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Levens Hall

Levens Hall, Kendal: Hours, Address, Levens Hall Reviews: 4.5/5

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Levens Hall

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Levens Hall
4.5
657
#2 of 40 things to do in Kendal
Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
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10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
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About
Levens Hall is a stunning family home with exceptional Elizabethan interiors and the finest furniture, clocks and paintings. Explore the fascinating artefacts linking the Hall to the Duke of Wellington, marvel at the world's largest and oldest topiary gardens before visiting the gift shop and Levens Kitchen for refreshments. House & Gardens open Sunday to Thursday (Closed Fridays and Saturdays) from 3 April - 6 October 2022. Levens Kitchen open 7 days a week, 1000-1600 (1700 when House and Gardens open) from 17 January - 22 December 2022 (closed 1-16 January 2022).
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
658 reviews
Excellent
448
Very good
159
Average
33
Poor
10
Terrible
8
ChestnutsWay
Kendal, UK238 contributions
A very pleasant evening out at a modest price.
We have often visited the Hall at Levens and enjoyed the park, the gardens, the Hall and the restaurant. When the opportunity to visit to see the gardens floodlit we were happy to pay a very modest £10 per person to view them. Although fully booked on the evening we went, parking was easy. As it was not fully dark we firstly enjoyed an excellent supper of local and seasonal food in Levens Kitchen. All modestly priced.
We then enjoyed the house, with the ground floor being open to visitors. The subdued lighting was in keeping with the seasonal effect, and the house was nicely decorated. The choir was excellent and the house felt in tune with the Christmas occasion.
Although having seen the gardens many times, this was the first time we had seen them floodlit. The topiary lends itself to coloured lights and the effect was very pleasing. Excellent for photography. We made some purchases from the stalls- all of whom said business was brisk. Covid was never very far from our minds, but we felt that very good precautions had been taken and numbers limited with that in mind. All in all a very pleasant evening at a very modest price. It is to be hoped that they will repeat the event next year.
Written December 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Malcolm M
Haddington, UK69 contributions
Soup and Sandwich!!
We were travelling south with friends and stopped for a break and a bite to eat here. We opted for a soup and sandwich as we were to dine later with friends. Be aware! This place in providing soup and sandwich, means business. The soup, cream of celeriac, was substantial, accompanied with a substantial piece of delicious bread. The sandwiches (beef and horseradish, and cheese and salad were huge and well filled - the bread being again delicious. I made the mistake of ordering a side dish of French Fries which though, equally delicious, were just too much. The restaurant gave hugely good value and incidentally, the walk round the gardens is recommended, for the amazing topiary - as well as to recover from a formidable serving of good food. i regret that dining with friends that evening saw some of us having to restrict ourselves to a starter as main course asa result.
Written July 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Bansteadfamily
Surrey, UK280 contributions
Lovely house, not enough time.
THis is an amazing house with a huge history and a wealth of artefacts in each room. If only there had been enough time to see them properly. The tours are 45 minutes and our guide was very knowledgeable but in the short time in each room she pointed out the things SHE was interested in rather than what we might have wanted to know about. There was no hanging about to look ata nything else and we were rushed o to the next room. Very disappointing. Could easily spend another hour in the house. The fair price charged for the house is reflective of the short time allocated but we would rather have paid a bit more, spent more time and felt that we had really seen the house. The gardens of course with the topiary are quite spectacular.
Written October 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Katie
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK9 contributions
Santa forgot to come to "Christmas" at Levens Hall
Couples
We bought Christmas tickets for Levens Hall for £10 each and haven't got over the shock of where that money went. It was advertised as a sold out event offering live music, lit up gardens, Christmas markets where we could get any last minute gifts. We thought we had missed a huge area of the event, there were 9 stalls in total, no live music, we saw 4 rooms of the Hall and had 2 drinks with no change out of a tenner just to allow us time to get over how royally ripped off we felt. So disappointing, gardens were beautiful but unclear how they can get away with charging admission to a glorified museum with a couple of Christmas trees.
Written December 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Susan T
County Durham, UK12 contributions
Disappointed in the gardens
We visited levens hall garden yesterday but were very disappointed in the gardens. Three adults at a price of £31.50 was a rip off for what we saw. The main borders were VERY untidy and hadn’t been tended for sometime. I appreciate that flowers die off through the year but there was a lot of maintenance that could of been done that wasn’t. The box hedging that used to be there clearly has been affected by box blight but surely new planting of perhaps yew could of replaced all this. It was an utter mess. Sorry to see the lovely topiary had been removed to make the new cafe how sad that was to see. The cafe left a lot to be desired and they couldn’t even get three coffee orders correct. We waited some time to be served only to find the order was wrong and so one person was left to drink there coffee alone as others were finished by the time the right order was served. Definitely won’t be spending time at levens hall again. If you want a lovely garden to see visit Holehird near Windermere cared for by volunteers. It’s wonderful.
Written July 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Andy D
3 contributions
Inflexible customer service
Couples
Popped in on way to the Lakes. Booked a tour of the house leaving an hour for lunch. Unfortunately a combination of a long and slow queue in the cafe and cold soup having to be sent back meant we were 5 minutes late for our tour.

