50 years in the hotel industry

In 2002, we celebrated 50 years in the hotel industry, commemorating five decades since the family business began to take shape at Low Wood. The anniversary reflected the development of English Lakes from its beginnings at Low Wood into a wider family-owned hotel group. Our first guests at Low Wood were welcomed in spring 1953 under Norman Buckley, although English Lakes records 2002 as its 50th anniversary year. The anniversary coincided with another important date in Low Wood's history: 300 years since the property's recorded origins in 1702. To commemorate both occasions, our Executive Chairman Michael Berry published Low Wood on Windermere: Three Hundred Years of Lakeland History. The book traced the history of the inn and its place in the development of Lakeland tourism. By the anniversary year, the business had developed considerably from its early years at Low Wood. The family had acquired additional hotels, established English Lakes Hotels Limited and developed new leisure, conference and accommodation facilities. The 50th anniversary provided an opportunity to document that history while recognising Low Wood's much longer association with travellers and tourism on Windermere.