Blackwell, The Arts & Crafts House

Blackwell House is a fascinating place to visit. It was designed as a holiday home the Holt family brewers, by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott. Much of the furniture is built in, and so has been preserved along with the house. One of the rooms has stunning views of Windermere. There is a good cafe and shop, and sometimes there are talks on about the history f the place, which has also been a boarding school in the second world war and then a day school, offices and now a house of interest. The house is open all year, and the tickets last all year. There was no concession for disabled people. This is probably because most of the house is accessible. There are lots of beautiful details to notice so multiple visits would be great if you lived nearby. There are always local crafts for sale in the shop, and seasonal goods.

We had a really nice afternoon here. Staff were friendly, carers go free and most of the property and grounds are accessible. It was a nice relaxing excursion for our group of people living with dementia. Only downside is that although there is a lift to the first floor some rooms have steps leading to them so can’t be accessed. Tearoom is fairly small and you can’t book a table therefore we went to a pub for lunch instead but we did have tea and cake in the afternoon there! Good place to go for a couple of hours as it is something a little bit different.