Blackwell, Windermere

It’s often intriguing to compare the grandeur of the big house bought with the fruits of entrepreneurship with the circumstances of the consumers whose discretionary spending was the source of the fortune that paid for it. In the case of the Holt family of Mancunian brewers the contrast with the coarse and smoke-filled Public Bar favoured by the Lancastrian working man could hardly be greater.  Blackwell was a summer residence built 1898-1900 in a wonderful position on the heights overlooking the eastern shore of Windermere where the extended family would gather in the pursuit of leisure.  A long and elevated terrace offered glorious views of the lake and hills beyond while the house was designed for spacious comfort in artistically uplifting interiors. For the architect, Baillie Scott, this was his first major commission since returning from self-imposed ‘exile’ on the Isle of Man and a great opportunity to showcase his individual vision of Arts and Crafts domestic building alongside his talent as an impresario, bringing together brilliant designers and highly skilled craft workers to enhance his vision with wonderful stained glass, wall coverings and fixtures and fittings - no detail overlooked or left to chance. 

A double height Main Hall, approached via a long low corridor has a medieval flavour.  Around the oak panelled walls runs an exquisite carved frieze by Simpson of Kendal based on a rowanberry motif. Above is the wallpaper, Peacock Frieze, supplied by Shand Kydd. Six copper lamp fittings designed by Baillie Scott were installed to illuminate the family billiard table. Scott’s design for the Great Hall was closely based on his competition entry for a House for an Art Lover (“Haus Eines Kunstfreundes” ). A corner staircase rises to the bedrooms and a minstrels’ gallery. The Holt family would pass their leisure time in the Main Hall where beneath a coffered ceiling - French windows gave on to the garden. The hall led into the dining room with its fireplace inglenook, a favourite device of Baillie Scott’s, surmounted by a massive lintel formed from voussoirs of local stone and slate. Beautiful stained glass with floral and bluebird motifs added elegance to the sense of enclosure.

The White Drawing Room is a theatrical coup, approached along the same gloomy oak lined corridor it marks a thrilling transition to a sudden flare of evening sunshine with panoramic views of the lake below. Beneath another Rowanberry Frieze inside another inglenook is the finest fireplace in the house embellished with stained glass, ceramic tiles, mosaic floor, ornamental fire dogs, alcoves, mirrors and white painted slender columns topped with capitals of carved birds, fruits and leaf motifs. Female dinner guests were obliged to withdraw to the White Room while the alpha males gathered round the billiard table - I think the ladies got the better deal. At this point in his career Scott was still absorbing the influence of Voysey and introducing local vernacular elements (cylindrical chimneys, slate roof, multiple gables) into his design for the exterior. The completed house has a commanding presence in the landscape and the positioning of windows and whitewashed rough-cast stone finish invited comparisons with another influential figure - Mackintosh (Hill House was completed in 1904) are often evoked and the two architects were stylistically close at the time. Both entered the competition to design a House for an Art Lover organised by the German design magazine “Zeitschrift Für Innendekoration”.  Baillie Scott was awarded second prize and Mackintosh, who had failed to follow the brief, nonetheless obtained a special award.

 In a future post we’ll take a closer look at the use of stained glass at Blackwell.