Cookhouse Gallery

Blackwell, The Arts & Crafts House

Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3JT
blackwell.org.uk

Open daily from 10.30am

A Grade I listed building, Blackwell, The Arts & Crafts House is a masterpiece of twentieth century design.

Perched overlooking Windermere with impressive views, it was designed by architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott in 1898 and completed in 1901. It was built as a holiday home and haven from bustling Manchester life, for brewer Sir Edward and Lady Holt and their five children.

Explore the house at your leisure, join a talk or meet the Holts through our digital augmented realities. See original features, furniture and objects by leading Arts and Crafts designers and studios including metalwork by WAS Benson, ceramics by William De Morgan and furniture by Stanley Webb Davies and Baillie Scott.

Soak up the atmosphere in Blackwell's fireplace inglenooks and the inviting window seats, and enjoy stunning views of the surrounding Lake District.

Blackwell retains original decorative features, including a rare hessian wall-hanging in the Dining Room, leaf-shaped door handles, curious window catches, spectacular plasterwork, stained glass and carved wooden panelling.

Blackwell also offers an inviting Tea Room with quality, locally sourced produce, and The Shop has an enviable reputation for presenting work for sale by the best contemporary craft makers in the industry.

You can learn more about the house in the permanent gallery displays which present the story of the Arts and Crafts movement, Blackwell as a school and a recreated Master Bedroom. Throughout the year there are changing temporary exhibitions, as well as seasonal activities and events. There is always something new to discover.