Jenny Needham enjoys a do-what-you-want stay at Askham Hall in Cumbria’s unspoilt Lowther Valley

ONE of the great treats of staying at the newly restored Askham Hall, in Cumbria, is the chance to leaf through the family photo albums. In the characterful Stone Room, where the hall’s honesty bar is located, there is a huge tome containing pictures of nearby Lowther Castle in the early years of the 20th century when the last member of the Lowther family lived there.

Not an attractive house, it would have made a good film set for gothic horrors.

The infamous 5th Earl of Lonsdale lived there as he frittered away the family fortune on racing, shooting and generally having a good time. He was known as the Yellow Earl for his insistence that the entire estate should bear the colour and had a fleet of yellow cars, a regiment of yellow-liveried servants and a greenhouse to grow yellow gardenias for his buttonholes.

He lived extravagantly, socialising with the German Kaiser and conducting highprofile affairs with actresses.

In the drawing room, where you can sink into any one of a dozen mismatched comfy chairs and sofas, there are more albums to leaf through and the Yellow Earl features prominently – at the races, hosting shooting parties, socialising with his peers – always with a flower in his buttonhole.

Hugh Cecil Lowther died in 1944, having bankrupted the estate with his extravagances.

His successor, younger brother Lancelot, died soon after, and the 7th Earl inherited the estate in 1953, rescuing the estate’s finances, largely by abandoning the ancestral pile, Lowther Castle.

The 7th Earl’s son, Charles Lowther, together with his sister Marie-Louisa and mother Caroline, are responsible for bringing Askham Hall back to life.

Originally a pele tower dating back to the late 1200s, it has been in the Lowther family since the 1830s and is Grade I-listed. Its transition from family home to upmarket country house accommodation marks one of the most ambitious hotel projects in Cumbria for some years.

Its opening in April was the culmination of six years of work by the current owner Charles Lowther. While the house was in an excellent state, it wasn’t configured for commercial use. The planning process took a couple of years, the building work another two and a half years.

Darlington and Stockton Times:
The garden room is a new addition to Askham Hall

“A massive amount has been done. The top floor has been structurally altered the most, with significant floor strengthening,” says Charles.

“The garden room is a new addition to the house and a room we all love, bringing the garden into the house. I did everything myself, with advice from my wife, Juno and my mum. Juno helped create the style of the house with all her fabulous modern paintings.”

Charles’s vision was to create a truly relaxing do-what-youwant atmosphere. “I had in my mind’s eye somewhere private, relaxed and unpretentious to unwind and eat delicious food grown on the doorstep,” he says. “I wanted to bring Askham Hall into the 21st century and create a new breed of accommodation provider for the Lakes.”

There’s no doubt he’s succeeded. Askham Hall is the antithesis of the traditional country house hotel found in the more touristy parts of the Lakes. Everything is designed to break down formality and help you relax.It is the building Charles and Marie- Louise grew up in, where they whiled away the hours playing hide-and-seek when they were little, and you could still get lost there. There are no names or numbers on the bedroom doors so you need to note carefully which is yours. The bedroom suites are all individually decorated, an eclectic mix of old and new.

The shower in our sizeable bathroom was ultra-modern; the unpainted roll-top bath inscribed with the signature of a plumber from July 20, 1949: “G Westmoreland, plumber, painter and decorator from Penrith.” The bedroom decor was perfectly judged, the bed enormously comfortable.

Lovely bedrooms aside, Askham Hall has much to offer. There’s a small spa, an outdoor swimming pool, a Grade II-listed garden, fields and ponds with animals, a wedding barn, and a vegetable garden where you can come across the chefs picking produce for the kitchen.

With an abundance of fresh produce, the food is certainly worth travelling miles for. It’s lovingly prepared by two internationally acclaimed chefs. Head chef Richard Swale worked at NOMA in Copenhagen, voted the best restaurant in the world, while Steven Doherty was former head chef at La Gavroche and the UK’s first chef to head a three-starred Michelin restaurant.

A three-course meal costs from £45, with two choices for each course. There is also a six-course tasting menu.

Hungry after a bracing walk at nearby Ullswater, we dined like kings on ravioli of West Coast crab – pronounced by my husband one of the best things he’s ever eaten – slowcooked turbot with chervil gnocci and set lemon curd with flax seed meringue and sorrel sorbet, all simply delicious.

The creative, artistic and unpretentious style of the food is repeated in the style of the house. There is no formal service, just an invitation to relax and feel totally at home.

Darlington and Stockton Times:
While bathrooms are large and full of character

“For me, the beauty of the place is staggering. I still pinch myself every day I come to the house,” says Charles.

“Having it brought back to life in a new style for the next 100 years is a wonderful feeling and we all feel very humble to be lucky enough to work here.”