Sizergh Castle
Sizergh Castle is a striking medieval manor that stands proudly at the gateway to the Lake District, just 4 miles south of Kendal. The house is still lived in by the Strickland family who built it over 750 years ago. Filled with thousands of items collected by 26 generations of the family the house certainly feels lived in, with centuries-old portraits and fine furniture sitting alongside modern family photographs. Sizergh’s rich and beautiful gardens include a mirror lake, topiary yew trees, colourful herbaceous border, an orchard buzzing with bees, fruit wall and a superb limestone rock garden – the largest in the National Trust – which glows red and orange when the acers change colour in the autumn. The 647-hectare (1,600-acre) estate includes wetland, limestone pasture, orchards and semi-natural woodland and is home to a wide variety of wildlife and flowers. Fritillary butterflies, bats, birds of prey, deer and otters all call the estate home. (Kendal, England)
