 Townend
Partially hidden in a natural basin of the typical lakeland contours sits a unique
yeoman's cottage that was home to the Browne family for over 400 years.
This humble dwelling never witnessed occasions of lavish entertaining
for noted members of society, never had titled gentry or famous artists
as its occupants, and has no priceless art collections to proudly display
within its walls. The fascination of Townend is centred on the determination,
ambition, and pride of an established local farming family who set out
to better their lives and their social standing whenever the opportunity arose.
Starting out as a tiny 'one
up, one down' stone cottage built in the late 16th to early
17th century, a kitchen was added soon after George Browne
married. Legend has it that when his prospective in-laws, who were local
gentry living at Grizedale Hall, visited the basic little house where
Browne wanted to accommodate their daughter, they were nothing short of
horrified. After some negotiation, they did eventually agree to the marriage,
but with a proviso that George Browne extended his property. From this
first step up the social ladder, the Browne successors continued to make
judicious marriages, each time increasing their wealth and, in many instances,
enlarging the accommodation at Townend.
Throughout the generations,
the Browne's were locally renowned as skilled wood carvers and, when
the estates passed to the last George Browne during the Victorian era,
his contribution of decorative wood panels was extremely impressive.
Every room in the house has some elaborately carved pieces worked by
the accomplished hands of this George Browne and, as an antiquary, he
was also instrumental in the preservation of his ancestors' possessions.
The last member of the Browne family to live at Townend was his spinster
daughter, Clara, who remained there until she died in 1943 at the age
of 77. By all accounts she was a very hardy woman, managing all the
chores and surviving alone in this remote location, without the convenience
of running water, electricity or sanitation, for some 29 years.
Externally, Townend represents
a solid, compact house, typical of the Lake District's vernacular architecture,
yet this simple façade belies a complex history of building for which
few accurate records exist. The internal arrangement of rooms has obviously
been changed many times as a result of each new extension, and with
the individual needs of the growing families. What is evidently clear is
that it was a moderately comfortable home, albeit basic, and one that
the Browne's were proud to live in. Their possessions may not have held any great
monetary value, but everything was cared for, and many of the family
skills are demonstrated throughout the house.
Even today this intriguing
house is not easily accessible, but having wound up the steep lanes to
find Townend perched high above Lake Windermere, there can be few people
who would not be envious of its idyllic situation. |
