Carlisle
Encyclopedia
Carlisle is the county town
of Cumbria
, and the major settlement of the wider City of Carlisle
in North West England
. Carlisle is located at the confluence of the rivers Eden
, Caldew
and Petteril
, 10 miles (16 km) south of the Scottish border
. It is the largest settlement in the county of Cumbria, and serves as the administrative centre for both Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council. At the time of the 2001 census
, the population of Carlisle was 71,773, with 100,734 living in the wider city.
Historically
the county town of Cumberland
, the early history of Carlisle is marked by its status as a Roman
settlement, established to serve the forts on Hadrian's Wall
. During the Middle Ages
, because of its proximity to the Kingdom of Scotland
, Carlisle became an important military stronghold; Carlisle Castle
, still relatively intact, was built in 1092 by William Rufus
, and having once served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots. The castle now houses the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and the Border Regiment
Museum. In the early 12th century Henry I allowed the foundation of a priory in Carlisle. The town gained the status of a diocese
in 1122, and the priory became Carlisle Cathedral
.
The introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
began a process of socioeconomic transformation in Carlisle, developing into a densely populated mill town
. This combined with its strategic position allowed for the development of Carlisle as an important railway town, with seven railway companies sharing Carlisle railway station
.
Nicknamed the Border City, Carlisle today is the main cultural, commercial and industrial centre for north Cumbria. It is home to the main campuses of the University of Cumbria
and a variety of museums and heritage centres. The former County Borough of Carlisle
had held city status
until the Local Government Act 1972
was enacted in 1974.
In 2012, Carlisle will be one of the official stop off points for the Olympic torch before it makes its way down to the Olympic Games
opening ceremony.
of Carlisle is still unknown and what is known is sourced mainly from archaeological evidence and the works of Roman
historian Gaius Tacitus
. The earliest recorded inhabitants were the Carvetti tribe of Brythonic
Celts who made up the main population of ancient Cumbria
and North Lancashire
. According to early historians Fordum and Boethius Carlisle existed before the arrival of Romans in Britain and was one of the strongest British towns at the time. In the time of the emperor Nero
it was said to have burned down. The town was named Luguvalion or Luguwaljon, meaning 'strength of the god Lugus
'. This was later Latinised into Luguvalium
and later still was derived to Caer-luel (Caer meaning fort in Brythonic
).
By the year 73 CE (AD) the Roman invasion
of Britain had reached the River Eden
and a fort was built that winter at a strategic point overlooking the confluence
of the River Caldew with the Eden, where Carlisle Castle
stands today. The created civitas
was the only walled-town in the entire north west region of Roman Britain
, for this reason it is reasonable to assume that the settlement did exist and served as a tribal centre for the Carvetii before Roman occupancy, following the pattern of other civitates made by the Romans.
In 79AD the two main Roman generals active in north Britain, Gnaeus Julius Agricola
and Quintus Petillius Cerialis
, advanced through the Solway
area as they continued their campaign further north. As a result it is likely greater control was achieved at Carlisle over anti-imperialist groups. Something which is signified by the fact the fort at Carlisle was able to be refurbished in 83AD using oak timbers from further afield rather than the local Alder
. At this time the fort was garrisoned by a 500 strong cavalry regiment, the ala Gallorum Sebosiana.
By the early 2nd century Lugavalium had become established as a prominent stronghold and the 'Stanegate' frontier, which consisted of itself and several other forts spanning east to Corbridge
, was proving to be a far more stable frontier against the Picts
than those established deeper into Caledonia
. In 122AD the province was visited by the Emperor Hadrian
who approved a plan to build a stone wall the length of the frontier. With the wall a new fort was built at Carlisle in the modern day Stanwix
area of the city north of the river. The fort, Petriana
, was the largest along the length of Hadrian's Wall
and was eventually completed in stone by around 130AD. Like Lugavalium, which lay within sight, Petriana housed a cavalry regiment, Ala Petriana, which at 1000 strong was the sole regiment of this size on the wall. Hadrian's successor Antoninus
abandoned the frontier and attempted to move further north and build a new wall
between the Forth
and the Clyde
. This didn't prove successful however and after 20 years garrisons were returned to Hadrian's wall.
Until 400AD the Roman occupation of Britain saw many fluctuations in importance and at one time it broke off from Rome when Marcus Carausius
assumed power of the territory. He was later assassinated and suffered Damnatio Memoriae
, one of the few surviving references to him was uncovered in Carlisle. Coins excavated in the area suggest the Romans remained in Carlisle as late as the rule of Emperor Valentinian II
from 375 to 392AD.
after Roman rule saw Cumbria
become the major area in the Brythonic
kingdom of Rheged
. While it is not clear, it seems likely that the kingdom took its name from a major stronghold within it and it has been suggested that this was broadly conterminous with the earlier Civitas Carvetiorum, Carlisle. As a major part of this kingdom, Carlisle features strongly in the histories of Urien
and his son Owain
, two kings of Rheged who are the subject of much Arthurian legend. Rheged was eventually annexed in 655 when Rienmelth ferch Royth married Oswy, King of Northumbria. In the remaining part of the first millennium, Carlisle continued to serve as an important stronghold within several entities who warred over the area including the Brythonic Kingdom of Strathclyde
and the Anglian
Kingdom of Northumbria.
By the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Carlisle was part of Scotland and did not feature in the Domesday Book
of 1086. This changed in 1092 when William the Conqueror's
son William Rufus invaded Cumberland and reincorporated it into England. Upon doing so, the construction of Carlisle Castle
began in 1093 on the site of the Roman fort, south of the river Eden. The castle was built in stone in 1112 together with a Keep
and city walls. The walls enclosed the city south of the castle and included three gates to the west, south and east called Irish Gate (or Shaddon Gate), English Gate (or Botcher Gate) and Scottish Gate respectively. The names of the gates still exist in road names present in Carlisle today. Along with the castle Carlisle Cathedral
was also built in 1133.
The conquest of Cumberland was the beginning of a long war between Scotland and England which saw the region change hands a number of times and centred around Carlisle, it having become a major stronghold with the construction of the castle. During these wars, the livelihood of the people on the borders was devastated by the contending armies. Even when the countries were not at war, tension remained high, and royal authority in one or the other kingdom was often weak. The uncertainty of existence meant that communities or peoples kindred to each other would seek security through their own strength and cunning, and improve their livelihoods at their nominal enemies' expense. These peoples were known as the Border Reivers
and Carlisle was the major city within their territories.
The reivers became so much of a nuisance to the Scottish and English government that in 1525 the then Archbishop of Glasgow, Gavin Dunbar, put a curse up all the reivers of the borderlands. The curse was detailed in 1,069 words, beginning: "I curse their head and all the hairs of their head; I curse their face, their brain (innermost thoughts), their mouth, their nose, their tongue, their teeth, their forehead, their shoulders, their breast, their heart, their stomach, their back, their womb, their arms, their leggs, their hands, their feet, and every part of their body, from the top of their head to the soles of their feet, before and behind, within and without."
in 1603 began the end of turbulent relations between the Scots and England. With no English heir, James VI of Scotland
also became King James I of England and was determined to bring peace to his 'United Kingdom'. He applied far stricter penalties than those which preceded against those caught reiving. The borderers were not quick to change their ways however, many were hung and whole families were exiled to Ireland. It was not until 1681 that the problem of the reivers was acknowledged as no longer an issue.
With the kingdoms uniting Carlisle Castle should have become obsolete as a frontier fortress but in 1642 civil war
broke out and the castle was garrisoned for the king in 1642, and endured a long siege
, Carlisle’s eighth, from October 1644 until June 1645. Eventually the loyalist forces surrendered after the Battle of Naseby
. The city was then occupied by a parliamentary garrison, and subsequently by their Scots allies, who destroyed the cathedral’s
nave and used the stone to rebuild the castle. Cerlisle continued to remain a barracks thereafter. In 1698 travel writer Celia Fiennes
wrote of Carlisle as having most of the trappings of a military town and was rife with alcohol and prostitutes.
In 1707 an act of union
was passed between England and Scotland, creating Great Britain
, and Carlisle ceased to be a frontier town. This again didn't end Carlisle's position as a garrison town. The tenth and most recent siege in the cities history took place after Bonnie Prince Charlie took Carlisle in the Jacobite Rising of 1745
. When the Jacobite's retreated across the border to Scotland they left a garrison of 400 in Carlisle Castle. In ten days the Duke of Cumberland took the castle and executed 31 of the Jacobites on the streets of Carlisle.
, the city's importance as a military town was finally letting slip as the industrial age
took over. In the early 19th century many textile mills, engineering works and food manufacturers building factories in the city. Chiefly in the Denton Holme
, Caldewgate and Wapping suburbs which lie in the Caldew Valley area of Carlisle. These included Carr's of Carlisle
, Kangol
, Metal Box and Cowans Sheldon.
The expanse of industry brought with it a great increase in population as jobs shifted from rural farms towards the cities. This produced a horrific housing shortage where at one point 25,000 people in the city only had 5,000 houses to live in. People were said to be herded together with animal houses, slaughter houses and communal lavatories all with open drains running between them. Living conditions were so bad that riots were common and some emigrated to the United States
. The problem wasn't solved until the end of the century when mass housing was built west of the city walls.
