Levens Hall

Levens Hall is an Elizabethan mansion in the Kent valley, Cumbria, in northern England, about 9 km south of Kendal beside the village of Levens. The house grew around a 13th-century pele tower, and it carries Grade I status, the top tier of English listing. Its garden is on the national register of historic parks and gardens, and it is the clipped yew and box shapes that draw most visitors.

What will you see at Levens Hall?

The star attraction is the topiary garden. Guillaume Beaumont, gardener to King James II, laid it out in the late 1600s for the owner, Colonel James Grahme. The plan has barely changed since, which is why the garden is regarded as one of the best surviving topiary gardens of its era in Britain. More than a hundred clipped pieces stand here, and some top nine metres. Expect chess-piece figures, cones, umbrellas and abstract forms rising from the borders.

Look out for the ha-ha in the park, a sunken ditch with a retaining wall that keeps livestock out without a visible fence. Sources date it to around 1694, among the earliest in England.

Inside, the house shows how a fortified tower became a family residence over the centuries, with Elizabethan wings and later alterations. Owners have included the Bellingham, Grahme, Howard and Bagot families.

How do you get to Levens Hall?

The hall sits just off the A590, a short drive from Kendal. A car is the easiest option, since public transport in the area is infrequent. Levens also works well as a day trip from Kendal or the southern Lake District.

When should you visit, and for how long?

The property opens seasonally, roughly from late March to early November. In 2026 the garden ran from 10:00 to 17:00 and the house from 11:00 to 15:30, with some closure days. Hours change from year to year, so check the official website before you set off. Allow around three hours for house and garden together. Late spring and summer suit the topiary best, when the hedges are freshly trimmed and the borders between the shapes are in flower.

Frequently asked questions

Is Levens Hall open all year? No. It operates from spring to autumn, and you cannot visit it in winter.

Where is Levens Hall? In the Kent valley, Cumbria, around 9 km south of Kendal, next to the village of Levens.

Do you pay separately for the house and the garden? There is a combined house and garden ticket and a cheaper gardens-only option. Current prices are on the official website.

What is the highlight of the garden? Over a hundred topiary pieces from the late 17th century, some higher than nine metres, plus the historic ha-ha in the park.