Brockhole hostel plans unveiled
There are plans to create a hostel at a Victorian country house in Cumbria that was once threatened with demolition.
Brockhole, on the shores of Windermere, is now owned by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA).
Built as a family home in 1900, the LDNPA at one time thought that its "rabbit warren" of rooms and corridors was not suitable for redevelopment.
It has since been turned into a visitor centre, and partners are now being sought to provide accommodation.
The move follows the success of initiatives such as a new jetty operated by Windermere Lake Cruises and the opening of a high ropes adventure course.
Adam Thomas, Brockhole's redevelopment director, said: "The decision to go out to the market for hostel provision at Brockhole has been something we have been considering for a while.
"A hostel provision fits perfectly with the other adventure activities on site and will help create a year-round market for groups and families."
The property is not listed, but proposals to demolish it led to protests by the Victorian Society.
The building has associations with the family of the writer Beatrix Potter, whose cousin Edith Potter married William Gaddum, the wealthy silk merchant from Manchester who built it.