A 14th-century castle renovated for modern living.
Crenellated towers rise up as you approach. Buttressed walls silvered with lichen welcome you through an archway to a cobbled courtyard. Blencowe has impact. After drinks on the terrace, summon guests to a banquet by glittering candlelight in the claret dining hall overlooking the gardens and Cumbrian bluffs beyond.
Set amidst sprawling private landscaped gardens, the breathtaking historic Grade 1 listed Blencowe Hall has two massive castellated towers and magnificent living spaces in between. The Hall has been sensitively curated in the style of the era and many original features remain including exposed Elizabethan ceiling beams, stone inglenook fireplaces, buttressed walls and circular stone staircases.
Blencowe Hall has 12 luxurious bedrooms (10 are ensuite and two share an adjoining family bathroom), 11 bathrooms and 2 cloak rooms. The kitchens and Butler’s Pantry are ample for whipping up feasts or bringing in caterers on a lavish scale for celebration meals in the South Tower Dining Room.
Catch up for quiet conversation in the Oak Room snug and adjoining nook in the oak panelled entrance hall or shoot the breeze in the Billiards Room under the glow of a Tiffany lamp. Fire up the cast iron stoves and get the games and conversation flowing in the spacious Solar Room whilst you relax and enjoy this Cumbrian castle retreat.
All self-respecting castles have a story. Blencowe’s no exception. So gather your guests around the roaring log fire in the Solar Room that spans an entire wing, crack open wine and delicacies from your welcome hamper and regale in the South Tower Dining Room. When Cromwell’s men attempted to storm Greystoke Castle, they stumbled on Blencowe instead. Cannon fire split the South Tower in two. Their idiocy is your gain. The dramatic V-shaped chasm, now shored with glass, is an award-winning architectural feature of the multi-million pound restorations, allowing light and modernity to flood inside.
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Accessed via ornately carved masonry doorways are the two ground floor ensuite bedrooms in the North Tower of Blencowe Hall. The Garden Bedroom (4’6 double bed) has a private ensuite wet room set into the curve of the spiral staircase leading up to the Solar and has private access to a low walled garden at the base of the North Tower. The Garden Bedroom’s stone mullioned windows are set into five foot thick walls overlooking the formal gardens at the front of Blencowe Hall.
Farther up the oak floored ground floor passage is the Adam de Blencowe Bedroom. This room has 6′ king size bed which may also be configured as 2 x 3′ single beds depending on guest preference. This room has a private en suite with a cast iron bath and separate shower.
Up the stone spiral staircase leading to the top of the North Tower which carries on up to the North Tower battlement roof is the North Tower Master Bedroom with its 5′ four poster bed. This room has a view to the formal gardens to the front and a private en suite with a separate shower and cast iron bath.
At the other end of the oak floored passage is the Lady Jane Grey Room overlooking the North Tower gardens. It has a 6′ king size bed which may also be arranged as two 3′ single beds if preferred. Lady Jane Grey’s sister was related to Henry de Blencowe and her last message to her sister before her execution in 1554 “Vivere Mori, Mori Vitae” is carved above the main entrance to Blencowe Hall. The spacious Lady Jane Grey Room has an ensuite bathroom with a cast iron bath and a separate shower.
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The Central Range of Blencowe Hall connects the castellated North and South Towers and, within it, The Petteril Room (6′ bed) is unusual in that it is the only bedroom in Blencowe Hall to have its original Elizabethan period oak divided plastered walls. In its stone window reveal one of the limestone plasterers left their dated signature from the 1700s and the recent renovations uncovered a hidden massive inglenook sandstone stone fireplace.
The Norfolk Room (fixed twin beds) is associated with the Duke of Norfolk whose estate owned Blencowe Hall for a number of generations. This room has a pair of antique 3′ single beds and overlooks the Central Range formal gardens with their yew topiary and rose borders.
The family bathroom is located further up the hall in the Central Range and has a cast iron bath and separate shower.
The most luxurious of the Central Range bedrooms overlooking the formal gardens at the front of Blencowe Hall is the Henry de Blencowe Room. It has a 5’ antique bed and a private en suite bathroom with a cast iron roll-top bath and a separate shower.
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The South Tower has two bedroom suites each of which occupy an entire floor of the Tower and have luxurious private en suite bath and shower rooms.
Cromwell’s Folly and its adjoining private ensuite occupy the entire first floor of the South Tower. It is furnished with a five-foot-four poster bed and its bathroom has a cast iron roll-top bath and separate shower. It has amazing views from within the historic rent in the South Tower which is now fully glazed incorporating a private Juliette balcony overlooking the formal gardens of the Central Range.
