Fortified SPIRIT
In the late 18th century, the gardens and setting of Lowther Castle in Cumbria were compared to the great Summer Palace in Beijing for their beauty. By the time head gardener Martin Ogle was growing up in nearby Penrith in the 1980s, the castle was known as ‘the spooky ruin on the hill’, abandoned, overgrown and rather menacing. But in recent years, Lowther’s 130 acres have undergone a remarkable renaissance and bold new gardens by Dan Pearson now weave in and out of the castle ruins and the evocative traces of 17th and 19th century gardens that surround it.
It was
