuilder George Brockbank, of Windermere, and named her Lily after her daughter.
There are 21 rooms in the main house, eight in the Lake House and a one-bedroom boat house. Each room is individual in its shape, layout and features but each interior – designed by Jane Goff who has worked with Daniel Thwaites for decades – follows a theme of calm, comfort and warmth in a colour palette of pale blues, soft greys, oatmeal and white combined with deeper blues and browns with occasional pops of tan, ochre and rich red. Individuality also comes through botanical patterned wallpapers, a variety of soft furnishings and furniture collections.
Rick says: “Jane has such a fantastic eye, spatial awareness and aptitude for bringing really sympathetic décor and finishes.” Langdale Pikes has to be among the pick of the suites being the first floor room with the octagonal turret that provides a lounge from which to watch the comings and goings below and the lake view. Glazed doors lead out onto a balcony.
Fresh cakes, damson gin and Thwaites’ Paradise No 3 are complimentary, perhaps to be enjoyed from the slipper bath in the bathroom, which has underfloor heating and lots of Italian marble. It is thought the room was the master bedroom in Edna’s day and has an original fireplace and mirrored overmantel.
Room 11 has a balcony that runs outside the bedroom and bathroom, which has twin basins and a double shower and freestanding bath. Guest toiletries are by Cumbria company Bath House.
When it comes to balconies, however, the Low Wray suite leads with a vast outside space that incorporates a circular copper hot tub behind a fretwork screen. When booked together with room 15 next door, it can form a family suite, private and secure behind a lockable outer door. Touches like Beatrix Potter books and binoculars add to the family ambience, while pantry cupboards on each floor contain snacks for guests.
Other bedrooms in the main house, like number 12, have original fireplaces. Both the main building and Lake House offer accessible rooms. Week-night bed and breakfast rates in February start at £340 for a fellside room rising to £590 for a suite, for two people.
The hotel has five dog-friendly rooms, one of which is a suite. Dogs are allowed everywhere bar the dining room and have their own entrance with wash off and towels. Beds and personalised biscuits are provided for each canine guest who, of course, have plenty of outdoor space to enjoy too.
Mawson’s masterpiece is being reimagined by internationally recognised garden designer Annie Guilfoyle with many of its original features retained including the stone balustrade which encircles the upper terraces and an original stone bridge spanning the beck which runs through the grounds.
The Langdale Chase Oak, which is believed to be more than 350 years old, is at the heart of the garden.
Annie’s contemporary plan is for a series of rooms within the garden for guests to discover, explore and enjoy. Head gardener Claire Farrington will host tours and be on hand to answer guests’ questions about the gardens which will spring into life soon following the planting of 30,000 bulbs.
Mike says: “We hope the gardens will bring people in in their own right with a chance to wander through and enjoy the elements of Mawson together with Annie’s vision.”
With plenty of neighbouring hotels, Rick is clear what sets Langdale Chase apart: “A hotel sitting on the lake with private gardens in an exceptional location with large bedrooms, none of which is compromised, and lounges opened up for guests to enjoy, the food and bar offer and great service, we have high conviction about what we provide.
“One thing we are not is a cookie cutter business. We spend a lot of time worrying about how our properties land in their local markets then it’s up to us to get the service right by offering genuine hospitality.
“We won’t build a reputation in one or two years, it may take five-ten years but we will build it with consistency and by delivering an experience that puts our guests totally at ease. Once we’ve done that, we should be a go-to destination.”
langdalechase.co.uk
![Cookham Barns 1925, Gilbert Spencer, Abbot Hall [credit Liss Llewellyn]](/resources/images/128x89/1x/17938067.jpg)
![Cookham Barns 1925, Gilbert Spencer, Abbot Hall [credit Liss Llewellyn]](/resources/images/180x180/1x/17938067.jpg)
