Society Outing to Allan Bank, Grasmere, March 2012
A Pictorial Report of the visit to Allen Bank on 29th March, 2012. By courtesy of the National Trust. Organised by John Macfarlane
A group of Society members made this visit to Allan Bank, Grasmere on 29th March 2012, two days before it opened to the public. A full report on the visit is in the Wanderer, May 2012. These photographs supplement that report. Here the group assembles beside the bow window installed by Wordsworth.
Photographs mostly by John Macfarlane.
Sarah Woodcock of the National Trust explains a detail.
The garden has a tunnel through the rock - the group have all navigated it safely
This room was used by Wordsworth as his study for their three year residency. He installed the bow window for better views.
This large staircase, impressive despite being made of pitch pine, occupies an atrium which is part of the large extension by Thomas Dawson from 1834. This was built to the rear of the original house, whose facade faced the lake.
Allan Bank is in process of refitting after the fire, and a great deal of work is still to be done. Interesting to see it in progress. Messers Bish, Bash & Boshthwaite need not apply.
And there is plenty to do outside as well; it takes longer if the passing public have to be protected from risk
So is it 'a temple of abomination', as the Wordsworths decided when Mr Crump built it? It rather depends if you are looking at the unspoiled fells from the village, or looking on the lake and village from the house. Mind that cable!
Notes DD