In 1823 a canal was built to nearby Fisher's Cross (Port Carlisle
) in order to handle goods produced in the city. This enabled other industrial centres such as Liverpool
to link with Carlisle via the Solway
. This was short-lived however and when the canal operators ran into financial activity the waterway was filled in. A railway
was built in place of the canal.
Carlisle eventually became a major railway centre sitting on the West Coast Main Line
and connecting to the east of the country. At one time 7 different companies used Carlisle Citadel railway station
and prior to the building of the Citadel Station, the city had several different railway stations, including London Road station
. Carlisle also used to have the largest railway marshalling yard in Europe at Kingmoor which, although reduced in size, is still very much operational today and is used by several major railfreight companies.
The city was not without its problems however and still suffered with industry in particular. Carlisle did not avoid the decline in the textile industry
which was experienced throughout Britain as new machinery made labour unnecessary. In 1916, during World War I
, the government took over all the public house
s and breweries
in Carlisle because of endemic drunkenness among construction and munitions workers from the nearby munitions factory at Gretna
. This experiment in nationalised brewing, known first as the 'Carlisle Board of Control' then after the war the 'Carlisle & District State Management Scheme
', lasted until 1971.
In the 1920s and 1930s the first council houses were built in the city, much of it within the newly formed Raffles
suburb to the west of the city. For the initial period Raffles was said to be the most sought after housing in the city by council tenants. This did not last however and the suburb soon became Carlisle's most infamous with high crime rates and poverished living standards. A report from April 1994 which appeared in The Independent on Sunday branded the estate a no-go area
. One resident was reported to have said "If you've got a problem in Raffles, get a shotgun". Redevelopment in 2004 saw an effort to clean up the estate by replacing housing.
In the 1980s a feature of the city was renovated. Known as The Lanes, the winding narrow alleyways of housing which cut through the eastern block of the city centre had not changed much at all since medieval times. The renovation saw them transformed into a shopping centre complete with a library which opened in 1986. This was complemented in 1989 when Carlisle city centre was pedestrianised.
On the evening of Friday 7 January 2005, the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril burst their banks in Carlisle due to as much as 180 mm rainfall landing up stream that day. 1,700 homes were flooded and 3 people lost their lives. As well as this, the city's police and fire stations were flooded along with Brunton Park
football stadium in the following months the police, fire service and Carlisle United F.C.
were relocated, the later as far as Morecambe
. To add to the chaos emergency services had to respond to numerous cases of arson
and looting
in the city.
, museum, cathedral
and semi-intact city walls. The former law courts or citadel
towers which now serve as offices for Cumbria County Council were designed by Thomas Telford
. The first Citadel building was a Tudor fortification replacing the medieval Englishgate, designed by the Moravia
n military engineer Stefan von Haschenperg
in 1541.
since the Middle Ages
and has been a borough constituency or parliamentary borough
for centuries at one time returning two MPs. In 1835 it became a municipal borough
which was promoted to county borough
status in 1914. The city's boundaries have changed at various times since 1835 the final time being in 1974 when under the Local Government Act 1972
the city and county borough merged with the Border Rural District
to become the new enlarged City of Carlisle
, a non-metropolitan district
of Cumbria
.
The borough originally had several civil parishes or parts of parishes within it but these were all merged into a single civil parish of Carlisle in 1904. The present day urban area is now classed as an unparished area
except for the fringes which are in Stanwix Rural
, Kingmoor and St Cuthbert Without
parishes.
Carlisle unsuccessfully applied to become a Lord Mayor
alty in 2002.
Carlisle City Council is based in a 1960s building known as the Civic Centre in Rickergate. An iconic building and tallest in Carlisle, it may soon be demolished and the surrounding area regenerated.
the North West's current MEPs are:
called Carlisle City Council and is currently under Conservative control. The council also covers a large rural area with many villages and small towns within it e.g.: Dalston
, Brampton
, Longtown
, Wetheral
, Bewcastle
and Scotby
. Carlisle City Council recently purchased 9 Aberdeen granite block benches, sandblasted, with Carlisle city landmarks, historic and geographical features.
, at the confluence of the rivers Eden
, Caldew
, and Petteril
.
An important centre for trade, it is located 56 miles (90.1 km) west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 71 miles (114.3 km) north of Lancaster
, 90 miles (144.8 km) south-east of Glasgow
, 93 miles (149.7 km) south of Edinburgh
, 120 miles (193.1 km) north-west of York
, and 300 miles (482.8 km) north-north-west of London
, at 54°52’N, 2°50’W. Nearby towns and villages include Longtown
(North), Penrith
(South) Brampton
(East), Wigton
(West), Haggbeck, Harker
, Carwinley, Blackford
, Houghton, Scotby and Rockcliffe.
(Köppen climate classification
Cfb). In January 2005 Carlisle was hit by strong gales and heavy rain, and on Saturday 8 January 2005 all roads into Carlisle were closed owing to severe flood
ing, the worst since 1822, which caused three deaths.
, Edentown, Etterby, St Anns Hill and Belah which were added to Carlisle in 1912. The parish of Stanwix Rural
still exists but only includes a very small part of Carlisle's urban area namely Whiteclosegate
.
To the immediate south of Stanwix lies the River Eden. On the opposite bank of this is the historic city centre of Carlisle which is bounded on the west by the West Coast Main Railway line and the River Caldew. In the past the main industries of Carlisle flourished on the banks of the River Caldew, especially the Denton Holme, Caldewgate area on the west side and Wapping (the area round the former Metal Box works) on the east bank. West of Caldewgate and north of Denton Holme the suburbs of Newtown, Morton, Sandsfield Park, Longsowerby, Raffles
and Belle Vue
developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
The east side of the city centre developed in the 19th century into a more affluent area than the west along what is now the main A69 road. This links up with the former separate village of Botcherby
to which a large council estate was added in the mid 20th century and later still the Durranhill Housing Estate.
To the south of the city centre lies the Botchergate/St Nicholas area of late Victorian terraced housing similar to that found in Denton Holme and Caldewgate. The Botchergate East area did until fairly recently have some older "slum" dwellings.
To the south west of Botchergate and St Nicholas lie the former villages and now suburban areas of Upperby
and Currock. The urban area spills over the former county borough boundary and includes the areas of Blackwell
and Durdar
within the civil parish of St Cuthbert Without
.
Between Upperby and Botcherby lies another former village that was once part of St Cuthbert Without and is now probably the largest suburb of Carlisle namely Harraby. This is subdivided into many estates/areas including Harraby East, New Harraby, Harraby Green, Old Harraby, Petteril Bank and the Durranhill Industrial Estate. Adjoining Harraby to the south but outside the former borough boundary is the hamlet of Carleton
.
towards the South, and to Scotland via the M74/A74
towards Glasgow and the North. As well as these routes, many important trunk roads either begin or terminate in Carlisle, including the A6 to Penrith
and eventually leading onto Luton (historically the main road south) , the A595
to western Cumbria, the A69 to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the A7 to Edinburgh. The City of Carlisle thus bears the distinction of being the only city in Great Britain other than London and Edinburgh with more than one single numbered 'A' road - A6 and A7 (although at one time the A5 and A6 met in St Albans
).
Traffic in the Carlisle area, especially at rush hour, has become a significant problem. A proposed bypass road will take traffic heading to and from west Cumbria off the M6, as opposed to its current path through the centre of Carlisle.
Carlisle
is a principal railway station on the West Coast
main railway line. Other railway lines go to Newcastle, Leeds and Glasgow via Dumfries and west Cumbria. Kingmoor Traction Maintenance Depot
is a major facility located to the north of Carlisle.
Local bus services are run by Stagecoach North West
and Arriva
. Following the disastrous flooding of Carlisle Bus Depot (and a lot of Carlisle) on 8 January 2005 and the amazing variety of buses seen in Carlisle afterwards, Stagecoach announced the purchase of a fleet of brand new low-floor buses for Carlisle city routes. These were officially launched on 30 June, complete with "Carlisle Citi" branding, and with most of the buses carrying route branding for individual routes both internally and externally.
, Caldewgate and Wapping areas which lie in the Caldew Valley area of Carlisle. (One such manufacturer located in the Denton Holme area was Ferguson Printers, a large textile printing factory that had stood for many years before its unfortunate closure in the early 1990s). In the early 19th century a canal
was dug connecting Caldewgate with the sea at Port Carlisle
. The canal was later filled in and became a railway line.
Famous firms that were founded or had factories in Carlisle included Carr's of Carlisle
(now part of United Biscuits
), Kangol
, Metal Box (now part of Crown Holdings
) and Cowans Sheldon. Cowans Sheldon originated in the city in the mid 19th century and became one of the world's most important railway and marine engineering firms, manufacturing finally ceased in Carlisle in 1987. The Carr's and Metal Box factories are still going. The construction firm of John Laing and the hauliers Eddie Stobart Ltd.
were also founded in Carlisle.
