THE HOUSE & HISTORY
"Broad Leys – Voysey's masterpiece on the lake"

Charles F.A.Voysey was born in Yorkshire in 1857
He first studied with J. P. Seddon until 1874 then with George Devey for a year. Voysey's early work was as a designer of wallpapers, fabrics and furnishings but he made his name as an arts and crafts architect of a number of outstanding country houses, these typically exhibit white rough rendered walls with horizontal ribbon windows and large pitched roofs and are recognised as his distinctive style through their simplicity and originality.

Broad Leys, a superb example of Voysey's design lies just south of Bowness-on-Windermere in the English Lake District. Voysey's masterpiece according to Pevsner, “Overlooking Windermere, with extensive front terraced gardens and three distinct large curved bay windows, stretching from the ground to the fist floor, providing magnificent views over the lake”.

Broad Leys is the Headquarters of the Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club a private members club, that has traditionally allowed members of the public occasional access to this magnificent building to marvel at the works of Voysey.

Members decided rather than to keep such a historical masterpiece to ourselves, to invest heavily in time and resources and return the bedrooms to their original classic Arts and Crafts style and offer the unique opportunity of staying at Broad Leys, arguably Voyseys finest work, a true show piece of his genius.

Voysey's fame derived through total disregard of contemporary design at the time. He drew away from the ornate and intricate look, so many architects and designers favoured during Victorian times and began a fresh look, using straight lines, gentle curves and open spaces. He took something of a minimalist approach and held firm in the belief that less is more, an attitude we see readily returning today.The Hall/Lounge is a true reflection of Voysey's desire for open space and this has been retained despite the demands of modern day living.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, another influential architect of around the same period concentrated his efforts around Glasgow, being Scottish this seemed only natural and he is accredited for the formation of "The Glasgow Style" One of his most famous accomplishments being "The Glasgow School of Art".

Included in his portfolio are both private residences and churches. In a similar vein to Voysey he opted for white walls and straight lines adhering to simplistic designs, which was revolutionary at the time. Many of his works are within 2 1/2 hours of Broad Leys, which means that those interested in the architectural trail of the turn of the century can easily experience the works of these two famous architects.

As if that isn't enough, barely ten minutes away from Broad Leys is Blackwell, a superb example of Arts and Crafts movement architecture by H. Baillie Scott, which has recently been restored and opened to the public as a gallery for craft and applied arts. It was built as a holiday home for Sir Edward Holt, a brewer from Manchester who also served two terms as Lord Mayor. Blackwell was completed in 1900 and is of international importance, standing at the crossroads of Victorian design and modern architecture of the 20th century.

Incredibly much of Blackwell’s original charm, and internal design has been retained undisturbed through the last century a particularly impressive feat due to the increasing trend of interior modification in the name of “Modernisation”