Lake District Hotel in Grasmere - Bridge House Hotel - Conservation - Brackenfell

Brackenfell overlooks Grasmere in England's Lake District. Bridge House Hotel has finished raising funds to pay for the restoration of this beautiful woodland area. There are observation points where the scenery was "staged" to give Victorian visitors the most beautiful views. The conservation scheme to restore this area is exclusive to the Bridge House Hotel. The actual physical work has been carried out by the National Trust.

Bracken Fell is on the way up to Alcock Tarn, a favourite walk from Grasmere, and in Victorian times it had man-made streams & tarns. The Victorians had strict views as to how the scenery should be presented to people. Viewing points were precise and people were encouraged to turn their backs on the view and use a mirror to see the Lakes landscape! There are several viewing points or vistas on Bracken Fell where the scenery was presented in a deliberate and exact way even to the point of "framing" the view with especially planted trees etc.


There are various places where a man-made "water feature" is evident. The pool pictured above right is part of this artificial system of streams, drains, pools and waterfalls. Why the Victorians felt the need to construct such an artifice when they were surrounded by the real thing is strange to our 21st century viewpoint! Maybe they wanted to become more closely connected to this special place by joining in on the Creator's workmanship! The woodland here is the home of much wildlife. Amongst the creatures you may see are Red Squirrels, Roe Deer, the three different species of native Woodpeckers and the tiny illusive Goldcrest. You will inevitably come across the odd Herdwick Sheep too!

There are two lead mines dating back to Tudor times. Thanks to information from Andrew Pogson we eventually found the second mine in 2011. The first one is pictured above left. The second one is below, the entrance obscured by sticks.





The picture above shows the restoration of a field drain. This work will help prevent rainwater from washing away the footpath. This in turn will help protect tree roots beneath the surface so that they aren't damaged by walkers or vehicles, thus helping to preserve this beautiful Lake District woodland. The photo above right shows the same area taken from the opposite side. Here you see the new footpath made of crushed slate.
	The picture on the left shows a higher section of footpath leading to another gate. There is a wild honeysuckle on the left near the gate with a beautiful scent in early summer.