About the garden
Owned by
Jim & Vanessa Lowther
Designed By
Thomas Mawson
Lowther Castle was commissioned in 1806 from architect Robert Smirke. It was built on the site of the burnt-down Lowther Hall and took six years to complete, the finished article a sprawling neo-Gothic palace. For a century and a half, the castle was home to the Lords Lonsdale. In 1936 however, having spent the family fortune, the 5th Earl left the castle for good. The army requisitioned the castle in 1942 and in 1957, thanks to the legacy of war, to family debt and to the prevailing spirit of the time, the castle was deroofed and the 130-acre gardens turned over to commercial chicken-rearing and spruce crops.
This tide of decline turned in 1999 when English Heritage placed Lowther Castle on the Heritage at Risk Register. The Lowther Castle & Gardens Trust (LCGT) was formed, funds were raised, huge works were undertaken and in 2008, a partly stabilised ruin with gardens cleared of sheds and thicket opened to the public.
Since 2012, the garden designer-in-chief has been Dan Pearson. The hornbeam pillars in the courtyard, clipped into green pillars and boxes to reflect the castellations and corbels of the ruin, are the first sign of his visionary influence.
In the gardens beyond, treasures await. The ruins are planted with creepers, shrubs, trees and exotic plants. The Parterre Tapestry Garden incorporates a brilliant combination of perennials and yew hedging to recreate the weft and warp of an ancient tapestry.
There is space on the South Lawns, there is history in the 17th century Yew Avenue and the Edwardian gardens, there are views from the Western Terrace. On the western side, you will find the new Rose Garden – Pearson’s latest design, a stunning combination of old-fashioned and modern planting; and beyond that, the lost castle, a huge adventure playground – enjoyed by family members of all ages – built in the trees.
