STATELY HOMOS IN ENGLAND - Dalemain House

Positioned a few miles out from Penrith, Dalemain has the cliche circuitous driveway that ensures you get 'the surprise' of the house coming into view. The house, looked at from the front is a nicely proportioned classical 18th century facade. Unlike Sizbergh which had all its later developments honestly laid out in a row in front of you, Dalemain's classical facade is actually only one one room deep, behind which it conceals a much more ramshackle drab building. Including another 14th century Peel Tower, and numerous period add ons from all the centuries subsequent. Dalemain is hence Grade 1 listed, because similar to Sizbergh, it's that rare survival of a building that contain all these periods intact within it. This listing extends to include the extensive cobbled courtyard at the back of the house, which is also unique.

Dalemain has its splendid wrought iron gates, which would once have allowed access to only the right sort of people. Servants and tradesmen and women, would have all gone round the back, which is where we drive and where we park our car. The Reception, where we booked our place on the guided house tour, is also situated in the cafe, which is in a large airy barn or old stable, with a trip hazard of an uneven floor. It has the genial air of the improvised. The staff though friendly and approachable seemed a bit flustered. Quickly overwhelmed by actual people arriving wanting refreshments. One got the impression that perhaps the organisation here is understaffed and a tad shambolic, as if its not entirely settled on how it wants to operate as a visitor destination. This maybe a result of it fundamentally being a privately owned stately home, that opens to the public as a side hustle. We may, of course, have simply arrived on a really bad day.

We booked our house tour for an hour after we arrived. Leaving us time to unwind, have a coffee and cake, to wander around Dalemain's gardens, which are extensive and actually rather splendid. With their beautiful constructed landscape vistas, walled gardens, arched walkways, seated grottos, shell paths and a staggering piece of topiary formed into the shape of a Dragon. The gardens have an informal casualness that though subtle, are frequently quite enchanting.

The guided 'house tour', so we were told, was three quarters of an hour to an hour in length, which seemed worryingly more than we required. That this ended up being near an hour and a half, proved interminable. Being trapped with a guide who couldn't stop babbling about portraiture, eventually became an unwanted imposition. The owners of the house still live here, and understandably don't want you wandering unguided around their home taking your selfies for Instagram in their front room. After all you could be people casing the joint. The 'house tour' just went into far too much detail for even the most nosey and enquiring of antiquarian. 

The rooms at the front of the house look elegant and distinguished, they certainly appear well cared for, because, one must assume, they are regularly lived in. The older elements of the house, the medieval through to 17th century, that exist behind, seem maintained to a poorer level. Having once lived in a 16th century manor house, such rooms can be draughty, lack effective insulation, and can be cold at any time of the year. Basically, really old houses eat money simply through day after day efforts to keep them warm and intact. I bet they don't spend time living in parts of this house. Hence its slightly frayed around the edges state. None of this part of the house appeared to me to be particularly notable, and you really couldn't get any real sense of its overall layout.

However, what Dalemain has become known for in recent years, since Covid and lockdown, is now The World Marmalade Festival, which has become literally huge, particularly with the Japanese. There is a slightly shambolic exhibition of marmalades in jars, shelved in a room the size of a broom closet, of previous distinguished entrants in the competition. And there is also a slowly fading around the edges photo board of past winners and royal visitors in the cafe. It also seems proud of its ancient orchard of apples and bee hives, and hosts its own celebratory Apple Day in September.

Because of the poor organisation it generally appears hamfisted, Dalemain tends to fail in showing off its most attractive selling points. I guess, because its primarily a working house and estate. Developing it's visitor offering further, can come well down your list. Though if you look at Holkham Hall in North Norfolk, they've really fully embraced themselves as a visitor destination. Now, admittedly, they are a much larger wealthier estate with perhaps greater resources to call upon. But it can be done smaller scale. and they probably didn't arrive where they are today overnight.

Anyway, after escaping the over informative clutches of our energy vampire of a 'guide' I needed retail therapy. So I bought myself a jar of Dalemain's Apple and Brandy Marmalade, as a personal treat, then quickly exited before I was drained of all my will to live. The marmalade turned out to have a light taste of apple with only a background suggestion of alcohol, but it's recipe was based essentially on grapefruit and lemon, without which, this would've be one very small step away from being a jam.