Often things close to home are overlooked and so it is with Chance’s Park in Carlisle.
Situated just off the busy Wigton Road (A595), heading west from Carlisle City centre, this community resource has recently undergone a great deal of restoration work.
Morton Manor, Carlisle
The park forms part of the grounds of the former Morton Manor Estate. Centre piece is of course the house which over the years has been known as Morton House, Morton Manor and Morton Head.
Chance’s Park history
Built around 1807 Morton Manor was home for the Forster family, who had in 1792 set up a bank in Carlisle city centre. The bank failed in 1836.
Morton Manor was purchased in 1853 by Joseph Ferguson of Ferguson Brothers, the local mill owners.
The house remained in the family until 1898 when it passed to a nephew of Robert Ferguson, Frederick Chance, who was the Managing Director of Ferguson Brothers at that time.
At some point after this Frederick Chance passed the house to his son Robert Chance who gifted the house and grounds to the City of Carlisle in 1944 for use by the community.
Robert continued to live in the house until his death in 1960.
Gardens by Gilpin
The gardens of Morton Manor were laid out in the early 1850s by the landscape gardener, William Sawrey Gilpin. He was the son of the renowned animal painter, Sawrey Gilpin.
The ha-ha at Chance's Park, Carlisle
William Gilpin was also the designer of the gardens at Hutton in the Forest and Pell Wall Hall in Shropshire.
Surrounding the house and garden is a ha-ha. This vertical ditch with a wall on the house side was designed to keep animals from straying into the house grounds whilst not impeding the view from the house.
Known for his flair for creating picturesque designs, W.S Gilpin commissioned a number of trees to be planted including walnut, tulip trees and red and turkey oak.
Restoration
Towards the end of 2009, a major restoration project was started to restore the gardens and surroundings of Morton Manor.
Ruth and Mary Chance cut the first sods to mark the start of the £1.18million restoration of the park, gifted to the city by their father, a former Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Robert Chance, in 1944.
Restored flower beds are havens for wildlife
Spearheading the restoration of the area is a group calling itself the Friends of Chance’s Park.
Wide paths and a gentle walk
All of the paths within the park have a gentle slope making them ideal for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Close to the house, the paths are wide and finished in a sand coloured stone gravel.
Alongside these paths are hundreds of well cared for plants full of bees and other insects enjoying the late summer sunshine.
Charlie enjoyed laying down on the cool grass whilst dad took loads of photographs.
Bees love the many flowers in the borders
Nearby a wedding party were also taking photographs. Thankfully the rain promised for the early afternoon stayed away just long enough for the day to be special for the bride and groom.
Many new wooden seats have been installed in this part of the park and mum decided to take a few moments to sit and look around for gardening tips and ideas.
Plants in the borders seem to have been planted with bees and butterflies in mind including wild burnet, perovskia, rudbeckias, geraniums and verbenas, among others.
We are not sure if this is sympathetic to the original planting scheme or a modern interpretation but it is very beautiful and creates a lovely relaxing setting away from the rolling fields of main park area.
Sadly a large green wire fence has had to be erected around the gardens close to the house to protect it ,we assume, from vandalism. However, the many gates are open during daylight hours allowing free access.
We enjoyed our walk around the new park and the many new sniffs, so well done to everyone involved in the restoration project and we will be back later in the year.
Until next time
Buster and Charlie.
