Johnby Hall
'Full of character and redolent of a long history… Johnby, with its potent evocation of northerly spirits, is a most unusual and singularly beguiling place.' ~Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd~
Welcome to Johnby Hall, a family- and dog-friendly place to stay, whether you want to take a week to explore the Lake District or just stop off on the road to or from Scotland.
Johnby Hall is a unique Tudor manor house built onto a fourteenth-century pele tower. It’s also a family home, and Henry and Anna Howard and their children are delighted to welcome you to share their house and garden, as guests for Bed & Breakfast in Kelly Cottage, or in one of the two self-catering apartments.
Steeped in history, the house was bought by the 10th Duke of Norfolk in 1783 and has been home to the Howard family ever since. Situated on the north-east edge of the Lake District National Park, amidst the fields and woods of a traditional upland farming estate in the tranquil heart of rural Cumbria, we’re also just ten or fifteen minutes from the M6.
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If you’re looking for a good night’s sleep, rest assured! The memory-foam mattresses on our king-size beds are so comfy that guests have been known to go straight off and buy one for themselves. All our single beds are also provided with up-to-date memory-foam mattresses.
The garden is a delight to wander in; children love to share the playhouses, swings and other garden toys, and make friends with the chickens and pigs (not to mention our own free-range youngsters!). Come in February/March to see a drift of snowdrops, or April/May for the stunning bank of wild daffodils; the roses are at their best in July, and the autumn colours never fail to bring their magic to the orchard and garden in October/November. Dogs run off-lead in several acres of adjacent woodlands. The garden and woods are home to all sorts of birds – nuthatches, treecreepers, woodpeckers, ravens, buzzards, woodcock – and there’s a good chance of seeing a red squirrel!
We’re both musicians – Henry is a tenor, and Anna is a harpist and soprano – and we love hearing guests playing our pianos in the Great Hall; if you’re staying in the Studio there’s even a parlour grand piano to practise on in your room.
All our guest accommodation is now heated by our two biomass boilers, one of which is powered by our home-grown wood.
We are delighted to be included in Alistair Sawday’s ‘Ethical Collection’ for our commitment to serving local food – not least our own happy breed of free-range rare-breed pigs.
As parents ourselves we’re committed to keeping accommodation for families reasonably priced. Children in the B&B stay for £15 each, and under-5s and their doggy friends stay for free.
