Townend

Important notice -

Townend will reopen on Wednesday 19 May. Booking is recommended to guarantee entry.

Atmospheric farmhouse full of quirky objects and fascinating stories

Please book ahead before visiting Check availability

More about this place

Two people looking at paintings at Townend

Visiting Townend: What you need to know 

Townend house and garden will reopen from Wednesday 19 May. Here's what you need to know before you visit.

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Townend

What's on

Please book ahead before visiting 

Townend will reopen from Wednesday 19 May. To guarantee entry please book in advance. However, where space is available, pre-booking may not always be necessary. We'll be releasing tickets every Friday, we're looking forward to welcoming you back.

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Upcoming events

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Timed entry to Townend (23 June - 25 June)

Wed 23 Jun 2021
10:00-15:15
Book your timed entry to visit Townend
Children taking part in the summer trail at Townend Play Video
Video

Visiting Townend

We have made a few changes to how things work at Townend, to ensure the safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers. Here's film to give you an idea of what to expect from your visit this year.

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Townend

Things to see and do

A William Longmire watercolor at Townend

NEW FOR 2021 - William Taylor Longmire exhibition 

Discover the life and work of William Taylor Longmire in our first ever art exhibition. The work of this self-taught farmer’s son tells an extraordinary story of Lakeland life, poverty and tourism at the end of the 19th century.

Woman in costume reading a book in the Townend library
A boy and woman looking at woodcarvings in Townend
Farm buildings at Townend

Social climbing, saucy stories and sheep 

Townend library is made up of around 1,500 books which cover many diverse topics. Find out more about the physical evidence they contain, such as greasy finger marks and corners turned over.

Wonderful woodcarvings and cheeky cheating 

George Browne spent many years decorating the old furniture at Townend. He created a very early 'fitted kitchen' and made a bookcase look 200 years older than it really was.

An historic barn 

Townend boasts one of the earliest - and still in working order - bank barns in Cumbria. It's still used today by the farmer for lambing and keeping sheep.

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Townend

History

An 'upcycled' wardrobe chest in the Housekeeper's room at Townend

Conserving and re-displaying Lucy Browne's wedding dress

Over the winter of 2017/18 we worked on cleaning and re-displaying Lucy Browne's silk 1832 wedding dress. this was naturally a very fragile piece and has had some natural damage over the years from light and atmospheric pollutants. Here you can see the process we took to clean and re-display it in a way which will give the dress the best possible support and environment for the future.

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Townend

Art and collections

Our collections

Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Townend on the National Trust Collections website

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© National Trust Registered Charity 205846 Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2NA

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