Until 2004, Carlisle's biggest employer was Cavaghan & Gray
, part of Northern Foods
which operated from two sites in the Harraby area of Carlisle producing chilled foods for major supermarket chains. As of January 2005, the London Road site was closed with the loss of almost 700 jobs as production was transferred to the nearby Eastern Way site or other factories around the UK.
Carlisle also became a major railway centre with at one time 7 different companies using Carlisle Citadel railway station
. Prior to the building of the Citadel Station, Carlisle had several railway stations, including London Road station
. Carlisle also used to have the largest railway marshaling yard in Europe at Kingmoor which, although reduced in size, is still very much operational and used by railfreight companies like Freightliner Heavy Haul, DB Schenker Rail UK (formerly EWS) and very occasionally Direct Rail Services.
There are various light industrial estates and business parks located on the fringes of Carlisle and on former industrial sites close to the city centre.
On March 28, 2005, Carlisle was granted Fairtrade City status.
has a four campuses in Carlisle on Fusehill Street, Brampton Road, Paternoster Row and Newcastle Street. The university provides a wide range of degree courses in higher education
such as Applied Computing
, Applied Psychology
, Art
, Business
, Law
, Media
, Social Work
and Teacher Education
.
Carlisle College
is the Further Education
establishment based in the town.
The secondary school
s within the city of Carlisle are: Richard Rose Academy (consisting of the Central Campus and the Morton Campus), Austin Friars St Monicas (Roman Catholic Private School), Trinity - Centre of Excellence for Languages, Newman (Roman Catholic School). Other secondary schools in the wider Carlisle district are: Caldew School
, (Dalston
) and William Howard School
(Brampton
).
The Richard Rose Central Academy replaced St Aidan's County High School and Specialist
Sports and Science College, and the North Cumbria Technology College (NCTC, formerly Harraby School). It is sponsored by Eddie Stobart owner Andrew Tinkler, and local businessman Brian Scowcroft. It opened in September 2008. In January 2009, there were protests by parents and pupils regarding poor quality education and school facilities. The school was found to be failing and was placed in Special Measures
, with the headmaster and chief executive being immediately replaced.
occupancy of the region and Hadrian's Wall
as well as the Border Reivers
. Tullie House, named after the Jacobean
mansion it is located in, also houses travelling exhibits and art galleries. The museum has been attributed with many awards and was expanded in 1990, again in 2000.
The city also features the Guildhall museum based in a 14th century house and the Border Regiment Military Museum inside the castle.
stadium has also been known to host live music and hosted Elton John
in 2007.
The Carlisle Music Festival takes place in the Catedral
each year and Brampton Live, the largest folk festival in the north of England, is situated not far from the city in Brampton
. Over the weekend of 14/15 May 2011, Carlisle Lake District Airport was host to Europe's largest free music festival, Radio 1's Big Weekend. The festival featured headline acts including Lady Gaga
and The Foo Fighters
.
which has been regarded as one of the best places to eat in the country. The area is home to four Michelin Star
Restaurants including L'Enclume
, Sharrow bay
, Holbeck Ghyll
and The Samling in Ambleside
. The county is also noted for having more microbreweries than any other county and together with Jennings Brewery
they supply a wide variety of local ales
, many of which are served in pubs and restaurants throughout Carlisle.
Every august the Carlisle Food Fair is held in the pedestrianised area of the city centre. The fair plays host to produce from across the continent as well as featuring a large amount of local farmer's produce including authentic Cumberland sausage
, Cumberland sauce
and Cumberland Mustard.
, the local ITV region and to many newspapers. It is also home to BBC Radio Cumbria
and other commercial stations.
, Currently residing in the third tier of English football after being promoted from the Football League Two
. They play at Brunton Park
on Warwick Road (A69)and have done since 1909, though in November 2011 plans were unveiled for the club to move to a 12,000-seat new stadium in the Kingmoor Park area of the city.
Their first Football League tenure began in 1928 when they were elected to the northern section of the Football League Third Division
, replacing Durham City
. Their past achievements include reaching the Football League Cup
semi-finals (their best run in either of the two domestic cups) in 1969, and winning promotion to the top flight (then the Football League First Division
) in 1974. They famously topped the whole English league after winning their first three games of the 1974-75 season
, but failed to keep up their good form and were relegated after just one season. In 1987 they fell back into the Football League Fourth Division
, and in 2004 were relegated to the Football Conference
- the first former top division club to suffer this difficulty - only to regain their Football League place after one year.
In 1999, Carlisle famously escaped relegation from the Football League on the final day of the season when on-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass
scored an injury time winner for them against Plymouth Argyle
. Their 2-1 win meant that Scarborough
were relegated instead.
Though Carlisle United have rarely attracted the national football headlines, they have fielded a number of high profile players over the years. Some of these have achieved fame at bigger clubs after spending the early part of their career at the club. These include Peter Beardsley
, Stan Bowles
, Steve Harkness
, Matt Jansen
and Rory Delap
. Many older players have spent the later years of their career at Carlisle United after playing for bigger clubs. These include Michael Bridges
, Mervyn Day
, Kevin Gray
and David McCreery
. Notable former managers of the club include Alan Ashman
, Bob Stokoe
, Harry Gregg
, Mick Wadsworth
, Nigel Pearson
and Paul Simpson
.
Since Workington were voted out of the Football League in 1977, Carlisle United have been the only Cumbria
n team to have played senior football.
rugby union captain Steve Borthwick
is a native of Carlisle.
At one time Carlisle was home to a rugby league
team, Carlisle RLFC
, who would later merge with Barrow
and leave Carlisle. They now have a new amateur rugby league side called Carlisle Centurions who play in the National Division of the Rugby League Conference. Their home ground is Gillford Park and has covered accommodation on three sides with nearly 1,000 seats available for spectators.
play at the Edenside Ground just north of the city centre. Cumberland are classed as a minor county by the ECB
and have won the Minor Counties Championship twice in their history.
Horse racing
has been held in Carlisle for centuries. In 1904 Carlisle Racecourse
was established to the south of the city, it is now a first class racecourse.
Carlisle is also home to several Golf
clubs including Stoneyholme, whose course is located within the city, and Carlisle Golf Club which regularly hosts regional qualifying to the Open Championship
.
made headquarters at Carlisle Castle
. The regiment was eventually amalgamated with King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
to become The King's Own Royal Border Regiment
and subsequently Duke of Lancaster's Regiment where its lineage is continued today. From 1720 to 1959 the regiment fought in many campaigns including the French and Indian War
, the Battle of Culloden
, World War I
and World War II
.
also known as 14 MU was located at Kingstown near the present-day Asda
. The station closed in 1996 after nearly sixty years in a variety of roles. First established as RAF Kingstown in 1938, it was originally a bomber station, then one of the RAF's Elementary Flying Training Schools and latterly a post war storage facility.
operated from a building in the city centre although it was controlled administratively from RAF Kingstown. The association with Kingstown developed further in 1962 when the ROC ceased its aircraft spotting role for the RAF and took on a new role of plotting nuclear explosions and warning the public of approaching radioactive fallout for the UKWMO
. A new administration building and a protected, hardened Nuclear Reporting bunker was built at RAF Carlisle. The nuclear bunker was a standard above-ground structure and both the bunker and Headquarters hutting stood on a separate site at Crindledyke just outside the main gates of RAF Carlisle and roughly opposite the station's officers mess. The Carlisle group was redesignated no 22 Group ROC.
The ROC also constructed a smaller nuclear reporting post called Kingstown post (OS ref:NY 3837 5920), on the main RAF Carlisle site. The post was also an underground protected bunker but designed for a crew of three observers. The headquarters bunker accommodated an operational crew of around 100 with dormitory and canteen facilities included with the operations room and life support plant.
The Royal Observer Corps and its parent organisation the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
were disbanded in December 1995 after the end of the Cold War
and as a result of recommendations in the governments Options for Change
review of UK defence. The ROC buildings were demolished in 1996 and replaced by a cellphone communications mast. The foundations of the nuclear bunker can still be partially seen outlined in the concreted yard, which also contains the Air Training Corps hut during recent further development of the site.
curse that was first invoked by Archbishop Dunbar of Glasgow
in 1525 against cross-border families, known as the Border Reivers
, who lived by stealing cattle and pillage. The curse was not directly aimed at Carlisle or its people. For the millennium celebrations, the local council commissioned a 14-tonne granite artwork inscribed with all 1,069 words of the curse.
In 1998 some Christian
s, among other projects, began campaigning to prevent the city of Carlisle from installing the stone. In the wake of this controversy, superstition about the stone grew and a number of the city's setbacks were blamed on the curse stone, including an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease
, a flood, various crimes, rising unemployment statistics and even the fate of Carlisle United, which was relegated out of its league.
In March 2005, Liberal Democrat
city councillor Jim Tootle, on the request of a Christian citizen, proposed the stone either be moved outside the city boundaries or destroyed altogether. Kevin Carlyon, the self-titled "high priest of the British white witch
es" and the "Living God of all Witches" but only in his own and very singular opinion, proclaimed that such actions would give the curse more power. He commented that: "A curse can only work if people believe in it. I think at the moment the sculpture is a nice piece of history, but if the council destroys it, they would be showing their belief in the curse." A council meeting on March 8, 2005 rejected Tootle's proposal, a move welcomed by council leader Mike Mitchelson, who had earlier questioned whether moving the stone was a good use of council funds.
