A much-loved home near Keswick comes with connections to one of the Lake District’s most eccentric residents of the late 18th century – and a rather unusual addition in the garden
Taking in its discreet location tucked into a fellside, its name and the cannon on the terrace, visitors might think they are not welcome at The Fort. It could suggest a warning of ‘enter at your peril’. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Just ask the red squirrels and birds that call daily to feast on the feeders laid out for them.
Just two miles from Keswick, The Fort is close to one of the most iconic – and photographed – locations in the Lake District. High up above Derwentwater on the road to Watendlath, Ashness Bridge is a favourite spot for being quintessentially Lakeland and a winter viewpoint for Borrowdale, Catbells, Whinlatter and Skiddaw.
The Fort lies a third of a mile down the hill from the 18th century packhorse bridge towards Derwentwater and its arrival onto the market represents a rare opportunity to buy a home in this well-known and much-loved location in the Lakes.
But being in a special place is not all this unique property has to offer; it comes with history too.
The Fort is understood to have been built before 1800 by Joseph Pocklington who was born in 1736, the son of a wealthy banking family from Nottinghamshire. He received a legacy at the age of 26 and was one of a generation of ‘affluent outsiders’ who “made their presence felt through the building of palatial houses and follies imposed upon the green, peaceful surroundings”, according to Wordsworth Grasmere.
Thanks to the bequest from his uncle, also Joseph, Pocklington enjoyed a life of leisure and flamboyance. He was High Sheriff of Nottingham in 1774 and in 1778 bought the most northerly island on Derwentwater, seemingly with a plan to spend summers in the Lakes and winters in his native Nottinghamshire.
His eccentric commissions for grand designs marked him out as one of the most ambitious of the newcomers to the area.
First, he built a conspicuous, two-storey white house on the island known as Derwent Isle House, as well as several follies including forts, grottos and a druid temple copied from the genuine stone circle at nearby Castlerigg.
His activity upset the locals, prompting poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge to call him ‘King Pocky’ and William Wordsworth, who thought houses should not be obvious or intrusive, to describe his buildings as “mere puerilities”.
Joseph then had a boathouse built on the north-east shore of the lake in the form of a chapel with a working bell tower, and batteries equipped with cannons on the east and south shores. A map by Lake District map maker Peter Crosthwaite of Pocklington’s properties shows one called The Fort, which may well have been the east shore battery.
It was all part of his indulgence which included organising regattas on Derwentwater with Crosthwaite, the first of which was held in 1781.
A Wordsworth Grasmere document notes: “Pocklington’s island buildings played a central part in the regatta’s main event, the mock battle. Crosthwaite would lead a fleet of boats in an attack against the island’s Fort Joseph, the fort repelling its attackers with cannon fire.”
Whether or not the cannons were firing live ammunition, isn’t known, but it is believed to be the origins of the heavy metal cannon at The Fort, which carries an inscription of ‘P’, possibly for Pocklington, upon it.
A regatta of August 28, 1789, is promoted in an announcement in the Cumberland Pacquet on August 19 by Wilfried Lawson, steward; Joseph Pocklington, “governor and commander in chief of the island”; and P Crosthwaite, “admiral and commander in chief of the fleet”.
It informs that a prize of six guineas will be given to the winning boat and “if more than three boats start the second shall be entitled to three guineas and the third to two guineas”. Anyone who has rowed in any previous regatta at Keswick will not be allowed to take part.
The race is due to start at 11.30am. Fort Joseph is to be “attacked immediately on the finishing of the boat race and signals during the attack will be made from the battery at Europa Point with heavy metal”. “Several other curious pieces of entertainment” are promised including a ball in the evening.
Perhaps tiring of ‘island life’, in 1796 Joseph moved to Barrow House, which he had commissioned around nine years earlier on the eastern shore and was named after a nearby beck and bay on the lake. The property lies a few hundred yards south along the lake road from The Fort, which is in a more elevated position.
At over 10,000sq ft, the white stucco Barrow House cost £1,655 to build and was initially called Barrow Cascade House because Pocklington had created a 108-foot high waterfall behind it (to compete with the nearby Lodore Falls) by having a stream diverted.
