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BB2632
: Thanks
to the Ace of Hearts
Wednesday
30th September 2026
Don was in Crete on
red alert for extreme rainfall. Lacking his leadership, the rest of us typically fail to organise much more than a
pub lunch. But not this time.
Mike took charge and established a split preference for a walk on Wednesday
or Thursday. The day with the better weather forecast would normally be
favoured, but Mike had the further initiative to radically propose two walks.
Wednesday’s group left Levens Village.....
..... for a gentle stroll around Levens
Deer Park, chosen to accommodate one walker’s bad back and Holly’s preference
for moderate distance. The park circuit
was very familiar but routes to and from Levens Bridge proved new to Robin, Stan
and Stuart.
Despite an adverse forecast, the rain soon stopped and out came the
sun. Mike subsequently joined us for lunch and ale in the Hare & Hounds and
Stan concluded that “it was a grand day out”. Lacking a volunteer scribe at the
time, we concluded that Stan’s six-word summary might suffice for the blog. But
as walk leader, yours truly has now stepped up to the task.
But why was this walk thanks to the Ace of Hearts?
James Graeme bought Levens Hall and its surrounding lands in 1689 after
Alan Bellingham had lost the estate on the turn of a card, the ace of hearts,
in a gambling game. Colonel Graeme then hired French gardener Guillaume
Beaumont to plan the layout of the deer park and plant the dramatic mile-long
avenues of oaks to frame the park and flank the River Kent.
Had it not been for the ace of hearts, this timeless scenic parkland
with its fallow deer and rare-breed Bagot goats might have simply ended up as
farmland.
Robert, 30th September
2026
Robin’s
account:
Remember,
remember the 5th of November
Gunpowder,
treason and plot.
I see no reason why
gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot
What
has the Gunpowder Plot got to do with today’s
walk – well, let’s see…
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We
met at the rough stone lay-by,
just up from the Hare &
Hounds, under trees dripping
early morning rain.
Led
by Robert, we turned and climbed
the secluded steps alongside
the site allocated for the new
Levens Village Hall and into
the courtyard of 19 th -Century
St John’s Church with its perhaps
unique, slate-roofed wooden
framework, housing three large
bells imported from nearby Milnthorpe
sometime around 1913, because
the church lacked a robust bell
tower.
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Then
through the village and across the fields,
Holly attracting unwanted attention of the
usually docile black and white Holstein
Friesian cattle, over the ever busy A590
via the single track accommodation bridge,
or cow bridge as it is sometimes called
and on along a field path towards Levens
Deer Park, the main objective of today’s
rustic ramble.
We
clambered down the second short flight of
stone steps into the Park, immediately enjoying
a long view up the regularly spaced tree-lined
Avenue with its ancient oaks and the drowsy
River Kent sparkling in the sunshine running
alongside, below our path. The Avenue forms
the original grand carriageway to Levens
Hall and was planted, along with the world-famous
topiary, by Guillaume Beaumont between 1689
and 1712. The Avenue runs for nearly two
miles and was threatened in 1970 by a proposed
routing of the A590 cutting through the
Park. Happily this potential act of vandalism
was fought off by a successful public campaign.
As we wandered down The Avenue, over to
our left we saw the herd of Norwegian Black
Fallow Deer .....
.....and
a few of the rare breed Bagot Goats.
Circling
around the end of the Park took us in view
of some different Gunpowder plots – no treason
involved here. These are the crumbling ruins
of the Old Sedgwick Gunpowder Works on the
east bank and the New Gunpowder Works on
the west bank of the River Kent, near to
the salmon leap.
These
are 18th- and 19th-century gunpowder works
that supplied black powder for the many
regional mines and quarries. The long, narrow
layout of the works and isolated river setting
were chosen for safety, but, sadly, did
not prevent multiple fatal explosions.
Ownership
at various times was by the Wakefield family
of Kendal, Nobel Industries and more latterly
by ICI, production finally ceasing in 1935.
The remnants are protected monuments managed
in part by the National Trust.
We
strolled back into the Park along the footpath
running under the huge concrete road bridge
and up the lane to Park Head.
Elevenses
were enjoyed in the Park sitting along a
fallen tree trunk while a number of those
of lesser years and greater energy jogged
by.
We
left the Park, crossed the road and into
a small coppice hiding a narrow track which
eventually took us along the field edge,
passing in the near distance ancient Low
Levens Farm on the Levens Hall Estate, managed
by the same family for five generations
since 1908.
Walking
back over the A590 carriageways via the
cow bridge - which had much evidence of
having recently been trailed by cows, but
meaning that none were now in the field
- we returned to Levens Village and the
cars.
But
.......
Remember,
remember the 5th of November
Gunpowder,
treason and plot.
I see no reason why
gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot
.....
we knew there was more plotting to be done
as we strode briskly to the Hare & Hounds
for traditional refreshment.
Robin,
30th September 2026
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