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, and the major settlement of the wider City of Carlisle
City of Carlisle
The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. Carlisle is located at the confluence of the rivers Eden
River Eden, Cumbria
The River Eden is a river that flows through Cumbria, England on its way to the Solway Firth.-Course of river:The Eden rises in Black Fell Moss, Mallerstang, on the high ground between High Seat, Yorkshire Dales and Hugh Seat. Here it forms the boundary between the counties of Cumbria and North...
, Caldew
River Caldew
The River Caldew is a river running through Cumbria in England. Historically, the county watered by the Caldew was Cumberland.The Caldew's source is high up on Skiddaw, between the summit and Sale How, in the Lake District, from where it runs east through a valley between Bowscale Fell and Carrock...
and Petteril
River Petteril
The River Petteril is a river running through the English county of Cumbria.The source of the Petteril is near Penruddock and Motherby, from where the young river runs northeast through Greystoke, Blencow and Newton Reigny, before passing under the M6 motorway, after which the river turns north,...
, 10 miles (16 km) south of the Scottish border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
. It is the largest settlement in the county of Cumbria, and serves as the administrative centre for both Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council. At the time of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the population of Carlisle was 71,773, with 100,734 living in the wider city.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
the county town of Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, the early history of Carlisle is marked by its status as a Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
settlement, established to serve the forts on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, because of its proximity to the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
, Carlisle became an important military stronghold; Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle is situated in Carlisle, in the English county of Cumbria, near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. The castle is over 900 years old and has been the scene of many historical episodes in British history. Given the proximity of Carlisle to the border between England and Scotland, it...
, still relatively intact, was built in 1092 by William Rufus
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
, and having once served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots. The castle now houses the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and the Border Regiment
Border Regiment
The Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th Regiment of Foot and the 55th Regiment of Foot....
Museum. In the early 12th century Henry I allowed the foundation of a priory in Carlisle. The town gained the status of a diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in 1122, and the priory became Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England...
.
The introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution changed the nature of work and society. Opinion varies as to the exact date, but it is estimated that the First Industrial Revolution took place between 1750 and 1850, and the second phase or Second Industrial Revolution between 1860 and 1900. The three key drivers in...
began a process of socioeconomic transformation in Carlisle, developing into a densely populated mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
. This combined with its strategic position allowed for the development of Carlisle as an important railway town, with seven railway companies sharing Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
.
Nicknamed the Border City, Carlisle today is the main cultural, commercial and industrial centre for north Cumbria. It is home to the main campuses of the University of Cumbria
University of Cumbria
The University of Cumbria is a university in Cumbria, England. Its headquarters are in Carlisle. and other major campuses are at Lancaster, Ambleside and Penrith. It was established in 2007, with roots extending back to the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts established in 1822 and...
and a variety of museums and heritage centres. The former County Borough of Carlisle
County Borough of Carlisle
Carlisle was, from 1835 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England, coterminate with Carlisle. In 1835, following the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, Carlisle was constituted a municipal borough of Cumberland, but was promoted to county borough status in 1914, within its...
had held city status
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
until the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
was enacted in 1974.
In 2012, Carlisle will be one of the official stop off points for the Olympic torch before it makes its way down to the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
opening ceremony.
Ancient Carlisle
Much of the ancient historyAncient history
Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC...
of Carlisle is still unknown and what is known is sourced mainly from archaeological evidence and the works of Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
historian Gaius Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
. The earliest recorded inhabitants were the Carvetti tribe of Brythonic
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
Celts who made up the main population of ancient Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
and North Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. According to early historians Fordum and Boethius Carlisle existed before the arrival of Romans in Britain and was one of the strongest British towns at the time. In the time of the emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
it was said to have burned down. The town was named Luguvalion or Luguwaljon, meaning 'strength of the god Lugus
Lugus
Lugus was a deity of the Celtic pantheon. His name is rarely directly attested in inscriptions, but his importance can be inferred from placenames and ethnonyms, and his nature and attributes are deduced from the distinctive iconography of Gallo-Roman inscriptions to Mercury, who is widely believed...
'. This was later Latinised into Luguvalium
Luguvalium
Luguvalium was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Carlisle, located in the English county of Cumbria .-Pre-Roman:...
and later still was derived to Caer-luel (Caer meaning fort in Brythonic
British language
The British language was an ancient Celtic language spoken in Britain.British language may also refer to:* Any of the Languages of the United Kingdom.*The Welsh language or the Brythonic languages more generally* British English...
).
By the year 73 CE (AD) the Roman invasion
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
of Britain had reached the River Eden
River Eden, Cumbria
The River Eden is a river that flows through Cumbria, England on its way to the Solway Firth.-Course of river:The Eden rises in Black Fell Moss, Mallerstang, on the high ground between High Seat, Yorkshire Dales and Hugh Seat. Here it forms the boundary between the counties of Cumbria and North...
and a fort was built that winter at a strategic point overlooking the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the River Caldew with the Eden, where Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle is situated in Carlisle, in the English county of Cumbria, near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. The castle is over 900 years old and has been the scene of many historical episodes in British history. Given the proximity of Carlisle to the border between England and Scotland, it...
stands today. The created civitas
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
was the only walled-town in the entire north west region of Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, for this reason it is reasonable to assume that the settlement did exist and served as a tribal centre for the Carvetii before Roman occupancy, following the pattern of other civitates made by the Romans.
In 79AD the two main Roman generals active in north Britain, Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.Born to a noted...
and Quintus Petillius Cerialis
Quintus Petillius Cerialis
Quintus Petilius Cerialis Caesius Rufus was a Roman general and administrator who served in Britain during Boudica's rebellion and who went on to participate in the civil wars after the death of Nero. He later defeated the rebellion of Julius Civilis and returned to Britain as its governor.His...
, advanced through the Solway
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
area as they continued their campaign further north. As a result it is likely greater control was achieved at Carlisle over anti-imperialist groups. Something which is signified by the fact the fort at Carlisle was able to be refurbished in 83AD using oak timbers from further afield rather than the local Alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
. At this time the fort was garrisoned by a 500 strong cavalry regiment, the ala Gallorum Sebosiana.
By the early 2nd century Lugavalium had become established as a prominent stronghold and the 'Stanegate' frontier, which consisted of itself and several other forts spanning east to Corbridge
Corbridge
Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...
, was proving to be a far more stable frontier against the Picts
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
than those established deeper into Caledonia
Caledonia
Caledonia is the Latinised form and name given by the Romans to the land in today's Scotland north of their province of Britannia, beyond the frontier of their empire...
. In 122AD the province was visited by the Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
who approved a plan to build a stone wall the length of the frontier. With the wall a new fort was built at Carlisle in the modern day Stanwix
Stanwix
Stanwix is a district of Carlisle, Cumbria in North West England. It is located on the north side of River Eden, across from Carlisle city centre. Although long counted as a suburb it did not officially become part of the city until 1912 when part of the civil parish of Stanwix became part of the...
area of the city north of the river. The fort, Petriana
Petriana
Petriana was a Roman fort. It was the largest fort on Hadrian's Wall, and is now buried beneath the village of Stanwix, Cumbria, England.-Roman name:...
, was the largest along the length of Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
and was eventually completed in stone by around 130AD. Like Lugavalium, which lay within sight, Petriana housed a cavalry regiment, Ala Petriana, which at 1000 strong was the sole regiment of this size on the wall. Hadrian's successor Antoninus
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
abandoned the frontier and attempted to move further north and build a new wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
between the Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
and the Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
. This didn't prove successful however and after 20 years garrisons were returned to Hadrian's wall.
Until 400AD the Roman occupation of Britain saw many fluctuations in importance and at one time it broke off from Rome when Marcus Carausius
Carausius
Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Valerius Carausius was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. He was a Menapian from Belgic Gaul, who usurped power in 286, declaring himself emperor in Britain and northern Gaul. He did this only 13 years after the Gallic Empire of the Batavian...
assumed power of the territory. He was later assassinated and suffered Damnatio Memoriae
Damnatio memoriae
Damnatio memoriae is the Latin phrase literally meaning "condemnation of memory" in the sense of a judgment that a person must not be remembered. It was a form of dishonor that could be passed by the Roman Senate upon traitors or others who brought discredit to the Roman State...
, one of the few surviving references to him was uncovered in Carlisle. Coins excavated in the area suggest the Romans remained in Carlisle as late as the rule of Emperor Valentinian II
Valentinian II
Flavius Valentinianus , commonly known as Valentinian II, was Roman Emperor from 375 to 392.-Early Life and Accession :...
from 375 to 392AD.
Middle Ages
The period of late antiquityLate Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
after Roman rule saw Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
become the major area in the Brythonic
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
kingdom of Rheged
Rheged
Rheged is described in poetic sources as one of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic-speaking region of what is now northern England and southern Scotland, during the Early Middle Ages...
