Great Houses of North-West England - Historic Lancashire: architecture and decoration, art and furniture

These nine days in Lancashire and Cumbria will introduce you to the counties’ finest ‘standing romances’, in the words of the 19th-century author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who at the time was describing the remarkable Speke Hall. We will delve into all aspects of the country house – architecture, furniture, decoration, works of art; gardens and parks; daily life; conservation and custodianship. 

Home to Liverpool and the Lake District, these are counties of extremes, from the rugged peaks of the Lake District to the lush greenery of northern Lancashire’s forests. The wealth of the industrial cities and towns from textiles and other manufactures allowed the creation of fine civic buildings, parks and museums. In contrast, there are relatively little-known areas of great natural beauty, such as the Forest of Bowland, wild parts of the Pennines and areas of the Lake District that were once part of the county of Lancashire until the reorganisation of borders.

Within these beguiling, varied landscapes are magnificent country houses; those we see span six centuries. They include Speke, Rufford and Samlesbury, black-and-white ‘magpie’ houses – the epitome of Tudor architectural style, and among the best surviving timber-framed great houses in the country. There is Dalemain, originally a pele tower gradually enlarged with Tudor and Georgian additions. The imposing Georgian red-brick Lytham Hall by John Carr of York has a staircase hall thought to be one of his finest works. Then there is Blackwell, in a lovely Lakeland setting, an outstanding example of Arts & Crafts design.

Several of the homes have been in the same family for generations, bearing the imprint of the personalities that lived there, some of whom we will encounter during specially arranged private visits. Lancashire was known for a large number of recusant families, entailing the creation of priest holes, and we will explore the historical role of Catholic families.

Besides these houses and their delightful gardens, there is time spent in impressive art galleries. The Victorian industrialists bought world-class art and bequeathed their collections to the county’s museums and galleries, and we visit the best of these at Port Sunlight, Preston and Liverpool.