Wray Castle
Wray Castle stands on the western shore of Lake Windermere in the Lake District National Park, its Gothic Revival towers and battlements rising from a wooded promontory above the lake to create one of the most picturesque and unexpected architectural features on England's largest lake. Built between 1840 and 1845 for retired surgeon James Dawson and his wife Margaret, the castle was designed in the medieval Gothic style that was fashionable among wealthy Victorians who wished to give their new country houses the romantic associations of genuine antiquity, even though the building was entirely domestic in purpose and never intended for any defensive function. The architectural result is a playful and thoroughly enjoyable Victorian fantasy of what a medieval castle might look like, with towers, turrets, arrow slits and battlements applied to a building whose internal arrangements reflected the practical requirements of a comfortable nineteenth-century country house. The expense involved in creating this elaborate Gothic confection was considerable, and Margaret Dawson is reported to have been horrified by the final cost when the bills arrived. Her husband's response, that he was glad she had not known the total in advance, has a quality of resigned domesticity that makes the story one of the more humanising footnotes in Victorian architectural history. The castle has a particular significance in the life of Beatrix Potter, whose family rented it for summer holidays in the 1880s. It was during these visits that the young Beatrix developed her love of the Lake District landscape, the natural history of the area and the character of its farming communities, all of which fed directly into the stories and illustrations she began creating and which eventually produced Peter Rabbit and the books that followed. The connection is celebrated in the visitor interpretation at the castle, now managed by the National Trust. The grounds around the castle slope down to the lake shore and include woodland walks and lakeside access that provide excellent views across Windermere to the eastern fells. Boat trips on the lake can be combined with a visit to the castle, and the nearby village of Hawkshead and Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's own farmhouse, are within easy reach.