A modern practice
with a Lake District
heritage since the 1930s.
The only firm to have been consistently based in Ambleside, Cumbria, since the 1930s. Conveyancing, wills, probate and lasting powers of attorney across the Lake District and throughout England and Wales.
What we do
Six practice areas, one team.
Residential Conveyancing
First-time buyers, those upsizing or downsizing, and property investors — fixed fees for standard transactions across Cumbria and the wider Lake District.
- Purchases
- Sales
- Lake District titles
- Fixed fees
Commercial Conveyancing
Prompt and effective commercial property work — acting for first-time business buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants renewing existing leases.
- Business premises
- Lease renewals
- SDLT
- Freehold & leasehold
Landlords & Tenants
Producing tenancy agreements and leases. Deposit protection, termination notices, and support through Renters' Rights Bill compliance.
- ASTs
- Deposit protection
- Termination
- Statutory declarations
Wills & Estate Planning
All aspects of writing and updating Wills, from preliminary advice to safe storage of the finished document in a fireproof, insured store.
- Will writing
- Updates
- Fireproof storage
- Intestacy advice
Probate & Estate Administration
Empathetic and effective help with grants of probate, valuations, tax liabilities, paying debts, cashing in assets, estate accounts and distribution.
- Grants of probate
- Letters of administration
- IHT, IT, CGT
- Estate accounts
Lasting Power of Attorney & Deputyship
Health & Welfare and Property & Finance LPAs. Court of Protection deputyship where no LPA is in place.
- Health & Welfare
- Property & Finance
- Deputyship
- OPG reporting
Where we work
Proudly serving the Lake District and all over England and Wales.
Ambleside
Our home town since the 1930s. Lancaster House sits on Lake Road, a short walk from the centre.
Lancaster House, LA22 0ADWindermere & Bowness
Lakeside conveyancing, second-home purchases, and complex Lake District titles.
South LakelandHawkshead & Coniston
Period properties, hill farms, and small holdings across the central Lakes.
Central LakesGrasmere & Rydal
Quiet villages where unusual title and tenure issues are part of daily life.
Lakeland villagesKendal & Westmorland
Westmorland & Furness local searches, commercial work, and wider Cumbria probate.
Westmorland & FurnessEngland & Wales
Wills, probate and conveyancing handled remotely for clients anywhere in England and Wales.
NationwideLocal roots, plain English, and a fireproof file when you need it.
Lake District specialists
Unusual Lakeland titles, lakeshore boundaries, and the kind of conveyancing quirks that only show up in Cumbria. We've seen them.
Fixed fees, no surprises
Standard conveyancing on a fixed fee, agreed up front. Our pricing page sets out the bands. We tell you the disbursements separately.
Wills stored safely
Finished Wills are kept in a fireproof and insured store. We deal with updates whenever circumstances change.
Empathetic on probate
Probate work happens at sad times. We work efficiently so families don't carry administrative weight on top of grief.
Who you'll work with
The people you'll actually speak to.
Nick Davenport
Director · Solicitor (SRA 158977)
Qualified solicitor with a background in law enforcement. Based in Ambleside for over 33 years. Residential and commercial conveyancing, unusual Lake District titles, probate, wills and lasting powers of attorney.
Tom Davenport
Director · CLC Licenced Conveyancer
With the firm since 2011. Politics degree (Liverpool) and History degree (Lancaster). Volunteers for a disability-focused charity outside of practice.
Natalie Prickett
CLC Conveyancing Technician
Joined in 2021. Eight years' prior experience as a sales and lettings negotiator. Community involvement with Ambleside Christmas Lights.
Ethna Davenport
Practice Manager
Joined from a teaching background. Runs the day-to-day operation of the practice from Lancaster House.
Questions
Common questions.
Fees are banded by property price. As an example: up to £200,000 — £800 + VAT to sell, £875 + VAT to buy. Bands continue up to £1,000,000+ which is on application. Full table on our Pricing page. Disbursements (Land Registry, local searches, AML) are listed separately.
If you die without a Will, your estate is distributed under the laws of intestacy — which may not match your wishes. We handle Wills from preliminary advice through to safe storage in a fireproof, insured store, and update them when circumstances change.
An LPA is a legal document that lets you (the "donor") appoint one or more attorneys to help you make decisions or make decisions on your behalf if you lose mental capacity. There are two types — Health & Welfare and Property & Finance. Registration is £82 per LPA and can take up to 20 weeks to process.
Yes. We're proudly based in Ambleside but act for clients across the Lake District and throughout England and Wales — Wills, probate and conveyancing all run comfortably remotely.
Davenport & Scott Solicitors Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 613129). Our licenced conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. Full disclosures on our Regulatory page.
We follow an eight-step complaints procedure beginning with acknowledgement within five days and investigation by Nicholas Davenport. If a matter remains unresolved, you may take it to the Legal Ombudsman (PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ · 0300 555 0333 · enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk). Full procedure on our Complaints page.
Begin the conversation
Speak to us.
No pitch. A short, no-obligation conversation about what you need and whether we're the right fit. By phone, by email, or in person at Lancaster House.