Ashmeadow House was built as a gentleman’s residence in 1815. In 1918, it was bought to be used as an extension to the nearby Earnseat School for Boys. The kitchen was used as a science lab and various other rooms as classrooms. The walled garden was tended by Judd, the gardener and caretaker, and produced vegetables and soft fruit for the pupils. The school finally closed in 1979, although the property and its grounds continued in the ownership of Mr. J. A. G. Barnes, who had been the headmaster till he retired in 1969. In 1990, he left the house and grounds to the people of Arnside and The Barnes Charitable Trust was set up run the woodlands. The house was subsequently owned by the Abbeyfield Housing Association to provide sheltered accommodation for the elderly. It has now been converted to 'luxury appartments'. The woodlands, including the walled garden, are run by the Trustees for the benefit and enjoyment of residents and visitors to Arnside. You can access the walled garden from the entrance to Ashmeadow at the end of the promenade, or up a track from the restored signpost on the shore close to the Coastguard station, or from Ashmeadow Road. This cache is set by kind permission of the Barnes Charitable Trust