Tuesday, December 06, 2022

Bee Boles, 28 Lowther Street, Kendal

 Bee Boles

29 Lowther Street

Kendal

Hidden for many years beneath a covering of ivy and ferns, these two fairly well preserved bee boles have remained out of sight and largely forgotten. However, a recent flurry of garden tidying has revealed them at last, and a chance glance as I climbed the stairs at work resulted in these photos.

Above, view from the office window.

Above. Slightly zoomed in photo.

The boles are recorded in the Bee Boles Register here, 28 Lowther Street  but with barely any information. We know that Lowther Street, and the properties either side of the street were built from 1782 onwards, so they were added to the rear of 28 Lowther Street after this date....but apart from that, nothing else is known about them. All we can tell, is that there are two alcoves; the left is split into four shelves, with the bottom three of equal height. The top shelf is very narrow. The right hand alcove is split into three shelves, the bottom two being fairly similar in height, with the top most one being about twice as high...perhaps with a slate shelf missing. 

The yard is private property and therefore not accessible, and unfortunately the boles are only visible from the first floor of an adjacent property. 

Monday, May 17, 2021

The Prince of Wales Feathers, Kendal

 The Prince of Wales Feathers

Wildman Street

Kendal

The Prince of Wales Feathers was most likely built towards the end of the 18th century. The inn is first mentioned in the Kendal directory lists of 1834, where it is listed under the lesser category of drinking establishments of 'Retailers of beer'....neither tavern nor inn. The landlord at this time was William Bailiff.

Above. The Prince of Wales Feathers as it was in 2006.

It wasn't until 1873, in Kelly's Post Office Directory, that the establishment was named as the Prince of Wales Feathers. It would appear that this promotion to 'inn' was short lived, as by 1879, it was again registered as a humble 'beer retailer'. This status appears to continue until the early 1920s.

Above. The Prince of Wales Feathers hanging sign (2006)

By 1881, the landlord was stated as being Mr Hutchinson, who was responsible for hosting the Doodleshire Celery Show, which took place at the inn. Ann Hutchinson was later recorded as being the landlady, in the 1892 Kendal Borough Police Returns, with the inn's owner being Mary Thompson. The inn was listed as having three drinking rooms, no dining or letting rooms or even stabling. The status of its clientele at the time, was noted as being 'low'!

Above. The Prince of Wales Feathers in 2006.

Mary Thompson's ownership was passed to Messrs. Alexander and Sons around 1904, with the landlord named as John Nowell in 1906. John moved onto manage the Kent Tavern in 1914. George Robinson Henry Turner was the inn's longest serving landlord, holding the inn for nearly forty years. 

In 1954, May Turner was noted as the landlord, with Alexanders giving up the tenancy and licence to Duttons Blackburn Brewery in the same year.  I'm not sure when the inn ceased operations, but will have to investigate and report back here when I find out.

Sawyers Arms, Kendal

 The Sawyers Arms

Stricklandgate

Kendal

The Sawyers Arms was originally (so says David Currington in his 'A Pictorial Record of Public Houses in Kendal') built on the site of the current County Hall building opposite the Police Station at Busher Walk. It was then rebuilt in its current position in the mid 1800s.

Above. The Sawyers Arms as it looked in 2006.

The inn may have started life on its current site, as the Strickland Arms. The General Rate Book of 1864 has it named thus. When put up for sale in April of that same year, it was named as the Strickland Arms, possibly due to its location on Stricklandgate, and the Sawyers Arms. 

Above. The Sawyers Arms pub sign in 2006.

The first known landlord was Thomas Wells in 1829, with his wife taking over the reins in 1834. The Wells family held the tenancy for around 20 years. In 1892, the inn was owned by John Booth of Ulverston, who also owned the White Hart, the Slip Inn and the Kendal Green Tavern on House of Correction Hill (Windermere Road) He later sold the in to Messrs. Hartley of Ulverston in 1896. 

Above. Old saloon door window depicting Hartley's ales.

Plans dating 1885, show that there were two cottages to the rear of the inn, along with a hen-house, ash pit, privy and a brewhouse and yard. Above the inn, two cottages were available for rent.

