Watermillock overlooks Ullswater, with Little Mell Fell in the background. This gives the village a strong connection to the landscape, as well as a waymarked circular route around the lake and a notable architectural history. When planning your visit, you can focus on different things: a walking stage, the historic traces around All Saints Church, or the landscape, which is also reflected in the area’s meadows and rocks.
Walking the Ullswater Way
The Ullswater Way is a 20-mile waymarked circular route around the whole of Ullswater. You can walk the full circuit or shorter sections, and include Ullswater Steamers and local bus services in your route planning. Check timetables separately if you want to plan your stages around them. One described section runs from Pooley Bridge to Aira Force, then to Watermillock Church and through the quiet woods of Swinburn Park.
All Saints Church lies just below Priest’s Fell on the Ullswater Way. It is therefore both a distinct landmark in the landscape and a point of interest for anyone who wants to explore the area’s architectural history along the way. Three Herdwick Stones stand on the stretch between Watermillock and Gowbarrow. The three Herdwick Stones are interpreted as a tribute to the role of sheep farming in the cultural heritage of the Ullswater Valley and the Lake District.
Church history and architecture
Church history in Watermillock dates back to 1218: the church of that time stood on the site of today’s Old Church Hotel. The present building of All Saints Church in Watermillock was built in 1881 from local stone by local craftsmen. Its masonry is made of Lakeland slate, complemented by carved red sandstone details and Victorian stained-glass windows. These details relate to different aspects of the building, from its construction to its surviving decorative features.
About four metres north of the church is the Grade II-listed Marshall Monument. The chest tomb is dedicated to John Marshall, who died in 1845, and his wife Jane, who died in 1847. The precise distance and the dates given connect the monument to the church and to local history.
Historic houses and landscape
The houses in Watermillock also tell the story of different periods of construction. Watermillock House dates from the late 17th century and was extended in the late 18th century. The house and the adjoining part of Magnolia Cottage are Grade II* listed. Cove Farm and Smithy also date from the late 17th century and were altered in the early 18th century. Together, these buildings offer different examples of how the village’s architectural history spans several centuries.
The landscape also includes the wildflower-rich meadows in the churchyard. In the Watermillock area, including Swinburn’s Park, the oldest Ordovician formations lie mostly beneath the fields. Black slate rocks of the Skiddaw Group are exposed in some stream beds. The geological features are therefore not equally visible everywhere: some lie hidden beneath the fields, while individual stream beds reveal outcrops.
Practical information
Watermillock Village Hall is on the western side of Ullswater, 200 yards from the A592 lakeside road. The hall and the adjoining field can be rented by the day, by the week or for longer; camping may be included. Check availability in advance if you would like to include this option in your plans. Ullswater Holiday Park has floating moorings, berths at a pier and a concrete slipway for launching boats. Check the latest usage details in advance if you plan to use these facilities.
Discover more destinations: Windermere, Winton, Grange Over Sands, Little Langdale, Carlisle, Portinscale, Seascale, Kirkby Thore.
For the broader travel overview: Cumbria.
