Rusland Hall

= Rusland Hall in the Lake District =

Location

Grid Ref: SD3388 [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/136556]

Inbetween the foot of Lake Windermere and Coniston is the Rusland valley. Rusland Hall stands at the valley head near to Rusland cross. On either side of the approach road to Rusland Hall are 400 acres of broadleaved deciduous woodland, rich in wildlife, clothing the valley sides. The valley sides are drained by many becks which converge to form the stream called Rusland Pool.

History

The main house (on the site of an earlier building) was built in about 1720 (and extended in the 1840’s) by the Rawlinson family who also owned nearby Graythwaite Hall [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53339] . It is thought that the Rusland Beeches were planted during this time [http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/ancient-tree-forum/atfgallery/featuresstories/marianne/marianne.htm] .

Rusland Hall has had a colourful history. Captain William Rawlinson had been a Parliamentarian leader in the civil war between 1642 and 1651 but had been granted an indemnity on the Restoration. Much to William’s disapproval his eldest son, Thomas Rawlinson was converted to the Quaker faith following George Fox’s visits to the Furness area (Margaret Fell Mother of Quakerism by Isabel Ross The Ebor Press 1984). Rusland Hall remained the seat of the Rawlinson family until 1750 and then the Archibald family owned the hall until it was sold out of the traditional landed gentry in the mid 1900’s. Rusland Hall was taken for a time in the late 1880s as a holiday home by the family of Beatrice Webb. Beatrice Webb and her husband Sidney were founders of the London School of Economics [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2465/is_2_30/ai_62053065] . Her diaries, started at the age of 15 highlight her time at Rusland [http://www.books.co.uk/beatrice_webb_norman_mackenzie_jeanne_mackenzie/diaries_of_beatrice_webb/9781860498954/] "14 December ,Rusland Hall -This autumn has been a very happy one for me. ..I have gained immensely by taking up drawing and music with a spirit of love instead of with a spirit of jealous ambition; and this I owe to Ruskin and to Goethe". In later years the hall was variously a girls’ school, a children’s home and perhaps most famously a mechanical music museum.

Mechanical Music Museum 1970 - 87

John and Norma Birkby from Furness restored the fabric of the house to its former Georgian interior and exterior. Following restoration the house was opened to the public and became well known for a collection of self-playing musical instruments which was recognized as one of the largest collections in Europe (Ordnance Survey Leisure Guide - Lake District 1984). Many rare items from the period in musical history preceding the gramophonecould be seen and heard including self-acting pianos, pianolas and even pneumatic orchestrelle organs.

Also on display was vintage photographic equipment including James Bond’s minox spy camera. The Birkby’s also introduced white peacocks to Rusland Hall where they thrived and entranced visitors to the house and gardens.

The Gardens

Landscaped in the manner of Capability Brown with sweeping vistas and many specimen trees and shrubs. The Birkby's spent many years retrieving features such as the "Ha ha" ditch. Also time was spent restoring the old roses on the Lakeland slate steps and nurturing the ancient and rare trees such as the magnificent cedar of lebanon which has been felled in recent years. Each custodian of the estate has the desire to put their stamp on the garden but its essence still remains.

External links

* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/136556 Geograph]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53339 British History]
* [http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/ancient-tree-forum/atfgallery/featuresstories/marianne/marianne.htm Woodland Trust]
* [http://www.books.co.uk/beatrice_webb_norman_mackenzie_jeanne_mackenzie/diaries_of_beatrice_webb/9781860498954/ Diaries of Beatrice Webb]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2465/is_2_30/ai_62053065 "Webb of Evil" - The Ecologist]