Blackwell house

HUMANITIES PROJECT RELATED TO ARCHITECTURE- ARTS AND CRAFTS STYLE

1. BLACKWELL HOUSE

LOCATION
Blackwell House is an historic house near the town of Bowness-on-Windermere with views
looking over Lake Windermere across the Coniston Fells in South Lakeland, Cumbria, England, New
York City.

Lake Windermere Coniston Fells
HISTORY

 Blackwell was built for the Holt family of Manchester. The head of the family, Sir Edward
Holt, commissioned the respected architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott to build the family a
luxurious country retreat in 1898-1900.
 After the demise of their eldest son, the Holts rarely visited the place and thus decided on
leasing it. They also had little incentive to use their money on modernizing a property that
was of little personal interest to them.

2.  During the Second World War(1939-1945) pupils from Huyton College in Liverpool were
evacuated there and Blackwell continued as a school, finally closing in 1976.

 When the school closed, the historic house was bought by a Yorkshire businessman,
Maurice Bland, who leased it as offices to the English Conservancy Council, later renamed
English Nature.
 In 1997 English Nature moved out and the future of this historic house was suddenly
uncertain. Fearing that this treasure of the Arts & Crafts, which at that time only carried the
lowest grade listing, could be irreparably damaged, the Lakeland Arts Trust stepped in.

 Fortunately, most of the original features of Blackwell were still in place when it came to the
notice of the Lakeland Arts Trust. It was purchased later in February 1999 after various
fund-raising campaigns.
 This took just over a year and involved a great number of specialists in many different
fields, who raised Blackwell’s listing status to the highest level of Grade I.

3. ELEMENTS
The historic house itself makes a strong statement. It is asymmetrical in design and the gables of the
first floor rooms form a complicated roof profile.

Blackwell from the lower terrace.

 ORIENTATION
Blackwell House sits proudly above Lake Windermere but instead of facing the Lake, the principal
rooms used by the family are south facing in order to capture as much sun as possible throughout
the day.
 MATERIALS
Influences from local vernacular architecture are evident in the tall round chimneys and the use of
local slate and sandstone. Rain water is channeled along grooves into ornate lead downpipe.

The initials of Edward Holt can be seen at the top of the beautifully detailed lead drainpipes.

4.  LANDSCAPE
Outside, garden terraces with formal planting are found close to the house where the colours and
fragrances can be appreciated.
In the Holt family’s time the south lawn was used for croquet and the lower lawn was two grass
tennis courts.
A ‘Ha Ha’ is used on the south lawn to avoid forming a visual boundary between the garden and
the views beyond.

 INTERIORS

o Tiles in the fireplaces and Inglenooks,

5. o Carved stone as well as wood carving,




o Stained glass,

o Mosaic floors,

o Studded door and carved lintel,

6. o Peacock frieze at the top of the wall



o The window shows delicate stylised tulips, swaying in the breeze, interwoven with a flock of
birds which re-appear in the decoration throughout the house.








o Alcoves,

8. o Beautiful plaster work of the White Drawing Room,

9. o Both natural and artificial light, to define different areas and to create their distinct
atmospheres.

o Hessian wall hangings,

10. o Textile wall hangings in the Dining Room,



o Rowan leaves and berries form the dominant decorative theme downstairs,

o THE MAIN HALL- The hub of this historic house.
This is not just one room but a succession of rooms, some large, some intimate - “a whole village
of rooms”.
This open-plan arrangement is one of Baillie Scott’s particular trademarks.
Part of the room has a double height ceiling, which contrasts with the snug alcoves and window
seats.
The area of the main hall with the lower ceiling has some wonderful beaten copper lights that
would originally have hung over a billiard table.

11. BLACKWELL TODAY

12. Blackwell retains many of its original decorative features, including
 a rare hessian wall-hanging in the Dining Room,
 leaf-shaped door handles,
 curious window catches,
 spectacular plasterwork,
 stained glass
 carved wooden paneling
The rooms contain furniture and objects by many of the leading Arts & Crafts designers and
studios-
 metalwork by WAS Benson,
 ceramics by Pilkingtons and
 Ruskin Pottery and furniture by Morris & Co., Stanley Webb Davies, Ernest Gimson and
Baillie Scott himself.
 Recent acquisitions of furniture by Baillie Scott are on display, including an oak and ebony
inlaid barrel chair with slatted sides, sideboard and a set of dining chairs.
 Blackwell offers more than most historic houses with several rooms displaying historical
exhibitions that explore different aspects of the Arts & Crafts Movement.
Today, Blackwell is bordered by beautiful flower beds set against a terrace of York stone paving,
providing shelter for garden chairs and tables.
On the lower terrace there is a long sweep of lawn where visitors can stroll and take in the
intoxicating beauty of the Lake District whatever the season.
Bibliography- https://flickeringlamps.com/2015/09/19/exploring-blackwell-a-stunning-arts-and-
crafts-house-in-the-heart-of-the-lake-district/
https://www.blackwell.org.uk/blackwell-today
BY- ANIKA MOMIN _ MU1538 _ RIZVI COLLEGE OR ARCHITECTURE