A SOUTH Lakes historic home, Levens Hall and Gardens, is arranging a throwback Thursday with a huge difference on Thursday, July 14.

The day will be remembering a visit made 92 years ago by two young students from the USA. 

The ‘Bicycle Boys’ – Loyal Johnson and Sam Brewster – sailed from Boston, Massachusetts on the RMS Laconia, arriving in Liverpool on June 19, 1928, after 10 days at sea. 

By the time they returned home three months later, they had cycled more than 1500 miles, battling wind, rain, flat tyres and insect bites, and had visited well over 80 gardens across the UK, riding 24-inch, 3-speed bicycles bought on arrival. 

One of those gardens was Levens Hall and Gardens, whose world-famous topiary garden, was a draw for the two young men.

Loyal, aged 24, was collecting material for his Master’s dissertation in landscape architecture, so was no doubt enthralled by the prospect of seeing gardens founded by French gardener, Monsieur Guillaume Beaumont, in 1694. 

It was the only garden in Cumbria they visited and they did so on their way back from Scotland, having toured Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens.  

Levens Hall and Gardens’ own head gardener, Chris Crowder, is pictured in the same spot from which Loyal Johnson took his photograph, with the world’s oldest topiary garden behind.  In many ways, remarkably little has changed over the years. 

To celebrate the new RHS online exhibition and to remember these two intrepid garden lovers, Chris Crowder will be taking two special garden tours around Levens Hall’s gardens, at 11am and 2pm on Thursday, July 14 – the 92ndanniversary of the Bicycle Boys’ visit – to provide insights that Loyal and Sam were unable to acquire.  

Chris will highlight the location from which their photo was taken, so visitors can get their own version of Loyal’s image.