The Story of Thorney How
For our February Reading Retreat, we will be gathering at Thorney How for the weekend. It is a historic property in Grasmere with a story that stretches from its roots in Lakeland farming to its place in the early history of youth hostelling. For almost eight decades, it welcomed people looking to explore the Lake District, becoming part of a wider movement that made the countryside more accessible to a new generation of walkers and adventurers.
Tell us a little about the history of Thorney How.
Thorney How’s story begins long before it became a destination for walkers and holidaymakers. Originally a Lakeland farmhouse, the building grew out of a landscape shaped by generations of rural life, when farming, local trades and the changing seasons dictated the rhythm of everyday life.
The building itself tells part of that story. Its older southern section predates an eastern wing added during the eighteenth century, creating the L-shaped structure that forms part of its architectural character today. Built in traditional Lakeland stone with slate roofing and historic architectural details, Thorney How reflects the practical building traditions of a region where homes needed to withstand the elements while serving the needs of the people who lived and worked in them.
Over time, the world around Grasmere began to change. As the Lake District became increasingly popular with visitors drawn by its scenery, walking routes and literary associations, buildings that had once served agricultural communities began to take on new roles.
Thorney How would become part of that transformation, moving from a private farmhouse into a place that helped open up the countryside to a much wider public.
How did Thorney How become one of the pioneering youth hostels?
The defining moment in Thorney How’s history came on 10 July 1932, when it opened as a Youth Hostels Association (YHA) hostel. It had a particularly important place in the organisation’s early development, becoming known as Grasmere A and recorded as the first property owned outright by the YHA.
The YHA itself had been established in 1930, inspired by a growing movement to make outdoor recreation and countryside travel more accessible. At a time when holidays away from home could be beyond the reach of many people, youth hostels offered a simpler and more affordable way to explore the landscape.
Thorney How was part of this new approach to travel. Rather than staying in expensive hotels, visitors could find practical accommodation that allowed them to spend their time walking, discovering the fells and enjoying the outdoors.
The Carnegie Trustees provided £1,070 towards the purchase of the property, helping establish its place within this pioneering network. It was a significant change in purpose for a building that had originated in the farming landscape, giving Thorney How a new social role at a time when access to the countryside was becoming an increasingly important part of British leisure culture.
What was life like at Thorney How in its early years as a hostel?
The early years of a youth hostel were about much more than providing somewhere to sleep. They were about creating a practical base for people who wanted to experience the countryside, whether they were seasoned walkers or discovering the Lake District for the first time.
Thorney How's history includes some wonderfully ordinary details that bring this period to life. By 1933, camping facilities were being offered at special rates, extending the opportunities for visitors to enjoy the surrounding landscape. Records also refer to an agreement to spend £5 concreting the barn floor, a small but revealing glimpse into the practical work involved in adapting an older rural property for its new purpose.
These details are part of what makes the building's history so interesting. Its transformation was not simply a change of name or ownership. It involved adapting an existing farmhouse to meet the needs of a different generation of visitors.
There is a real continuity between those early guests and the people who come to Grasmere today. The reasons for visiting may vary, but the appeal of getting away from everyday routines, spending time outdoors and finding somewhere welcoming to return to remains much the same.
How did Thorney How's story continue through the Second World War?
One of the most striking chapters in Thorney How's history is its continued operation during the Second World War. While the country was experiencing enormous upheaval, the hostel remained part of the YHA network, providing accommodation for people travelling to the Lake District.
Records from March 1941 show that the organisation was concerned about the possibility of Thorney How being requisitioned for wartime use. An internal circular emphasised its importance to members travelling from South Lancashire and West Yorkshire.
That detail gives us a glimpse of the role the hostel played beyond Grasmere itself. It was serving people from industrial communities who wanted to escape into the countryside, making the surrounding landscape accessible to visitors from further afield.
Its continued operation through the war years is a reminder that Thorney How was more than a historic building. It was a functioning part of a wider network, providing people with opportunities to travel and experience the outdoors during a period when everyday life was far from ordinary.
What happened as the Lake District became more popular with visitors?
By the 1950s, the popularity of youth hostelling had created a new challenge. Thorney How's accommodation was increasingly struggling to meet demand, particularly from larger school groups and organised parties.
The YHA expanded its presence around Grasmere, with High Close opening in 1954 and Butharlyp How following in 1958. These additional hostels offered more capacity as interest in walking holidays and outdoor education continued to grow.