Barrow House remained a private home until the early 1900s later becoming a hotel and a youth hostel.
In 1798, Pocklington turned his attention to the Bowder Stone of Borrowdale, a short distance from The Fort and Barrow House, purchasing the site in 1798.
Now managed by the National Trust, the stone remains a source of fascination for its age and for being balanced upright upon its sharpest corner. Pocklington indulged his madcap fantasies, setting up ropes and ladders, digging a hole beneath it so people could shake hands for luck, installing a ‘druidical stone’ beside it and building a mock hermitage for an old woman to live in and charge a fee for using the ladder.
“The oddity of this amused us greatly,” wrote Robert Southey in his account of a visit, “provoking as it was to meet with such hideous buildings in such a place.”
A booklet by ME Brown about Pocklington, hilariously entitled The Man of No Taste Whatsover, confirms that the Bowder Stone was Joseph’s last project. A couple of years later, his family now in dire financial straits, he sold the island to Gerald Peachy, who quickly demolished his “deformities” to the relief of Southey and the artists, poets and writers who loved the Lake District. Pocklington died in 1817.
Despite his reputation for vulgarity among some of his properties, The Fort was not one of them.
Mark and Carol Seager bought it 24 years ago after immediately falling for its charms.
“We fell in love with it the minute we saw it: the character and the view over the lake was stunning,” says Mark.
The home’s fellside position is immediately apparent on entry. From the hallway, steps lead up to the master suite with adjacent dressing room and en suite shower, chosen for its panoramic views through an arched window over Derwentwater. Immediately below is the garden terrace and the cannon pointing towards the lake, with a window seat from which to enjoy the vista.
Going forward on this level is a refurbished bathroom and another bedroom with the same magnificent outlook through a wide, shallow window – different glazed openings will prove to be a characteristic of The Fort, and the Seagers have replaced them like for like in hardwood.
Back to the hallway and eight steps lead down past a WC before a few more steps drop down through glass doors into the kitchen diner. The Seagers had it refitted around six years ago with fashionable dark blue units with complementary Silestone worktops. Curved corners are a clever way of offering a more welcoming entry and the dining area enjoys both close-ups of wildlife on the terrace and far-reaching views through a large picture window.
This is where all the feeders are and wildlife emerges from the lake and woodland around the house. Strategically placed seats indoors mean they can be watched in all weathers without disturbance.
Access outside is via the large boot room cum fitted utility space. On the other side of the kitchen, an ante room or inner hall next to the kitchen could be a library or music room and beyond here is a further room that is currently a study with a slate fireplace and a glazed door leading out to the terrace.
Finally, beyond here is the main living room with a wide window to the front and an arched window to the side.
Ensuring every room has a view has been the driver with The Fort’s layout as a home so each is designed to maximise the lake and fells outlook. The terrace runs across the entire front too so in good weather it can be seen in all its outdoor glory.
In the landscaped garden, there is lots of interest with steps to different levels, paved areas, peaceful corners and paths to stone stores the back of the house.
A two-bedroom cottage stands on a flat area of the garden with a living room dominated by large picture windows. It has a kitchen and bathroom and is a self-contained, private space with the feeling of being in the heart of the woods.
“It’s been an absolute godsend. We didn't realise how beneficial it would be,” says Carol. “It's brilliant for teenagers, they love it, and it with the house has easily taken eight of us when friends and family have visited.”
Nick Elgey, property sales and marketing consultant for Hackney and Leigh, who is managing the sale of The Fort, says: “Iconic properties of this type and appeal rarely ever come on to the market.
“The adjacent detached cottage located within the grounds provides two additional bedrooms and is suitable for a variety of uses including accommodating guests. Externally there are delightful surrounding landscaped gardens, entertaining terraces, parking spaces and a detached double garage."
The Seagers had bought The Fort with plans to enjoy their retirement there, but the relatives they wish to be near are now based more in the South.
“Sadly, it’s time to let it go,” says Mark. “We knew the minute we walked through the door that we wanted it; it grabbed us straightaway, and we have never regretted buying it.
“It has been an investment for the soul. We have made lots of friends in the area and it will be hard to leave.”
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