Brockwood Hall, Cumbria, UK

This summer we took a trip to Cumbria and stayed in Brockwood Hall. Actually, we stayed in one of the cabins surrounding Brockwood Hall. The property itself is approached by a long road with fields on either side. As we near, the grand house begins to appear. The house is incredible. Mrs M.Moore is the daughter of the original gardener at Brockwood Hall who wrote a brief history of the house. She resides in the cottage opposite the main hall and for many years worked in Housekeeping. The grounds are quite nice to wander in. And if it was warmer I might actually consider picnicking outside. Brockwood Hall sits dead in the middle of this survey map. We use it to hike as it marks all the footpaths in the area. The inside of Brockwood hall is amazing. All the finished wood and the grand staircase as you enter are beautiful. The floor has the lovely Victorian inlaid tiles. We are thinking of putting these in our entrance hallway with a simpler pattern. Little original features like this set of light switches really add to the ambiance of the place. I admit I am thinking about our house and ideas for it when I look around this one. But ours is a small Victorian/Edwardian terrace and the trims are traditionally all white. We will stick with our theme. In a house that is built of thick stones the walls are so wide you can build window seats into every window and not lose any bit of the room. There are fire places in every room. What I love about these is the eclectic use of 3 different patterns of tile. The chandeliers are simple. This is an idea that Nigel and I would like to mimic in our entrance hall where there is a big radiator. A radiator box. Ours would likely be painted white to match our skirting boards. I was so taken with this wallpaper and dark wood and skirting board trim that we have decided to mimic some of this in our little bathroom under our stairs on the first floor. Even the handles and leaded glass are ornate. I quite liked this painting that was in our cabin. Lastly, I celebrated my birthday while there. I insisted on making my own cake as I had a recipe I had been dying to make for a long time: Chocolate Marquise. It is so rich that no one could eat more than a very small piece each day. Hmmmmm!