. While it is not clear, it seems likely that the kingdom took its name from a major stronghold within it and it has been suggested that this was broadly conterminous with the earlier Civitas Carvetiorum, Carlisle. As a major part of this kingdom, Carlisle features strongly in the histories of Urien
Urien
Urien , often referred to as Urien Rheged, was a late 6th century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom of the Hen Ogledd . His power and his victories, including the battles of Gwen Ystrad and Alt Clut Ford, are celebrated in the praise poems to him by Taliesin, preserved in the Book of Taliesin...
and his son Owain
Owain mab Urien
Owain mab Urien was the son of Urien, king of Rheged c. 590, and fought with his father against the Angles of Bernicia. The historical figure of Owain became incorporated into the Arthurian cycle of legends where he is also known as Ywain, Yvain, Ewain or Uwain...
, two kings of Rheged who are the subject of much Arthurian legend. Rheged was eventually annexed in 655 when Rienmelth ferch Royth married Oswy, King of Northumbria. In the remaining part of the first millennium, Carlisle continued to serve as an important stronghold within several entities who warred over the area including the Brythonic Kingdom of Strathclyde
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
and the Anglian
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
Kingdom of Northumbria.
By the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Carlisle was part of Scotland and did not feature in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086. This changed in 1092 when William the Conqueror's
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
son William Rufus invaded Cumberland and reincorporated it into England. Upon doing so, the construction of Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle is situated in Carlisle, in the English county of Cumbria, near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. The castle is over 900 years old and has been the scene of many historical episodes in British history. Given the proximity of Carlisle to the border between England and Scotland, it...
began in 1093 on the site of the Roman fort, south of the river Eden. The castle was built in stone in 1112 together with a Keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
and city walls. The walls enclosed the city south of the castle and included three gates to the west, south and east called Irish Gate (or Shaddon Gate), English Gate (or Botcher Gate) and Scottish Gate respectively. The names of the gates still exist in road names present in Carlisle today. Along with the castle Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England...
was also built in 1133.
The conquest of Cumberland was the beginning of a long war between Scotland and England which saw the region change hands a number of times and centred around Carlisle, it having become a major stronghold with the construction of the castle. During these wars, the livelihood of the people on the borders was devastated by the contending armies. Even when the countries were not at war, tension remained high, and royal authority in one or the other kingdom was often weak. The uncertainty of existence meant that communities or peoples kindred to each other would seek security through their own strength and cunning, and improve their livelihoods at their nominal enemies' expense. These peoples were known as the Border Reivers
Border Reivers
Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality...
and Carlisle was the major city within their territories.
The reivers became so much of a nuisance to the Scottish and English government that in 1525 the then Archbishop of Glasgow, Gavin Dunbar, put a curse up all the reivers of the borderlands. The curse was detailed in 1,069 words, beginning: "I curse their head and all the hairs of their head; I curse their face, their brain (innermost thoughts), their mouth, their nose, their tongue, their teeth, their forehead, their shoulders, their breast, their heart, their stomach, their back, their womb, their arms, their leggs, their hands, their feet, and every part of their body, from the top of their head to the soles of their feet, before and behind, within and without."
The Early Modern era
The death of Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
in 1603 began the end of turbulent relations between the Scots and England. With no English heir, James VI of Scotland
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
also became King James I of England and was determined to bring peace to his 'United Kingdom'. He applied far stricter penalties than those which preceded against those caught reiving. The borderers were not quick to change their ways however, many were hung and whole families were exiled to Ireland. It was not until 1681 that the problem of the reivers was acknowledged as no longer an issue.
With the kingdoms uniting Carlisle Castle should have become obsolete as a frontier fortress but in 1642 civil war
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
broke out and the castle was garrisoned for the king in 1642, and endured a long siege
Siege of Carlisle
The Siege of Carlisle may refer to:*Siege of Carlisle , Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle drove off Robert I of Scotland from a siege of Carlisle...
, Carlisle’s eighth, from October 1644 until June 1645. Eventually the loyalist forces surrendered after the Battle of Naseby
Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.-The Campaign:...
. The city was then occupied by a parliamentary garrison, and subsequently by their Scots allies, who destroyed the cathedral’s
Carlisle Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England...
nave and used the stone to rebuild the castle. Cerlisle continued to remain a barracks thereafter. In 1698 travel writer Celia Fiennes
Celia Fiennes
Celia Fiennes was an English traveller. Born in Wiltshire, she was the daughter of an English Civil War Parliamentarian Colonel, who was in turn the second son of the William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele. Celia Fiennes died in Hackney in 1741.-Pioneering Female Traveller:Fiennes never married...
wrote of Carlisle as having most of the trappings of a military town and was rife with alcohol and prostitutes.
In 1707 an act of union
Acts of Union 1707
The Acts of Union were two Parliamentary Acts - the Union with Scotland Act passed in 1706 by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland - which put into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union that had been agreed on 22 July 1706,...
was passed between England and Scotland, creating Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and Carlisle ceased to be a frontier town. This again didn't end Carlisle's position as a garrison town. The tenth and most recent siege in the cities history took place after Bonnie Prince Charlie took Carlisle in the Jacobite Rising of 1745
Jacobite Rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, often referred to as "The 'Forty-Five," was the attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. The rising occurred during the War of the Austrian Succession when most of the British Army was on the European continent...
. When the Jacobite's retreated across the border to Scotland they left a garrison of 400 in Carlisle Castle. In ten days the Duke of Cumberland took the castle and executed 31 of the Jacobites on the streets of Carlisle.
Industrial Revolution
While Carlisle continued to garrison soldiers in the city, eventually becoming the headquarters of the Border RegimentBorder Regiment
The Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th Regiment of Foot and the 55th Regiment of Foot....
, the city's importance as a military town was finally letting slip as the industrial age
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
took over. In the early 19th century many textile mills, engineering works and food manufacturers building factories in the city. Chiefly in the Denton Holme
Denton Holme
Denton Holme is an inner city district in Carlisle, Cumbria, England.Denton Holme is usually regarded as a "village within the city" and is situated to the immediate south west of the city centre on the western bank of the River Caldew...
, Caldewgate and Wapping suburbs which lie in the Caldew Valley area of Carlisle. These included Carr's of Carlisle
Carr's
Carr's is the name of foodstuff and agricultural brands historically derived from founder Jonathan Dodgson Carr but now owned and marketed by more than one separate company. In 1831, Carr formed a small bakery and biscuit factory in the English city of Carlisle; he received a royal warrant in 1841...
, Kangol
Kangol
Kangol is a British clothing company famous for its headwear.Founded in Cleator, Cumbria, England in 1938 by Jaques Spreiregen, Kangol produced hats for workers, golfers, and especially soldiers...
, Metal Box and Cowans Sheldon.
The expanse of industry brought with it a great increase in population as jobs shifted from rural farms towards the cities. This produced a horrific housing shortage where at one point 25,000 people in the city only had 5,000 houses to live in. People were said to be herded together with animal houses, slaughter houses and communal lavatories all with open drains running between them. Living conditions were so bad that riots were common and some emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The problem wasn't solved until the end of the century when mass housing was built west of the city walls.
In 1823 a canal was built to nearby Fisher's Cross (Port Carlisle
Port Carlisle
Port Carlisle is a fishing village at Carlisle, Cumbria, England, one mile from Bowness-on-Solway—.Historically within Cumberland, its original name was Fishers Cross, and the port was built in 1819. Four years later, a canal link was added to take goods to Carlisle Basin. The canal was...
) in order to handle goods produced in the city. This enabled other industrial centres such as Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to link with Carlisle via the Solway
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
. This was short-lived however and when the canal operators ran into financial activity the waterway was filled in. A railway
Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway
The Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway was a twenty two mile long Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company built single track branch railway line in Cumberland, England, that ran from to via seven intermediate stations, , , , , and...
was built in place of the canal.
Carlisle eventually became a major railway centre sitting on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and connecting to the east of the country. At one time 7 different companies used Carlisle Citadel railway station
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
and prior to the building of the Citadel Station, the city had several different railway stations, including London Road station
Carlisle London Road railway station
Carlisle London Road railway station was the first to open in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was built as a terminus of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway and opened in 1836, when trains could only run as far as Greenhead; not until 1838 was it possible to travel by rail all the way to...
. Carlisle also used to have the largest railway marshalling yard in Europe at Kingmoor which, although reduced in size, is still very much operational today and is used by several major railfreight companies.
Modern history
The start of the 20th century saw the city come of age. The population had grown to over 45,000. Transport was improved with a public tram system installed in 1900, which operated until 1931, and the first cinema was built in 1906. In 1912, the boundaries of Carlisle were extended to include Botcherby in the east and Stanwix in the north.The city was not without its problems however and still suffered with industry in particular. Carlisle did not avoid the decline in the textile industry
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
which was experienced throughout Britain as new machinery made labour unnecessary. In 1916, during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the government took over all the public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s and breweries
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in Carlisle because of endemic drunkenness among construction and munitions workers from the nearby munitions factory at Gretna
HM Factory, Gretna
His Majesty's Factory, Gretna, or H.M. Factory, Gretna as it was usually known, was a UK government World War I Cordite factory, adjacent to the Solway Firth, near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway...
