Rusland Hall

[1] The main house (on the site of an earlier building) was built in about 1720 (and extended in the 1840s) by the Rawlinson family who also owned nearby Graythwaite Hall.

Much to William’s disapproval his eldest son, Thomas Rawlinson, was converted to the Quaker faith following George Fox’s visits to the Furness area.

Rusland Hall was taken for a time in the late 1880s as a holiday home by the family of Beatrice Webb, who with her husband Sidney founded the London School of Economics.

[7] Many rare items from the period in musical history preceding the gramophone could be seen and heard, including self-acting pianos, pianolas and even pneumatic "orchestrelle" organs.

The Birkbys also introduced white peacocks to Rusland Hall where they thrived and entranced visitors to the house and gardens.

Also time was spent restoring the old roses on the Lakeland slate steps and nurturing the ancient and rare trees such as the magnificent cedar of Lebanon which has been felled in recent years.