COCKERMOUTH

'Cockermouth' is a town within the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, and is so named because it is at the confluence of the River Cocker as it flows into the River Derwent.
Historically a part of Cumberland, Cockermouth is situated on the northwest fringe of the English Lake District. This location tends to enhance the life and character of the town without the negative impact of receiving too many tourists (as some believe has occurred in the case of Cockermouth's neighbour Keswick). Much of the architectural core of the town remains largely unchanged since the 18th and 19th centuries.

Contents

History

Present day Character

Services

Shops

Attractions

Organizations

See also

External links

History

The town has ancient roots and Romans, Vikings and Normans have each left lingering marks on the Town and surrounding place names. Curiously, Cockermouth lays claim to be the first town in Britain to pilot electric lighting, reputedly in 1881. It is perhaps best known as the birthplace of William Wordsworth and Dorothy Wordsworth, John Grayston, and Fletcher Christian (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame). John Dalton (a father of atomic theory) was born in Eaglesfield, a village on the outskirts of Cockermouth, and Astronomer Royal Fearon Fallows also hailed from the town. Wordsworth House has recently been expensively restored and visitors may take tea in its 18th century kitchen. Cockermouth is situated within a few minutes travelling distance from lakes such as Ennerdale, Crummock Water, Loweswater and Bassenthwaite, but is much less crowded with tourists than many Cumbrian towns. The tree lined main street boasts a statue of Lord Mayo, formerly an MP for Cockermouth, who became British Viceroy of India and whose subsequent claim to fame was that he was assassinated.
Andrew Dowsett the well known stand up comedian known for his work in television and in the musical theater, attended school in the area, as did Ryan Gaffney famous for his romantic poetry.

Present day Character

There was a market every Monday in the town's Market Place from the 13th century, but in recent times the event is held infrequently, if at all. In the days when opening hours of public houses were restricted the fact that the pubs in Cockermouth could open all day on Market days made the town a popular destination for drinkers, especially on Bank Holiday Mondays. Only the Market Bell remains as a reminder of this period (inset into a wall opposite the Allerdale Hotel). Much of the centre of the town is of Medieval origin substantially rebuilt in Georgian with Victorian infill. The tree lined Kirkgate offers examples of unspoilt classical late 17th and 18th century terraced housing, cobbled paving and twisty curving lanes which run steeply down to the River Cocker. Most of the buildings are of traditional slate and stone construction with thick walls and green slate roofs.
Many of the facades lining the streets are frontages for historic housing in alleyways and lanes (often maintaining medieval street patterns) to the rear. An example of this may be observed through the alleyway adjacent to the almost time-frozen Market Place hardware merchant (J.B.Banks and Son) where 18th century dye workers' cottages line one side of the lane and the former works faces them across the narrow cobbled lane. Examples of Georgian residences may be found near the Market Place, St. Helens Street, at the bottom of Castlegate Drive and Kirkgate.
Harris Park offers riverside walks and views down over the historic Town. There is a cycleway which runs along a former railway track and spans a high bridge over the Cocker affording views of the town and river-scape. The Kirkgate Centre is the Town's major cultural focus and offers regular historical displays by the Museum Group in addition to holding major cultural events including theatre, international music and world cinema.
The centre of Cockermouth is largely unspoilt and its Market Place is currently subject to a renovation with an artistic and community focus. Although tourists come and go, Cockermouth is essentially a place to live in and both locals and 'offcomers' combine to give the town mix of traditional and urbane social character.

Services

Cockermouth has three primary schools. These are Fairfield, which has separate infant and junior Schools; All Saints Church of England and St. Joseph's Roman Catholic. It also has a secondary school, several churches, three medical and dental surgeries, complementary health centre, a sports injuries and physiotherapy centre, an arts centre, and two art galleries (Castlegate House and Neo). Percy House Gallery on Main Street has a ceiling which dates from the 16th century with some of its timberwork dating from the 14th century. The town has many antique shops, three main galleries, and more than 14 cafes. There are many restaurants and of course lots of pubs. There is even a gourmet fish and chip restaurant in the Market Place. Bitter End Pub in Kirkgate has its own micro-brewery and visiting ales. The largest hotel is the Georgian fronted Trout which still has a faded photo on its walls of Bing Crosby who used the hotel as a base for his fishing in the town's rivers. Cockermouth Rugby Football Club is now based at the former Cockermouth Grammar School site and can boast that it played the first ever rugby union league match when they played Kirby Lonsdale when the Rugby Union formed national and regional leagues - the precursors of what have now become the national and premier leagues.

Shops

Many of the shops offer a distinctive and local appeal and yet there are three supermarkets (including the only Sainsbury's between Lancaster and Glasgow), two chemists, two cycle shops, a Wilkinsons store, a sports centre, three bakers, swimming pool and two parks which both facilitate riverside walks. The small Youth Hostel is sited in a 16th century mill on a bend in the River Cocker's approach to the Town. The adjoining village of Papcastle is also picturesque in its own right and stands on the site of the Roman fort of Deventio. It is lined with 18th and 19th century housing - some of which are enormous and amongst the grandest in the North . The main cemetery on the Lorton Road features streams, humped stone bridges and views of the nearby fells.

Attractions

Attractions include the sizeable but partly ruined Norman castle (still inhabited by Lady Egremont), built at the confluence of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent (complete with a tilting tower which hangs Pisa-like over Jennings Brewery). The castle with its preserved dungeons opens to the public only once a year during the annual Town festival. The Printing House Museum and Wordworth's birthplace are other attractions. There is also a Lakeland Sheep Centre which offers daily shows in its theatre.
Two and a half miles North-West of the town lies Dovenby Hall Estate, a park and woodland estate of 115 acres in size. Dovenby Hall is the home of the Ford Rally team. The estate was bought in January 1988 by Malcolm Wilson for his ''M-Sport'' motorsport team and in 1996 they were selected by Ford Motorsport to build, prepare and run a fleet of cars for entry into the World Rally Championship.
Cockermouth is also home to the traditional Jenning's Brewery which offers regular public tours and occasional carriage rides pulled by a shire horse. Culturally, the Kirkgate Centre offers international music, theatre and world cinema (including critically acclaimed and art-house movies on Monday evenings) and the town has an annual festival of concerts and performances each Summer. Cockermouth has an annual Easter Fair, fireworks display and carnival. In April 2005 it hosted its first Georgian Fair, whisch was repeated in 2006 and seems destined to become a recurrent event. At Christmas the town presents an extraordinary amount of festive lighting throughout its main and subsidiary streets, accompanied by vigorously competing shop displays.

Organizations

Cockermouth is the home town of Belfagan Women's Morris, an all-female team established in 1981 who perform North West morris wearing traditional wooden clogs and using garlands, sticks and hankies in their various dances.The town is also home to CADS (Cockermouth Amateur Dramatic Society), and the Cumbria Youth Alliance (www.cya.co.uk).

See also

★ Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team

External links

★ Life in 19th century Cockermouth and the Cragg Family

★ Cockermouth Website

★ Cockermouth Civic Trust