In 1869, Hartley's submitted plans for alterations to the inn. A large carriage drive was built and the adjoining bakery was enlarged to cater for guests. At this time, the entrance offered access to a take-out servery known as the 'vault'. There were two sets of double doors along the frontage onto Stricklandgate, which allowed access to a smoking room and a bar parlour.

Above. The Sawyers Arms in more recent times.

As with many old inns in Kendal, the local press had much to say about miscreants and law breaking in the day. An inquest was held on the 12th of February 1838, into the death of Jane Bell of Stricklandgate, who had died in a fit of apoplexy(?) One week later, the Kendal Mercury reported that William Airey, an unemployed weaver, was chastised at the police station, for being drunk and insulting people as they left the Sawyers Arms. The licencing body in the 1800s, was the Kendal Licencing Sessions, who would meet regularly to discuss any issues or address any complaints arising regarding landlords\ladies and their inns. The Gazette reported, in August 1863, that the Superintendant, Mr Bird, was forced to convict one landlord and dismiss three others....one of the dismissals was reported as being Sarah Lindsay of the Sawyers Arms...there was a complaint that she was 'an unfit person to keep an inn'. However, it's likely that an appeal was lodged, as Sarah was noted as being the landlady of the Sawyers Arms in 1869

The inn has been closed for a few years now, and has gradually fallen into a serious state of disrepair. It's been sold and is due to be demolished shortly.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Maryport Motte (Castle Hill) Maryport

Maryport Motte (Castle Hill)

Maryport

Cumbria

My thanks go out to Jan Fialkowski, Facebook friend and photographer-extraordinaire, for providing me with this photo of the motte, Castle Hill, situated in a loop of the River Ellen in the sea-ward West of the town.

Maryport is a town of Roman remains: the fort of Alauna lies to the North of the town with Roman roads entering from the East and West, pele towers: Nether Hall, a large mansion with a pele tower built largely of dressed Roman stone, no doubt quarried from the nearby fort, Ewanrigg Hall, the site of a 13th century hall with an early pele tower (no longer extant) and Netherhall Park, possibly the site of a medieval moated manor.


The motte was used as a gun emplacement during WWII, but despite this, the earthworks and surrounding ditches have survived relatively intact.....much like the motte at Sedbergh that was used as an Observer Corps lookout post. The motte was most likely constructed in the late 11th or early 12th century, and was strategically placed to overlook the point on the River Ellen where the old Roman road would have crossed the river. 

Little research seems to have been done regarding whom was responsible for the motte's construction. There are sites on the web that theorise that it could have been built by William FitzDuncan or even Henry II, though, as there are no masonry remains, I would suggest that the motte was an earlier construction, purely of timber and earth and therefore unlikely to be linked with William or Henry.

The site can be accessed easily, using a number of footpaths that cris-cross this area of the town.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

To be or not to be....a tower!

When I started out on this historical journey years ago, I came across a great many buildings that didn't seem to fit into any of the groupings of buildings scattered across this blog. Some appeared to have the characteristics of towers, peles, strong-houses or even mini-castles, whilst others were historically known as the seat of locally powerful families. Context is sometimes difficult to find with these buildings...history is murky and often twisted over time, a bit like Chinese whispers, and getting to the bottom of the mystery is often difficult....if not impossible. Here are a few local gems, that have eluded any sort of definitive description.

Barwise Hall:

Barwise Hall sits a few miles to the South West of Appleby. It was most likely built by Sir John Sudwick in 1579, and unlike so many older buildings in this area, doesn't seem to have been altered much over the years. There is a doorway in the North wall, with a plate with the initials I.S. A.S. 1579 over the top, and a door in the East wall with the initials R. and E.D. 1676 over it. The first date plate relates to John Sudwick and his wife, and the second data plate relates to a later owner, Reginald Dobson, who is responsible for the addition of a staircase wing.