. This experiment in nationalised brewing, known first as the 'Carlisle Board of Control' then after the war the 'Carlisle & District State Management Scheme
State Management Scheme
The State Management Scheme saw the UK government take over and run the brewing, distribution and sale of liquor in three regions of the UK from 1916 until 1973....
', lasted until 1971.
In the 1920s and 1930s the first council houses were built in the city, much of it within the newly formed Raffles
Raffles, Cumbria
Raffles or the Raffles Estate is a suburb of Carlisle, Cumbria, United Kingdom. The estate consists mainly of council built and Housing association properties, and in 1994 had a population of 5,800...
suburb to the west of the city. For the initial period Raffles was said to be the most sought after housing in the city by council tenants. This did not last however and the suburb soon became Carlisle's most infamous with high crime rates and poverished living standards. A report from April 1994 which appeared in The Independent on Sunday branded the estate a no-go area
No-go area
A no-go area or no-go zone is a region where the ruling authorities have lost control and are unable to enforce the rule of law.-Rhodesia:The term 'no-go area' has a military origin and was first used in the context of the Bush War in Rhodesia...
. One resident was reported to have said "If you've got a problem in Raffles, get a shotgun". Redevelopment in 2004 saw an effort to clean up the estate by replacing housing.
In the 1980s a feature of the city was renovated. Known as The Lanes, the winding narrow alleyways of housing which cut through the eastern block of the city centre had not changed much at all since medieval times. The renovation saw them transformed into a shopping centre complete with a library which opened in 1986. This was complemented in 1989 when Carlisle city centre was pedestrianised.
On the evening of Friday 7 January 2005, the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril burst their banks in Carlisle due to as much as 180 mm rainfall landing up stream that day. 1,700 homes were flooded and 3 people lost their lives. As well as this, the city's police and fire stations were flooded along with Brunton Park
Brunton Park
Brunton Park is a football stadium and the home of Carlisle United F.C. It is situated in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria and has a certified capacity for the 2011/2012 season of 18,202. The ground opened in 1909...
football stadium in the following months the police, fire service and Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
were relocated, the later as far as Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
. To add to the chaos emergency services had to respond to numerous cases of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
and looting
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
in the city.
City centre
Carlisle has a compact historic centre, including a castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, museum, cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
and semi-intact city walls. The former law courts or citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
towers which now serve as offices for Cumbria County Council were designed by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
. The first Citadel building was a Tudor fortification replacing the medieval Englishgate, designed by the Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
n military engineer Stefan von Haschenperg
Stefan von Haschenperg
Stefan von Haschenperg was a Czech military engineer employed by Henry VIII of England in the 1540s.-Career:Very little is known of Stefan's career, however he was mentioned as a gentleman of Moravia, and subject of Bohemia, in a letter from the Regent of the Netherlands to Henry VIII in 1544. He...
in 1541.
Governance
Historical
Carlisle has held city statusCity status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and has been a borough constituency or parliamentary borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
for centuries at one time returning two MPs. In 1835 it became a municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
which was promoted to county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
status in 1914. The city's boundaries have changed at various times since 1835 the final time being in 1974 when under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
the city and county borough merged with the Border Rural District
Border Rural District
Border was a rural district of Cumberland, England from 1934 to 1974.It was formed by a County Review Order in 1934, by a merger of Longtown Rural District, most of Brampton Rural District and nearly all of Carlisle Rural District, as well as a part of Penrith Rural District...
to become the new enlarged City of Carlisle
City of Carlisle
The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
, a non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
.
The borough originally had several civil parishes or parts of parishes within it but these were all merged into a single civil parish of Carlisle in 1904. The present day urban area is now classed as an unparished area
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
except for the fringes which are in Stanwix Rural
Stanwix Rural
Stanwix Rural is a civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria immediately to the north east of Carlisle itself – parts of the Carlisle urban area are in the parish boundaries....
, Kingmoor and St Cuthbert Without
St Cuthbert Without
St Cuthbert Without or simply St Cuthbert is a civil parish within the City of Carlisle in Cumbria, England.The parish lies immediately to the south of Carlisle itself and comprises the following settlements - Blackwell, Durdar, Carleton, Brisco and Wreay St Cuthbert Without or simply St Cuthbert...
parishes.
Carlisle unsuccessfully applied to become a Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
alty in 2002.
Carlisle City Council is based in a 1960s building known as the Civic Centre in Rickergate. An iconic building and tallest in Carlisle, it may soon be demolished and the surrounding area regenerated.
European Parliament
Carlisle is within the North West England constituency of the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
the North West's current MEPs are:
| MEP's Name | Political Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Atkins Robert Atkins (politician) Sir Robert James Atkins is a British Conservative politician. Educated at Highgate School, he served as a councillor for the London Borough of Haringey from 1968 to 1977. He was the Member of Parliament for Preston North and South Ribble from 1979 to 1997 and became a Member of the European... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| Chris Davies Chris Davies Christopher Graham Davies is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is a former Member of Parliament, and since 1999 he has been a Member of the European Parliament.- Biography :... |
Liberal Democrat | |
| Jacqueline Foster Jacqueline Foster Jacqueline Foster is a British Conservative politician and company director, and Member of the European Parliament for the North West England region.-Early career:... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| Nick Griffin Nick Griffin Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England.... |
British National Party British National Party The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982... |
|
| Saj Karim | Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|
| Arlene McCarthy Arlene McCarthy Arlene McCarthy is a Member of the European Parliament for North West England for the Labour Party.-Biography:... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
| Paul Nuttall Paul Nuttall Paul Andrew Nuttall is a former chairman of the United Kingdom Independence Party, and a Member of the European Parliament for the North West England region. He was elected in 2009... |
UKIP United Kingdom Independence Party The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP... |
|
| Brian Simpson Brian Simpson Brian Simpson is a Member of the European Parliament for the Labour Party for North West England.He was a member of the European Parliament from 1989 until 1999 representing Cheshire East and from 1999 until 2004 representing the North West Region, when European Elections switched from First Past... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
|
County Council
Carlisle's county councillors are currently:- Alan Toole (Conservative) Belah Ward
- Cyril Weber (Labour) Belle Vue Ward
- Anne Glendinning (Labour) Botcherby Ward
- Olwen Luckley (Liberal Democrat) Castle Ward
- Heather Bradley (Labour) Currock Ward
- Hugh McDevitt (Labour) Denton Holme Ward
- Michael Richardson (Labour) Harraby Ward
- John Bell (Labour) Morton Ward
- Reginald Watson OBE (Labour) St Aidens Ward
- Elizabeth Mallinson (Conservative) Stanwix Urban Ward
- Stewart Young (Labour) Upperby Ward
- Helen Horne (Labour) Yewdale Ward
District Council
Carlisle is governed by a district councilNon-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
called Carlisle City Council and is currently under Conservative control. The council also covers a large rural area with many villages and small towns within it e.g.: Dalston
Dalston, Cumbria
Dalston is a large village and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the B5299 road about four miles south-south-west of Carlisle city centre, and approximately five miles from Junction 42 of the M6 motorway.The village has a population of around...
, Brampton
Brampton, Carlisle, Cumbria
Brampton is a small market town and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England about 9 miles east of Carlisle and 2 miles south of Hadrian's Wall. It is situated off the A69 road which bypasses it...
, Longtown
Longtown, Cumbria
Longtown is a small town in northern Cumbria, England, with a population of around 3,000. It is in the parish of Arthuret and on the River Esk, not far from the Anglo-Scottish border. Nearby was the Battle of Arfderydd....
, Wetheral
Wetheral
Wetheral is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The village serves mostly as a dormitory town for nearby Carlisle. As of the 2001 census, the population of the Wetheral Ward is 4,039. The civil parish of Wetheral is slightly larger, with a population of 5,203...
, Bewcastle
Bewcastle
Bewcastle is a large civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England.According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 411. The parish is large and includes the settlements of Roadhead, Shopford, Blackpool Gate, Roughsike and The Flatt. To the north the parish extends...
and Scotby
Scotby
Scotby is a village in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England, United Kingdom. It is separated from Carlisle itself only by the M6 Motorway, and is close to other dormitory villages in the area, such as Wetheral, Cumwhinton and Aglionby....
. Carlisle City Council recently purchased 9 Aberdeen granite block benches, sandblasted, with Carlisle city landmarks, historic and geographical features.
Geography
Carlisle is situated on a slight rise, in the Cumberland WardCumberland (ward)
The ward of Cumberland was one of the ancient divisions of the historic county of Cumberland, England. In most other counties these divisions were called hundreds or Wapentakes.The ward included Carlisle and Wigton and took in parts of Inglewood Forest...
, at the confluence of the rivers Eden
River Eden, Cumbria
The River Eden is a river that flows through Cumbria, England on its way to the Solway Firth.-Course of river:The Eden rises in Black Fell Moss, Mallerstang, on the high ground between High Seat, Yorkshire Dales and Hugh Seat. Here it forms the boundary between the counties of Cumbria and North...
, Caldew
River Caldew
The River Caldew is a river running through Cumbria in England. Historically, the county watered by the Caldew was Cumberland.The Caldew's source is high up on Skiddaw, between the summit and Sale How, in the Lake District, from where it runs east through a valley between Bowscale Fell and Carrock...
