Blackwell, in the English Lake District, is Britain's finest surviving Arts & Crafts house. It was built in 1900 by H M Baillie Scott on the hillside above Windermere, as a holiday home for a wealthy Manchester businessman, Sir Edward Holt, and his family.
The Arts and Crafts Movement was a reaction aginst the increasing dominance of mechanisation brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Championed by John Ruskin and William Morris, it sought to re-establish the importance and worth of designer-craftsmen and promoted beauty, simplicity and practicality in the home.
The lovely house has a wealth of fine detail, both inside and outside (though no photography is allowed inside).
It's not a huge house but it is full of delightful and interesting stuff: furniture and other objects from the period. Run by the Lakeland Arts Trust, it has frequent exhibitions - and a lovely gift-shop and tea-room. Well worth a visit.
The gardens were originally laid out by Thomas Mawson, as a series of terraces.
They are very peaceful, and offer lovely views over the lake.