The South Tower Master Bedroom at Blencowe Hall is accessed via a private stairwell and has a glazed partition and Juliette balcoy overlooking Blencowe Hall’s gardens and fields and fells in the distance. It has a private dressing room, a bathroom with a cast iron roll-top bath and separate walk-in shower and an antique four-poster six-foot bed.
This bedroom has spectacular views from three sides at the top of the Hall and a narrow spiral stone staircase leading to the South Tower Roof. As with Cromwell’s Folly, this room is unusual in that prior to the restoration, the ceiling and floor were completely absent with the medieval stone mullions and fireplaces preserved in the fabric of the tower walls.
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The West Range has three en-suite bedrooms which overlook Blencowe Hall’s South Tower field orchards and the Lake District Mell Fell in the distance.
The West Range Master Bedroom (6′ bed) includes an open plan airy en suite with a spacious shower and a freestanding cast iron roll top bath and enclosed WC.
The Greystoke Room has a 6′ bed that may be arranged as two 3′ single beds upon request. Its sandstone surrounded window looks toward the Lakeland fells. It has a private en suite with a bath and a glass screened shower over.
The Cumberland Room has a massive antique silk curtained 5′ four poster bed with a private en suite shower and wc overlooking the South Tower Orchard and Lakeland fells. Its dark oak bureau and free standing wardrobe add to the historic flair of this luxurious bedroom.
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Beyond the labyrinthine stairways and passages, explore the rolling countryside with your hounds at your heels. (Dogs are always welcome at The Rowley Estates.) Along the Eden Valley, ancient stone circles and Lacy’s Caves keep the mystery alive. Or get down to earth and muddy, hiking and biking the hills and fells. Mess about in boats on the Lakes – Ullswater’s a fifteen-minute drive away. Take a spin along the A686, voted top in The Telegraph’s Five Most Beautiful British Drives. Stroll into Greystoke village to see the castle Cromwell’s army missed and enjoy a local brew at The Boot and Shoe.
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We had a family gathering for my husbands 70th, there were 25 adults and 10 children we used Blencowe Hall and Cazenovia Hall looking at pictures online does not give it justice, It was AMAZING.
Everything was clean from the bedroom to the kitchen which was very well stocked...
Stayed here with a group of 12 excellent location, very luxurious and all home comforts
What a fantastic place. The location is great, the property is amazing, and as a group we could not have asked for more. Every detail has been considered, from the complimentary toiletries, to the partners they work with (clay pigeon shooting). Cannot fault it and wish we could return sooner!
We visited Blencowe Hall for a week in August 2024. Our group included 8 adults and seven children with ages ranging from 5 to 17. We also had three dogs.
The booking process was simple and responsive and the welcoming packages in the kitchen and the Lakeland toiletries in the...
We celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary at Blencowe at the end of August 2024, with our 5 married children and 15 grandchildren, a total of 27! It was absolutely fabulous. Every aspect of it worked wonderfully well, the outside spaces, the dining room, kitchen, bedrooms and numerous common areas for...
Very nice great location little touches were appreciated
Enhance your getaway with personalized optional guest services. From gourmet catering, spa treatments including massages brought to you onsite by Icon in the Lakes to a rejuvenating rental hot tub from Lake District Hot Tub Hire set up for your arrival, we’ve got you covered.
Explore the breath taking landscapes effortlessly with Arragon’s ebike or cycle hire service and bring the essentials to your door with convenient grocery delivery. Your perfect retreat awaits.
The sensitively restored Grade II listed Blencowe Hall Byre is available as an optional additional accommodation option for guests at Blencowe Hall. The Byre may be opened for use by our Blencowe Hall guest parties for a modest additional charge or will be held closed to protect their privacy and exclusive use of Blencowe Hall’s gardens, terraces and parking. The Byre is offered by separate arrangement as an open plan space for activities like yoga or with wooden tables and chairs for dining or presentations. It has underfloor heating, sliding doors onto its private sandstone terrace and fibre broadband and a large wall mounted TV/HDMI connected TV display. An indoor tennis table may also be provided in the Byre for guest use.
Blencowe Hall sits on a bluff above the small River Petterill and is encompassed by its own gardens, grounds and fields. It has views to the nearby Lakeland Fells and across the rolling Eden Valley.
Guests staying at Blencowe Hall can enjoy brown trout or coarse fishing, golfing, arrange for clay pigeon shooting or archery within the grounds or take a cycle out for the day. There are some great runs and walks in the local area including a path to the Boot and Shoe pub in Greystoke!