Notwithstanding the circumstances we were turned away in a rather perfunctory way and there being no further tours being available that day we left disappointed.
Written September 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
MontrachetJ
Clitheroe, UK593 contributions
Such cleverness in the garden...
Magical. Whilst I had seen pictures I wasn't prepared for quite how effective this garden is. The topiary is magnificent, of course, and barely diminished by the box blight that others have mentioned; the perspectives are magnificent and we spent a long time trying different angles. Planting between the hedging is stunningly effective and shows a real mastery of colour; even the gravel in the paths seemed to fit in with the cleverness of the palate. The discovery of the water lily pond and the vegetable area (some very healthy specimens there) was a pleasant surprise. So okay, it's August and some plants are going over in the borders but there's still plenty to catch your eye (even now the hostas were stunning, despite the impact of pests). For around £10 we thought it real value. It's probably not a place to spend hours but it's a place we'll return to. We didn't look round the inside of the house (a curious mish-mash of a place from the outside, some of which is more pleasing to the eye than the rest) and found the cafe a bit limited before noon, when it clearly comes into its own - the breakfast choices looked just a little too exciting!
Written August 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Flemming B
11 contributions
A beautiful and tasty day out
Came upon Levens Hall by chance as we literally got stuck in traffic lights right outside their main entrance. Rather than carry on, we decided to take a break an have a look around. Ended up having lunch in the well managed and carefully controlled Corvid-19 restaurant, where we enjoyed a tasty plate of food followed by tea and huge slices of scrumptious cake.
Afterwards paid the reasonable sum of £21 for both of us to see the gardens. That was money well spent as the gardens offered some tranquil walking in the most splendid setting amongst tall Beach hedges, sweet smelling autumn flowers and fun shaped plant sculptures.
Written September 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Levens Kitchen
Delighted to hear that you enjoyed your visit to us (despite having to suffer the traffic lights outside which, thankfully, are now gone!). Hope to welcome you back soon.
Written September 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
UkYorkshirelass99
UK125 contributions
Could do better….
Visited early on the last evening of the event. Parking was well organised. The topiary garden was beautifully lit. The snowflake images projected on to Hall wall were a bit amateurish. The decorations in the rooms open to view were subtle to say the least and the lighting so poor it was impossible to take a good look at the artefacts and paintings in the rooms. Maybe this was a subtle ploy to encourage visitors to return for a better view in daylight? Having said that, did not begrudge the £10 entry fee. Exiting was difficult as many cars were still arriving.
Written January 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
meriden1
Coventry, UK45 contributions
Well done
Couples
Lovely to see that they have put things in place to open the House as well as the gardens. You buy your garden entrance ticket on line and then can upgrade to include house entrance on the day if numbers allow. Gardens look lovely even after all the recent rain.
Written July 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Levens Hall
Levens Hall is open:
  • Sun - Thu 10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
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