- 017687 76276
- admin@highamhall.com
- Request a Brochure
- 017687 76276
- admin@highamhall.com
- Request a Brochure
Higham occupies an imposing situation facing east, taking advantage of sweeping views across to Skiddaw and the Northern Fells.
The original layout of the garden included a large, gravelled terrace at the front (east) of the house with two carriage drives leading down the hill. Terraced lawns and woodland planted with exotic shrubs and trees were laid out to the south, and a pond was created by diverting the stream which came down the fell through the woodland. A walled kitchen garden occupied the north side.
The garden has changed very little over the centuries. Exotic trees, rhododendrons and azaleas now dominate the south side of the house. George and Mary Hoskins created tennis and croquet lawns in amongst these trees and shrubs, although these have almost disappeared. The walls of the old kitchen garden are still visible, although that corner is now occupied by the Gatehouse and bungalow, which were build in the 20th century as living accommodation for the warden and caretaker but were adapted in the early 2000s to provide additional accommodation for students. There is still a lovely old cherry tree in the centre, covered in lichens and a few early purple orchids appear there in the spring.
The entrance to an old well can be found in the woodland to the east of the current driveway. The well has always been known by locals as ‘begger’s well’- likely a corruption of Bega’s Well, as in the Celtic Saint St Bega to whom the little church on the shores on Bassenthwaite Lake is dedicated. The terrace at the front of the house was enhanced in the 1930s by the addition of a grade II listed, mid-19th century stone balustrade, purchased by George Fisher from Haggerston Castle in Northumberland.
Today the gardens encompass mature woodland, meadow and wetland areas which provide tranquil places for students to explore and important natural habitats for wildlife including endangered red squirrels and our own bees. Mindful of our responsibilities to support biodiversity and strengthen local ecosystems, as well as the educational opportunities that this can bring, we are managing the gardens with both nature and students in mind.
