We had been in Bowerdale at a farmhouse cottage for a family celebration and on our way home we visited Dalemain with our Historic Houses membership for free. There's a free car park. We managed to get on the last tour of the mansion at 2pm and it was very interesting. It is famous for their marmalade festival and there is a designated museum within the house paying homage to it. They get entries from across the world. If you are planning on doing the tour then get there in plenty of time because to gain entrance to the site means having to queue with everyone buying from their café/shop so that was a bit annoying although they did say that one of the tills wasn't working. Staff were all pleasant and friendly, happy to have a chat. We only had time to walk around the immediate gardens although there are plenty of different sections, each with it's own history. And longer walks available. We went for a cuppa and a piece of marmalade cake that was absolutely delicious before heading home. Will definitely visit again.

Great guided tour around the house, the guide was very knowledgeable, the gardens are lovely too. This year's marmalade competition winner produced a fantastic marmalade that is worth buying.

Excellent tour of the house and beautiful gardens to wander around. (We booked the tour in advance as recommended to us, as its still the home of the family). Lots of history and interesting facts on the tour, many rooms to view. Free parking, clean toilets, cafe and lots of marmalde on sale. Home of the Marmalade Championships.

Nestled in the beautiful Lake District, Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens is far more than a stately home. It is a lived-in family residence with over 900 years of history, where medieval survival, Georgian elegance, and remarkable personal stories combine to create a memorable visit. Although the most recognisable part of the house is Georgian, Dalemain also contains Tudor and medieval features. Remarkably, only three families have owned the estate during its long history. The earliest were the de Morvilles, who built a defensive peel tower during the violent Border Reiver era when raids and killings were common along the Anglo-Scottish border. Ownership later passed to the Layton family before Edward Hasell purchased the estate in the late nineteenth century for less than £3,000. Photography is not permitted inside, which encourages visitors to fully absorb the atmosphere and detail of the rooms. One of the highlights is the Chinese Room, home to what is believed to be the finest preserved fully dressed Chinese wallpaper in the country. Imported in 1756 at a cost of £10 and 2 shillings, specialists travelled from London to install it. The room is beautifully furnished with Gillow furniture, Chinese lanterns, and exquisite crewel-work face-saver fire screens. The formal dining room continues the Georgian grandeur, with much of the furniture made by Gillows of Lancaster. A particularly fascinating object is the elephant-shaped pineapple holder — a reminder that pineapples were once luxury status symbols worth the modern equivalent of around £1,000 and often displayed purely for prestige. Dalemain is internationally known for its annual Marmalade Festival, which attracts visitors from around the world, including Japanese guests dressed in traditional kimonos. The event is even filmed for Japanese television. The peel tower now houses a small museum displaying military memorabilia and cavalry uniforms worn by family members. The photographs and personal histories provide a sobering insight into wartime sacrifice. One of the most inspiring stories in the house belongs to Eva Hasell. Her bedroom includes a private prayer room reflecting her strong faith and dedication to missionary work. She travelled across remote parts of Canada in a specially adapted Ford ambulance, teaching children to read and running Sunday schools. For forty years she spent half the year fundraising in Britain and the other half travelling through isolated Canadian communities. Eventually, around forty of these vehicles — known as the “Vanners” — operated across Canada, all driven and maintained by women. Eva later received an MBE for her work. The Marmalade Museum occupies a room once believed to be haunted. According to local legend, a young boy described seeing a man whose coat disappeared into the floor. Only later did people realise the floor level had been raised, meaning the apparition appeared to stand at the original height. The Housekeeper’s Parlour is one of the most atmospheric rooms in the house. Warm and intimate, it is easy to imagine the housekeeper enjoying pudding by the fire while, on Sundays, maids gathered there to sing hymns and toast muffins. Original kitchen and household items add greatly to its charm. The visit ends in the impressive Banqueting Hall, dominated by a magnificent fireplace and a hidden priest hole above it — a reminder of the dangers faced by Catholic families during periods of religious persecution. Dalemain does not feel like a museum frozen in time. Instead, it feels warm, personal, and deeply loved — a home where history continues to live on through the family who still care for it.

The cake in the cafe was great. We had a very interesting tour through the house and spent some time in the really beautiful gardens.