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Tractor-trains will ferry people from the showground to the derelict Lowther Castle for free throughout the day on Sunday August 10 2008 for what will be the first public opening of the gardens since 1938 - and only the second time in their history.
Organisers expect huge public
interest as the castle has more than a dozen Edwardian gardens at the back and
although all are overgrown after decades of neglect, a lot of historic structures
and ornate rockeries can still be seen beneath the moss and trees. Visitors
will be able to follow a simple route through the derelict gardens and around
the castle, covering 120 acres. Numbers will be strictly limited because of
the gardens being overgrown and the castle's crumbling state.
Robert Benson is chairman and director of the Lowther Show, which is expected to attract 60,000 visitors over three days from August 8-10, 2008.
Robert said: "The tractor trains will run from 10am all day on Saturday, carrying up to 40 people at a time on the short trip of about half-a-kilometre to the castle. There will be food and drink facilities as well as toilets near the castle as we expect a lot of people to take advantage of this special opportunity."
Lowther Castle has been abandoned for decades, a combination of the First World War and profligacy starting its decline into ruins but a charitable trust was set up earlier this year to raise money to bring it back to life. The trustees include Lord Bragg of Wigton and Sir Neil Cossons, the ex-chairman of English Heritage.
They plan to open the castle and gardens to the public permanently, creating a magical garden, opening up the central tower and establishing shopping and eating facilities in the stables. This is in place of a much more expensive £76 million restoration plan which was dropped after failing to secure funding three years ago. David Horton-Fawkes is project director for the Lowther Castle and Gardens Trust. He said: "This is a one-off opportunity to see our plans for the castle's gardens. The longer term plan is to open them as much as possible, so this is just a start.
"We will obviously have to limit the numbers because of the eco-system and condition of the gardens. The castle remains a very fragile structure and is out of bounds for safety reasons, although we hope to re-open part of that in the future."
The current castle, which is a Gothic folly, is the third major building to have stood on the beautiful Lowther Estate between Penrith and Shap. Designed by Sir Robert Smirke for the 5th Earl of Lonsdale Hugh Lowther, it was completed in 1816 but records show there was a settlement there more than 1,000 years ago.