 Above. Barwise Hall

The building is listed as a possible bastle...or at least built on the plans of a bastle, ie, provision for livestock at ground floor level, with access at first floor level for the owners, providing a certain level of protection or defence. No such characteristics can be seen today, and Philip Davis of the Gatehouse website, dismisses this house as a defensible building completely, stating that there is no provision for security or defence anywhere in its fabric. 
Above. Floor plan of Barwise Hall

It's plain to see that the building has thick walls, but this is most likely more to do with building materials and the environment in this part of the country....winters can be wet and very cold, and sunny days are few and far between, rather than the provision of defence.

Blease Hall:

Blease Hall lies between Middleshaw and Oxenholme near Kendal, and is described by Perriam and Robinson in their excellent book, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria, as a 'possible fortified manorial hall'. Again Philip Davis casts doubt on this....there really isn't any evidence of defence or security.

 Above. Blease Hall

Originally an H plan house, the South wing was demolished sometime around 1850 after it was gutted by fire. The basic plan of this building follows that of many in the South Lakes area....H plan...central hall with wings to either side.....many of these buildings have had wings removed or demolished over time, belying their original footprint. Peter F. Ryder is of the same opinion as Philip Davis...a building that needs more research, but one that displays no evidence of defence. 

The hall was built by Robert Bateman, sometime around 1600, and he is reputed to have used the Gibson family of masons who were responsible for some of Levens Hall's upgrades about the same time. 

Cliburn Hall:

Once upon a time, there was a Grade II* listed building called Cliburn Hall. In 1965, the owners made some alterations to the fabric of the building....resulting in the removal of the building's listed status. What was removed at this point, destroyed or changed is not documented, but it must have been damaging. The hall lies a few miles South East of Eamont Bridge near Penrith. It may have been purposefully built as a pele tower sometime around 1347 most likely for the de Cliburn family, who seem to have been in residence for quite some time. The Cumbrian and Westmorland Antiquarian Society tell of John Clybborne being besieged in his tower, by William de Thisteald, who shot more than one thousand arrows into it. 

 Above. Cliburn Hall

In 1567 the tower was owned by Richard Cliburn who instigated major rebuilding of the hall and its attached tower. He added a whole new domestic range, keeping many of the original thick defensive walls in place along with the vaulted ceiling in the 14th century tower.

By the mid 1600s, the hall had been sold to the Collingwood family...then to the Sawrey and Lee families, and finally, in 1667 it passed to the Lowther family. Around 1872, the lead roofs and battlements were removed, and the roof gabled...giving the hall the characteristics we see today.

There are a number of these intriguing building around Cumbria, all with tales to tell. Some have been altered over the years with building and rebuilding works masking their original purpose. Others have been so drastically changed that it's impossible to tell today, whether they were built with defence in mind. 

Friday, June 12, 2020


We're still here!!

You've probably noticed a lack of posts during this year, especially of a castle nature, and you'd be right in thinking that the website, apart from the odd Kendal-related post was dead and buried. However, I'm still alive and kicking, and still dipping into the site every now and then to make sure that things are still working and that all is in order.
On the news front, much has happened since my last 'real' castle related post.
Gleaston Castle appears to be in danger of total collapse in places. The Castle Studies Trust recently reported that much of the structure is in a perilous state and requires immediate action to stop this unique North Western castle from becoming no more than a heap of rubble.

The full blog entry can see here: Gleaston Castle: On the edge of collapse.


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Caerlaverock Castle in South West Scotland has been imaged in fantastic 3D. This unique triangular castle represents the pinnacle of castle building from the 13th century onwards, and the 3D rendering enables you to virtually visit the castle.
The BBC article can be seen here: Model shows triangular Caerlaverock Castle., and the full 3D model can be seen here.
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The Guardian posted a great article in October last year, detailing their top 10 tiny castles to visit. Good to see that a Cumbrian castle (Pendragon Castle) is included in the list.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Kendal, Bridge Inn\Bridge Hotel

Bridge Inn\Hotel
Stramongate
Kendal
Cumbria

Here we are again, reading about yet another Kendal public house that has fallen by the wayside. The Bridge Inn\Bridge Hotel seems to have soldiered on for a number of years, stumbling from one landlord to the next, until 2018, when the inn closed its doors for the final time. There were rumours that it was to be opened as a community pub, but as yet, this hasn't happened. 

