Recently we enjoyed afternoon tea with friends, at the Langdale Chase Hotel on Lake Windermere. The Hotel has been recently refurbished and has stunning views and gardens. The gardens were originally designed by the Arts and Crafts garden designer Thomas Mawson, and they are still glorious today.
It is believed that Arthur Ransome was a frequent visitor to Langdale Chase, and it's easy to picture him scribbling notes down as he watched others sailing on the Windermere. The hotel was also used as the venue for the wrap party of the 1974 film Swallows and Amazons starring Virginia McKenna. A family friend was working as a PA to Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers at this time, and accompanied them on the filming of Swallows and Amazons. She attended the end of filming party and we heard all about it. This made the film, when it was released, even more exciting!
The Langdale Chase has been used in numerous films and TV adaptations including Agatha Christie's Dumb Witness and the BBC Drama Across the Lake.
The afternoon tea has a Swallows and Amazons theme and, whilst it might be a stretch of the imagination to say that the hotel inspired the novel, it is certainly possible to imagine Arthur Ransome being a frequent visitor.
We'll definitely be visiting again.