, and Petteril
River Petteril
The River Petteril is a river running through the English county of Cumbria.The source of the Petteril is near Penruddock and Motherby, from where the young river runs northeast through Greystoke, Blencow and Newton Reigny, before passing under the M6 motorway, after which the river turns north,...
.
An important centre for trade, it is located 56 miles (90.1 km) west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 71 miles (114.3 km) north of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, 90 miles (144.8 km) south-east of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, 93 miles (149.7 km) south of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, 120 miles (193.1 km) north-west of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, and 300 miles (482.8 km) north-north-west of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, at 54°52’N, 2°50’W. Nearby towns and villages include Longtown
Longtown, Cumbria
Longtown is a small town in northern Cumbria, England, with a population of around 3,000. It is in the parish of Arthuret and on the River Esk, not far from the Anglo-Scottish border. Nearby was the Battle of Arfderydd....
(North), Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
(South) Brampton
Brampton, Carlisle, Cumbria
Brampton is a small market town and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England about 9 miles east of Carlisle and 2 miles south of Hadrian's Wall. It is situated off the A69 road which bypasses it...
(East), Wigton
Wigton
Wigton is a small market town and civil parish outside the Lake District, in the administrative county of Cumbria in England, and traditionally in Cumberland. It is the bustling and thriving centre of the Solway Plain, situated between the Caldbeck Fells and the Solway coast...
(West), Haggbeck, Harker
Harker, Cumbria
Harker is a settlement in the parish of Rockcliffe, in the City of Carlisle district, in the county of Cumbria, England. Harker is located along the A7 road on the Solway Plain. Harker is situated approximately two miles north of the course of Hadrian's Wall....
, Carwinley, Blackford
Blackford, Cumbria
-Etymology:Blackford means what it says, a black ford or river-crossing. However, unlike other places of the name, it is a mix of Old English and Old Norse: the first element is Old English...
, Houghton, Scotby and Rockcliffe.
Climate
Carlisle experiences an oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb). In January 2005 Carlisle was hit by strong gales and heavy rain, and on Saturday 8 January 2005 all roads into Carlisle were closed owing to severe flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing, the worst since 1822, which caused three deaths.
Divisions and suburbs
To the far north of Carlisle lie the suburban areas of Kingstown, Lowry Hill and Moorville, all formerly part of the parish of Kingmoor. To the south of these areas are StanwixStanwix
Stanwix is a district of Carlisle, Cumbria in North West England. It is located on the north side of River Eden, across from Carlisle city centre. Although long counted as a suburb it did not officially become part of the city until 1912 when part of the civil parish of Stanwix became part of the...
, Edentown, Etterby, St Anns Hill and Belah which were added to Carlisle in 1912. The parish of Stanwix Rural
Stanwix Rural
Stanwix Rural is a civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria immediately to the north east of Carlisle itself – parts of the Carlisle urban area are in the parish boundaries....
still exists but only includes a very small part of Carlisle's urban area namely Whiteclosegate
Whiteclosegate
Whiteclosegate is a hamlet in the City of Carlisle District of the county of Cumbria, England.- Location :It is on the B6264 road. Nearby settlements include the city of Carlisle, the villages of Houghton and Rickerby, the hamlets of Linstock and Tarraby and the residential areas of Kingstown and...
.
To the immediate south of Stanwix lies the River Eden. On the opposite bank of this is the historic city centre of Carlisle which is bounded on the west by the West Coast Main Railway line and the River Caldew. In the past the main industries of Carlisle flourished on the banks of the River Caldew, especially the Denton Holme, Caldewgate area on the west side and Wapping (the area round the former Metal Box works) on the east bank. West of Caldewgate and north of Denton Holme the suburbs of Newtown, Morton, Sandsfield Park, Longsowerby, Raffles
Raffles, Cumbria
Raffles or the Raffles Estate is a suburb of Carlisle, Cumbria, United Kingdom. The estate consists mainly of council built and Housing association properties, and in 1994 had a population of 5,800...
and Belle Vue
Belle Vue, Cumbria
Belle Vue is a suburb of Carlisle, Cumbria, United Kingdom.The area is mostly residential and is situated on the western edge of the city's urban area and borders or is close to Newtown, Raffles, Sandsfield Park and Morton West....
developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
The east side of the city centre developed in the 19th century into a more affluent area than the west along what is now the main A69 road. This links up with the former separate village of Botcherby
Botcherby
Botcherby is a suburb and council estate in Carlisle in Cumbria, England, UK and was formerly a village.-History:Botcherby was first named in 1170 and became part of Carlisle in 1912...
to which a large council estate was added in the mid 20th century and later still the Durranhill Housing Estate.
To the south of the city centre lies the Botchergate/St Nicholas area of late Victorian terraced housing similar to that found in Denton Holme and Caldewgate. The Botchergate East area did until fairly recently have some older "slum" dwellings.
To the south west of Botchergate and St Nicholas lie the former villages and now suburban areas of Upperby
Upperby
Upperby is a suburb of Carlisle, in the City of Carlisle district, in the English county of Cumbria.- Location :It is a few miles to the south-east of the city centre of Carlisle and is near the River Petteril.- Features :...
and Currock. The urban area spills over the former county borough boundary and includes the areas of Blackwell
Blackwell, Cumbria
Blackwell is a village in the parish of St Cuthbert Without, in City of Carlisle District, in the English county of Cumbria. It is just south of the city of Carlisle. There is Carlisle Racecourse in the village....
and Durdar
Durdar
Durdar is a small settlement in the parish of St Cuthbert Without, in the City of Carlisle district, in the county of Cumbria, England. It is 2 kilometres south of the Carlisle.-External links:*...
within the civil parish of St Cuthbert Without
St Cuthbert Without
St Cuthbert Without or simply St Cuthbert is a civil parish within the City of Carlisle in Cumbria, England.The parish lies immediately to the south of Carlisle itself and comprises the following settlements - Blackwell, Durdar, Carleton, Brisco and Wreay St Cuthbert Without or simply St Cuthbert...
.
Between Upperby and Botcherby lies another former village that was once part of St Cuthbert Without and is now probably the largest suburb of Carlisle namely Harraby. This is subdivided into many estates/areas including Harraby East, New Harraby, Harraby Green, Old Harraby, Petteril Bank and the Durranhill Industrial Estate. Adjoining Harraby to the south but outside the former borough boundary is the hamlet of Carleton
Carleton, Carlisle
Carleton is a hamlet on the A6 road, in the City of Carlisle district, in the English county of Cumbria.- Location :It is a few miles to the south-east of the city centre of Carlisle and is near the River Petteril.- Nearby settlements :...
.
Transport
Carlisle is linked to the rest of England via the M6 motorwayM6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
towards the South, and to Scotland via the M74/A74
M74 motorway
The A74 and M74 motorways form a major motorway in Scotland. Following an extension opened on 28 June 2011, it connects the M8 motorway west of Glasgow to the English border at Gretna, creating an alternative route for traffic moving from the south to the west of the city...
towards Glasgow and the North. As well as these routes, many important trunk roads either begin or terminate in Carlisle, including the A6 to Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
and eventually leading onto Luton (historically the main road south) , the A595
A595 road
The A595 is a primary route in Cumbria, in northern England that starts in Carlisle, passes through Whitehaven, and goes close to Workington, Cockermouth and Wigton. It passes Sellafield and Ravenglass before ending at the Dalton-in-Furness by-pass, in southern Cumbria, where it joins the A590...
to western Cumbria, the A69 to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the A7 to Edinburgh. The City of Carlisle thus bears the distinction of being the only city in Great Britain other than London and Edinburgh with more than one single numbered 'A' road - A6 and A7 (although at one time the A5 and A6 met in St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
).
Traffic in the Carlisle area, especially at rush hour, has become a significant problem. A proposed bypass road will take traffic heading to and from west Cumbria off the M6, as opposed to its current path through the centre of Carlisle.
Carlisle
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
is a principal railway station on the West Coast
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
main railway line. Other railway lines go to Newcastle, Leeds and Glasgow via Dumfries and west Cumbria. Kingmoor Traction Maintenance Depot
Carlisle Kingmoor TMD
Carlisle Kingmoor TMD is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Carlisle, England. The depot is operated by the Direct Rail Services . The depot was originally used to service Diesel Locomotives and Diesel Multiple Units. The current depot code is KM...
is a major facility located to the north of Carlisle.
Local bus services are run by Stagecoach North West
Stagecoach North West
Stagecoach North West is a major operator of bus services in North West England. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and has its origins in the purchase of Cumberland in 1987 and Ribble in 1988 from the National Bus Company. The head office of Stagecoach North West is in Carlisle...
and Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
. Following the disastrous flooding of Carlisle Bus Depot (and a lot of Carlisle) on 8 January 2005 and the amazing variety of buses seen in Carlisle afterwards, Stagecoach announced the purchase of a fleet of brand new low-floor buses for Carlisle city routes. These were officially launched on 30 June, complete with "Carlisle Citi" branding, and with most of the buses carrying route branding for individual routes both internally and externally.