Above. The Bridge Inn\Bridge Hotel in 2006 

The inn was originally built as a private residence, in 1738. One of the spout heads bears the initials B.G.A. and the date 1738, believed to stand for Garnett Braithwaite, who, we are told, was the builder and owner. Braithwaite was the joint owner of a mill in the locality. The mill was, at first, a silk mill, then a pin mill, ceasing operations sometime around 1790.

Above. The Bridge Hotel in 2010 from Gooseholme 

The house was converted from a residence to a public house sometime around 1830. Brendan Jameson told me that the Bridge Inn did not appear in the directory lists of local pubs and inns before this time, so he concluded that its origin may have coincided with the advent of the 1830 Beerhouse Act, an Act of Parliament that liberalised regulations governing the brewing and selling of beer. The act enabled any rate paying member of the public, to brew and sell beer, the intention being that it would provide healthy competition between brewers, drive down prices, and ultimately encourage people to drink beer rather than strong spirits.

Above. The Bridge Hotel in 2009 from Stramongate Bridge

The Bridge Inn first appeared in the Borough directory of public houses, in 1849, when the landlord was named as John Pollitt.

Above. The sign, as it was in 2006

There is a mention of the inn in the Borough records in 1839, when it was reported that it was a meeting place for the local hunt....the licensee at this time being named as Mr Unsworth.

The inn was the scene of a death in 1838, when Agnes Stockdale died there. The inquest was held at the inn, with the Surgeon's verdict given as "Agnes died by the visitation of God".

By the end of the 19th century, the inn was a substantial property, with reports in 1892, stating that it had a dinning room capable of catering for 30 people, three drinking rooms, bedrooms to let, and stabling for around 25 horses. The status of the property was given as 'mixed' though I'm not sure what this related to. At this time, the licensee was given as George Gardner, under the ownership of Kendal Brewers Jonas Alexander and Sons Ltd.

Plans for a total refurbishment of the inn, were submitted to South Lakeland District Council in December 2018, though to date, these plans do not appear to have progressed at all.

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Kendal, the Castle Inn

The Castle Inn
Castle Street
Kendal
Cumbria

Sadly, the Castle is another of Kendal's inns to fall by the wayside, succumbing to economic pressures of a failing high street. That said, the inn appears to have been in existence for a number of years, Brendan Jameson told me that he had information that the inn had been on Castle Street since the early 1700s, though written records only mention it from around 1834.

Above. The Castle Inn as it looked in 2006 

An article from the Westmorland Gazette in 1882, notes "In Peat Lane or Castle Street is an old established inn which was first kept by James Allen, then Thomas Russell. He was succeeded by his widow, then their son Richard took over. In 1882 the Landlord was James Bateman. It has never, to our knowledge, displayed a pictorial sign. In 1874 this house was advertised to be let and was described, together with its surrounding, as "all that ancient common garden with the dwelling house."  The dwelling house has recently been put to good repair and in the garden is a good bowling green" 

Above. The pub sign as it was in 2006 (there is an updated on hanging now)

John Todd's map of 1787 doesn't show any  buildings in this general area, just empty river side or open fields. 

Above. John Todd's map, showing Wildman Street, but no sign of Castle Street.

The early to mid 1820s was when some building started to appear in this area, and John Wood's map of 1833 shows a number of buildings here, but if the Castle Inn was built at this time, we have no way of knowing.

James Gandy, a wealthy local wool merchant, sold land for the building of Castle Street, where a plot of 594 square yards was conveyed to John Rudd, a Kendal weaver, in 1826. 

In 1849, James Tate was listed in Borough records, as landlord. In 1858, Thomas Russell was landlord. In 1897, the Castle inn was owned by Kendal brewers Messrs. Alexander and Sons Ltd.

Of course, those of us who frequented Kendal on a Friday or Saturday night would often pop in for a pint or two when Des and Babs Airey were landlords....but that's all in the dim and distant past now!