A house grown from a medieval peel tower over seven centuries, in a forest that has been there longer.
This is a private full-day guided tour of Hutton in the Forest — exclusively for your group of up to seven guests — departing at 9:00am. You visit a seven-century house in Inglewood near Penrith, with house entry included and the expert storyteller’s full attention on your group alone. £459 per group, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour.
Hutton in the Forest is in Inglewood — the great medieval forest between Carlisle and Penrith that was once a royal hunting ground and is still, in its remnant form, one of the finest ancient woodland landscapes in northern England. The house at its centre has grown by accretion over seven centuries: the medieval peel tower, the 17th-century additions, the Victorian extensions and the 20th-century work all present simultaneously, without apology, in a building that looks like what it is — a family home that has been added to by successive generations rather than designed as a statement.
The Vane-Fletcher family have been at Hutton since 1605. The house, the walled garden, the terraces and the surrounding ancient woodland make up one of the most atmospheric and least visited significant houses in the north of England.
The 14th-century peel tower at the house's core — the same response to border insecurity as Sizergh and Levens, but in this case embedded in a house that has grown organically around it rather than being subsumed by a grander Elizabethan building.
The terraced gardens at Hutton — formal, enclosed and looking across the parkland toward the Pennines — are among the finest in Cumbria. The walled garden is in active cultivation.
The ancient woodland surrounding the house is a fragment of the great Inglewood Forest — royal hunting ground from the Norman period, managed for centuries and still magnificent. Your expert storyteller covers the history of the forest and its relationship to the house.
Collection from your chosen station.
Arrival in Inglewood. Your expert storyteller introduces the Vane-Fletcher family and the seven-century history of the house.
The full interior programme — the peel tower, the 17th-century great hall, the Victorian additions and the family collections spanning four centuries.
The terraced gardens, the walled garden and the ancient woodland walks immediately surrounding the house.
Light refreshments available at the house. At your own cost.
Your expert storyteller covers the history of Inglewood Forest — its royal origins, its medieval management and its present condition as one of the finest surviving ancient woodland landscapes in the north.
Depart for the return journey, arriving back by approximately 4:30pm.