The village of Troutbeck is close to the major tourist centres of Windermere and Grasmere, and surprisingly enough still remains relatively unspoilt.
Troutbeck is first mentioned in 1282 and is believed to be so named because the beck was (and still is) a spawning place for trout.
Troutbeck has some of the noblest views in Lakeland, and is a popular place of call for visitors who find much of interest in this long village stretching for over a mile, with houses built some 400 plus years ago, many with quaint gables and round chimneys showing finely among sycamore and apple trees. With streams in its old streets, the village has many water troughs in cool recesses, relics of the coaching days when horses had to be watered before beginning the hard climb over Kirkstone Pass to Patterdale.
A close inspection of the village will indicate that it is a small cluster of hamlets namely, Townend, The Cragg, Longmire Year, High Green, and Townhead...all stretching along the road...and originally forming around a series of small wells many of them dedicated to various saints...St John, St James, Margarets.
It is obviouslt a place of great antiquity even though few buildings pre-date the mid 17th century. As many visitors will be aware... prior to 1650 the mainly timber framed buildings generally with walls of wattle and daub, clay, turf or roughly piled fieldstones, would not have been permanent enough to survive until today. The prime concern of the houses in those days was to build them on one side of the valley ...the sunny side. They were built around springs, beneath the snow line in order to catch the winter sunshine.
Many of the old buildings of Troutbeck fortunately do still remain, although in some instances, as the 'The Mortal Man' the old core has been obscured by later building. The Inn in itself is interesting, it was originally called 'The White House' Inn when it was built in 1689. It was re-named so it is believed around the early part of the 18th century and now bears its unusual sign.
The church built in 1736 has an unusual dedication to Jesus. Rather lonely is this simple church, which has twice been rebuilt in the past 200 years, though it still keeps a fine roof with massive oak beams. In its noble little 18th century tower is a bell which was ringing long before the Civil War and its plain oak altar table which is 300 years old. Its chief treasure is the beautiful east window, one of the first designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
The schoolhouse was built in 1637 though today it is active as a day nursery. Certainly a good deal of the houses date back to the 16th and 17th century, with many preserving their old spice and court cupboards.
One property 'Townend' formerly owned by the Browne family is now a National Trust pproperty and is open to the public as an excellent example of a 'statesman's' house and contains much of the families carved oak furniture, as well as a fine library.
Troutbeck Park Farm was a property one time owned by Beatrix Potter...in fact some of her work was done in a little study there. On bequeathing the farm to the National Trust she stipulated that her flock of Herdwick Sheep should be preserved.
|
