BELMOUNT HALL

Beatrix Potter bought hill farms and estates, such as Belmount Hall, in the Lake District with the profits from her publications. She was a keen farmer and developed a passion for Herdwick sheep and quickly became an expert breeder of the sheep. In 1923 she bought Troutbeck Park Farm, which is across the valley from Belmount and can be seen from our door, and bred Herdwicks here which she entered in local agricultural shows – winning many awards! When she died in 1943 she left 14 farms, sheep and 4000 acres of land to the National Trust.

These Herdwicks have been under this tree for the past few mornings, obviously having a meeting to discuss the days plans. Or how they can make Beatrix Potter’s 150th Birthday year extra special!

Dear Chris and Gillie,

……….. just to say a massive thank you for everything you did for us at our wedding. You were both so flexible and patient during all the preparations – and we have had so many people compliment the venue, food and atmosphere of Belmount Hall.

Thanks so much,

Esther and George

A lovely card popped through the Belmount letterbox at the weekend from a couple who got married at Belmount in the summer, and have, since then, been on their honeymoon.

‘It’s now around 19 weeks since we left Belmount and we’ve journeyed through Africa, Nepal, nearing the end of our China travels and will be heading to sunnier climates once again in South East Asia. We know we emailed immediately after the wedding to say thank you for an amazing effort in helping us have a fantastic wedding weekend. So many people said what a wonderful place you have – we couldn’t agree more! We hope to return sometime in the future, maybe to celebrate an anniversary or two! All the very best for 2016. The new Mr and Mrs Walsh’

“… a close contender for the title (of ‘the first house that was built in the Lake District for the sake of the beauty of the country’ – ie that was carefully placed to take advantage of the view…) is Belmount, built for the Rev Reginald Braithwaite (1737 – 1809), Vicar of Hawkshead, and complete by mid 1773. The house exploited views over two pieces of water, with little Esthwaite in the foreground and views of Windermere in the distance.”

This is extracted from ‘Patriotism and the Picturesque on the shores of Lake Windermere’, a paper by Karen Lynch… .

We have to write to say thank you for helping give Alison and Ben such a special Wedding Day. Belmount Hall was a wonderful venue. We came across it by chance but how lucky we were. We felt like we had our own private house in the country. Belmount in its beautiful setting was everything and more we could have hoped for. The rooms were warm and comfortable and the food was excellent.

Breakfast in the lovely dining room was a chance for everybody to meet and enjoy a varied and well-cooked breakfast with every need catered for. The staff were so pleasant and helpful always there but not too obvious. Gwyneth deserves a special mention, she was amazing and such a nice lady.

The Wedding itself was beautiful. The intimate atmosphere in Belmount Hall was ideal. Although it can accommodate more people, ours was a small wedding and it was a perfect venue for 30 guests. A wonderful blank canvas that we were able to decorate to suit the theme Alison had put so much thought into. They had chosen a buffet menu for the wedding breakfast which was delicious, there was plenty of it and served so everyone had a lovely hot meal.

All those who stayed at Belmount Hall and those invited to the day, thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, excellent service and wonderful setting. Photographs taken in the grounds and house were stunning. It was lovely to see Alison and Ben so happy, they had the wedding of their dreams and loved every minute of it.

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful home with us. We could not find fault with any aspect of Belmount Hall and would recommend it to anyone looking for a special venue for their celebration.

Belmount Hall – the perfect venue for house parties, whether over a long weekend or during the week – is a development of the Jumping Jenny business which Chris and Gillie ran at Brantwood, Coniston for 24 years until June 2015.

In The Times Magazine yesterday – 28th November 2015 –  Tony Turnbull, the Food Editor of The Times, awarded ‘Jumping Jenny’ the ultimate accolade… .

In the article, mainly about The Old Stamp House in Ambleside, which he concludes is the best restaurant  “..in the Lake District proper..”, he states that the best meal to be had in the Lake District was the food delivered to his holiday house near Hawkshead by Jumping Jenny:- “…. . I can vouch for the deeply savoury Moussaka and a fish pie rich with cod, salmon and prawns and a judicious undercurrent of tarragon. As for their Caramel shortbread, it has to be tasted to be believed.”

To order Caramel Shortbread for delivery by post, or to order savoury food for delivery to your home, or holiday cottage in the South Lakes area, please see our shiny new website – jumpingjenny.com.

From a South African guest, living in Australia, who was remarkably gracious about the All Blacks’ victory in the World Cup:-

“It is difficult to believe that it was only just over 3 weeks ago that we were able to be part of the most amazing wedding. The venue, the atmosphere and the people (most importantly the bride & groom of course!) was just spot on and we feel very lucky to have been part of it all.

Thank you so much for being fantastic hosts to my sister-in-law & her husband on their wedding day. As a South African living in Australia I have now finally experienced what a true English wedding is like in the most perfect of settings, the most gorgeous of traditional English country homes and with the most delicious food we could ever have imagined to taste on the day. Thanks to you my visit to the Lake District and the wedding itself, together with my wife and five and a half week old Baby Girl, will live long in the memory. Thanks and here’s to making many more wonderful memories for all your guests in the months and years to come!”

Quite hard to believe, after the rain and gales, that, suddenly, Saturday could dawn a superb day, with not a cloud in the sky… . Lots of wind overnight, though, so, despite many hours of leaf clearing, there were still many leaves and branches on the lawns. Not many leaves left on the trees now, though.

The bare trees were complemented by the twisted willow which Steve and Vic had chosen to hang from the beams in the West Barn Indoor Marquee, with fairy lights, hearts, and old keys.

It is always fascinating to see how our wedding clients ‘decorate’ the West Barn Rooms to make their wedding unique. So much time and effort… .

At last, we have found someone to help Chris with wedding planning and organisation. Very pleased to welcome Katherine. She has already taken on much of the paperwork, leaving Chris free to do some extreme gardening…. . Digger time.