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From a room to a view

Broadgate House, a stunning Georgian property in Cumbria, has been in the Lewthwaite family for almost 200 years. The 550 acres of the Broadgate Estate are nestled within the Lake District National Park and the property looks across the Duddon estuary. Built in 1819, the house was left largely untouched until 1996 when the late Sir David Lewthwaite was given the impetus he needed to revamp his family seat, “Our daughter was getting married in 1997 and wanted to have the wedding here,” says Lady Diana Lewthwaite, “but nothing had been done to the house since before the Second World War.” With this motivation, Sir David began a complete interior redecoration of the property.

Luckily, nothing structural needed to be done to the house apart from replacing the old range in the kitchen and removing a small wall. This had been put up during the war so that another family could live in the back area. This meant that Sir David and his father could remain in the house while it was renovated one room at a time. “It all went to plan, but inevitably took much longer,” says Diana. “The staircase and the pine cupboards had been covered with a black solid paint and this took David a long time to remove and what’s more, the cornices in the drawing room took a month to clean out.”

Although the house needed no real structural alterations, it did need to be updated for a modern family. “There were only two bathrooms for the eight bedrooms,’ adds Diana. This revamp led to the only real disruption during the renovations as some of the floorboards had to be taken up when the electricity was re-wired.

However, despite bringing the workings of the house up to date, Sir David did not sacrifice the traditional country-house style he loved so much. “David had a real eye for detail,” says Diana. “He made sure that all the light fittings, door handles and chandeliers were of the right period. For the bathrooms he went to reclamation yards so that he could have the correct style loos, basins and baths. The bathrooms don’t look as though they have only been there for six or seven years,” suggests Diana with obvious pride.

Sir David chose Zoffany fabrics and wallpapers as he felt they picked up the period of the house. He was careful to choose colour schemes and decorations that were sympathetic to the overall style. In the dining room, he used green to set off the family portraits and the dark fireplace. He also designed the curtains, which add colour and texture to this luxurious room.The drawing room is equally sumptuous. The red wallpaper complements the old red curtains, acquired in London, which have a very ornate pelmet interspersed with gold. Furthermore, the black fireplace now looks magnificent against the rich red walls.

Sir David succeeded in achieving an ambience which is a perfect balance of grandeur and comfort, an aspect which Diana particularly enjoys. “I love the gracious size of the rooms. They are not too big and are very homely.” Her other favourite features include the cornices and the understated panelling of the doors. She also loves the stunning views from all the windows, not only of the beautiful Duddon estuary, but also of her garden, about which she is passionate.

“Colourful,” is how she describes her garden, “and it has the most lovely views out onto the estuary and hills.” The phrase “every cloud has a silver lining” certainly applies to this garden.

A few years ago, bad storms felled several trees around the house but this meant that further views of both the sea and the surrounding woods were opened up. It’s been a revelation.

The garden boasts a traditional walled garden with slate paths and, where the greenhouses used to be, there is now a sitting area where a palm has self-seeded; it flourishes as a result of the local micro-climate which benefits from the Gulf Stream. Rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas lead to splashes of colour all summer and a 300-year-old Irish yew stands close to the house, an enduring feature of Broadgate and a celebrated local landmark. All in all, the garden and hills beyond provide the perfect setting for the perfect house.