There is an interesting irony in this part of Thorney How's story. The hostel had helped establish an affordable way for people to discover the Lake District, but the growing popularity of that very idea eventually placed pressure on the original building.
By the late 1950s, renovation at Thorney How had become an increasingly pressing consideration. Its history reflects a broader challenge faced by historic buildings: finding ways to adapt to changing needs while retaining the character and significance of the place itself.
In 1967, Thorney How was formally recognised as a Grade II listed building, acknowledging its special architectural and historic interest. That designation helped protect the physical fabric of a property whose story had already spanned generations of changing life in the Lakes.
When did Thorney How's time as a youth hostel come to an end?
After welcoming generations of walkers and visitors, Thorney How closed as a YHA hostel in 2010, bringing an end to a remarkable period that had begun in 1932.
Its 78 years as a hostel connected the building to a significant chapter in the history of British outdoor recreation. During that time, the idea of exploring the countryside through affordable accommodation became familiar to generations of travellers, families, school groups and walking enthusiasts.
But the end of its life as a youth hostel did not mean the end of its story. Thorney How subsequently continued to be associated with visitor accommodation, reflecting the changing ways people experience and enjoy the Lake District.
Its journey from farmhouse to youth hostel and onwards into modern hospitality illustrates how historic buildings can take on new purposes while remaining connected to the places and communities around them.
What makes Thorney How such a fitting setting for our February Reading Retreat?
There is something particularly appealing about spending time in a building that has welcomed travellers for so many decades. Thorney How has witnessed changing generations, different ways of travelling and evolving ideas about how people should be able to experience the countryside.
For our February Reading Retreat, that history feels especially appropriate. A reading retreat is an opportunity to slow down, step away from everyday responsibilities and make room for stories, conversation and reflection. Thorney How's past as a welcoming base for people exploring the Lakes gives that experience an added sense of continuity.
Grasmere itself has a remarkable literary heritage. William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy lived at nearby Dove Cottage from 1799, finding inspiration in the landscape, the changing seasons and the details of everyday life. Their connection to the area helped establish Grasmere as a place where landscape and literature are closely intertwined.
In February, the surrounding landscape offers a different atmosphere from the busier months of the year. The fells can feel dramatic beneath winter skies, the paths are often quieter and the season invites a slower pace.
It is an ideal setting for a retreat centred on books and the pleasure of reading. Guests can spend time exploring the village and surrounding countryside before returning to a historic building with its own story to tell.
What do you hope guests take away from their time at Thorney How?
One of the most rewarding things about a reading retreat is the opportunity to bring people together around something they love. Books give us a way to explore different lives, places and perspectives, while sharing those experiences with other readers often introduces us to stories we might never have discovered on our own.
Thorney How adds another dimension to that experience. Its history reminds us that places evolve, that buildings can take on new meanings over time and that the experiences of the people who pass through them become part of their wider story.
From its beginnings as a Lakeland farmhouse to its role in the early youth hostel movement, Thorney How has adapted to the changing ways people live, travel and explore the countryside.
We hope guests leave with a renewed love of reading, a few new recommendations, time they will remember and a deeper appreciation of the landscape surrounding them.
After all, the best retreats are about more than simply getting away. They create the space to discover something new, reconnect with what matters and become part of a story that continues long after the visit ends.
Sources:
1. British Listed Buildings: Thorney Howe Youth Hostel
https://gb.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101245189-thorney-howe-youth-hostel-lakes
2. Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham: YHA Archives
https://calmview.bham.ac.uk/
3. Independent Hostels UK: Thorney How and its History
https://independenthostels.co.uk/natters/congratualtions-to-thorney-how-for-achieving-the-gold-green-tourism-award/
4. Independent Hostels UK: Thorney How Accommodation
https://independenthostels.co.uk/natters/thorney-how-provides-comfortable-accommodation-to-families-and-outdoor-enthusiasts-in-the-lakes/
5. Wordsworth Grasmere: Literary History of Grasmere
https://wordsworth.org.uk/wordsworth/the-place/
6. Historic England: Heritage and Architectural Research
https://historicengland.org.uk/
7. Cumbria County History Trust
https://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/
8. Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA): Thorney How
https://camra.org.uk/pubs/thorney-how-grasmere-190654