Trade and industry
Carlisle became an industrial city in the 19th and early 20th centuries with many textile mills, engineering works and food manufacturers opening up mostly in the Denton HolmeDenton Holme
Denton Holme is an inner city district in Carlisle, Cumbria, England.Denton Holme is usually regarded as a "village within the city" and is situated to the immediate south west of the city centre on the western bank of the River Caldew...
, Caldewgate and Wapping areas which lie in the Caldew Valley area of Carlisle. (One such manufacturer located in the Denton Holme area was Ferguson Printers, a large textile printing factory that had stood for many years before its unfortunate closure in the early 1990s). In the early 19th century a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
was dug connecting Caldewgate with the sea at Port Carlisle
Port Carlisle
Port Carlisle is a fishing village at Carlisle, Cumbria, England, one mile from Bowness-on-Solway—.Historically within Cumberland, its original name was Fishers Cross, and the port was built in 1819. Four years later, a canal link was added to take goods to Carlisle Basin. The canal was...
. The canal was later filled in and became a railway line.
Famous firms that were founded or had factories in Carlisle included Carr's of Carlisle
Carr's
Carr's is the name of foodstuff and agricultural brands historically derived from founder Jonathan Dodgson Carr but now owned and marketed by more than one separate company. In 1831, Carr formed a small bakery and biscuit factory in the English city of Carlisle; he received a royal warrant in 1841...
(now part of United Biscuits
United Biscuits
__FORCETOC__United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets...
), Kangol
Kangol
Kangol is a British clothing company famous for its headwear.Founded in Cleator, Cumbria, England in 1938 by Jaques Spreiregen, Kangol produced hats for workers, golfers, and especially soldiers...
, Metal Box (now part of Crown Holdings
Crown Holdings
Crown Holdings Incorporated , formerly Crown Cork & Seal Company, is an American company producing packaging. Founded in 1892, it is currently headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From a modest beginning in 1892, the company had emerged as the world’s leading packaging company, and as of...
) and Cowans Sheldon. Cowans Sheldon originated in the city in the mid 19th century and became one of the world's most important railway and marine engineering firms, manufacturing finally ceased in Carlisle in 1987. The Carr's and Metal Box factories are still going. The construction firm of John Laing and the hauliers Eddie Stobart Ltd.
Eddie Stobart Ltd.
Stobart Group Ltd is a large British multimodal logistics company, with interests in Transport and Distribution, Estates, Infrastructure and Civils, Air and Biomass, through operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium...
were also founded in Carlisle.
Until 2004, Carlisle's biggest employer was Cavaghan & Gray
Cavaghan & Gray
Cavaghan & Gray is a food manufacturing business based in Carlisle, England, which is now owned by Northern Foods. Up until 2004, when the London Road factory closed, it was the largest employer in Carlisle. The firm still has sites at Eastern Way and Durranhill Riverside...
, part of Northern Foods
Northern Foods
Northern Foods Ltd is a British food manufacturer headquartered in Leeds, England. It was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. The company was scheduled to merge with Greencore Group in 2011 to form Essenta Foods, the group being...
which operated from two sites in the Harraby area of Carlisle producing chilled foods for major supermarket chains. As of January 2005, the London Road site was closed with the loss of almost 700 jobs as production was transferred to the nearby Eastern Way site or other factories around the UK.
Carlisle also became a major railway centre with at one time 7 different companies using Carlisle Citadel railway station
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
. Prior to the building of the Citadel Station, Carlisle had several railway stations, including London Road station
Carlisle London Road railway station
Carlisle London Road railway station was the first to open in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was built as a terminus of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway and opened in 1836, when trains could only run as far as Greenhead; not until 1838 was it possible to travel by rail all the way to...
. Carlisle also used to have the largest railway marshaling yard in Europe at Kingmoor which, although reduced in size, is still very much operational and used by railfreight companies like Freightliner Heavy Haul, DB Schenker Rail UK (formerly EWS) and very occasionally Direct Rail Services.
There are various light industrial estates and business parks located on the fringes of Carlisle and on former industrial sites close to the city centre.
On March 28, 2005, Carlisle was granted Fairtrade City status.
Education
The University of CumbriaUniversity of Cumbria
The University of Cumbria is a university in Cumbria, England. Its headquarters are in Carlisle. and other major campuses are at Lancaster, Ambleside and Penrith. It was established in 2007, with roots extending back to the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts established in 1822 and...
has a four campuses in Carlisle on Fusehill Street, Brampton Road, Paternoster Row and Newcastle Street. The university provides a wide range of degree courses in higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
such as Applied Computing
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, Applied Psychology
Applied psychology
The basic premise of applied psychology is the use of psychological principles and theories to overcome problems in other areas, such as mental health, business management, education, health, product design, ergonomics, and law...
, Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, Media
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
, Social Work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
and Teacher Education
Teacher education
Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community....
.
Carlisle College
Carlisle College
Carlisle College is a further education college based in Carlisle, Cumbria. It takes on students in the September and also the February of each year....
is the Further Education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
establishment based in the town.
The secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s within the city of Carlisle are: Richard Rose Academy (consisting of the Central Campus and the Morton Campus), Austin Friars St Monicas (Roman Catholic Private School), Trinity - Centre of Excellence for Languages, Newman (Roman Catholic School). Other secondary schools in the wider Carlisle district are: Caldew School
Caldew School
Caldew School is a secondary school located in the village of Dalston, Cumbria, England. In the academic year 2006/07, it had roughly 1000 pupils. Caldew School is a business and enterprise school and its target is to enable all pupils to learn to their full potential in a caring environment...
, (Dalston
Dalston, Cumbria
Dalston is a large village and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the B5299 road about four miles south-south-west of Carlisle city centre, and approximately five miles from Junction 42 of the M6 motorway.The village has a population of around...
) and William Howard School
William Howard School
The William Howard School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school on Longtown Road in Brampton, Cumbria, England for pupils aged 11–18.-The school today:...
(Brampton
Brampton, Carlisle, Cumbria
Brampton is a small market town and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England about 9 miles east of Carlisle and 2 miles south of Hadrian's Wall. It is situated off the A69 road which bypasses it...
).
The Richard Rose Central Academy replaced St Aidan's County High School and Specialist
Specialist school
The specialist schools programme was a UK government initiative which encouraged secondary schools in England to specialise in certain areas of the curriculum to boost achievement. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was responsible for the delivery of the programme...
Sports and Science College, and the North Cumbria Technology College (NCTC, formerly Harraby School). It is sponsored by Eddie Stobart owner Andrew Tinkler, and local businessman Brian Scowcroft. It opened in September 2008. In January 2009, there were protests by parents and pupils regarding poor quality education and school facilities. The school was found to be failing and was placed in Special Measures
Special measures
Special measures is a status applied by Ofsted and Estyn, the schools inspection agencies, to schools in England and Wales, respectively, when it considers that they fail to supply an acceptable level of education and appear to lack the leadership capacity necessary to secure improvements...
, with the headmaster and chief executive being immediately replaced.
Art & history
The Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery was opened in 1893 by the Carlisle Corporation. The museum features resident exhibits detailing the history of RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
occupancy of the region and Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
as well as the Border Reivers
Border Reivers
Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality...
. Tullie House, named after the Jacobean
Jacobean
Jacobean indicates the period of English history that coincides with the reign of James I of England :*Jacobean era*Jacobean architecture*Jacobean literature*Jacobean English...
mansion it is located in, also houses travelling exhibits and art galleries. The museum has been attributed with many awards and was expanded in 1990, again in 2000.
The city also features the Guildhall museum based in a 14th century house and the Border Regiment Military Museum inside the castle.
Music & theatre
The Sands Centre is Carlisle's main entertainment venue which hosts touring musicians, theatres and comedians. The Stanwix Arts Theatre also operates it the northern suburb of the city as well as the Green Room, an amateur theatre. Brunton ParkBrunton Park
Brunton Park is a football stadium and the home of Carlisle United F.C. It is situated in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria and has a certified capacity for the 2011/2012 season of 18,202. The ground opened in 1909...
stadium has also been known to host live music and hosted Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
in 2007.
The Carlisle Music Festival takes place in the Catedral
Carlisle Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England...
each year and Brampton Live, the largest folk festival in the north of England, is situated not far from the city in Brampton
Brampton, Cumbria
Brampton, Cumbria may refer to two towns in England:*Brampton, Carlisle*Brampton, Eden...
. Over the weekend of 14/15 May 2011, Carlisle Lake District Airport was host to Europe's largest free music festival, Radio 1's Big Weekend. The festival featured headline acts including Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
and The Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
.
Gastronomy
Being the administrative capital of Cumbria, Carlisle is within short distance of the Lake DistrictLake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
which has been regarded as one of the best places to eat in the country. The area is home to four Michelin Star
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
Restaurants including L'Enclume
L'Enclume
L'Enclume is a restaurant located in Cartmel, Cumbria, England. In 2008, the restaurant held one star in the Michelin Guide....
, Sharrow bay
Sharrow Bay Country House
Sharrow Bay Country House is a restaurant located in Ullswater / Pooley Bridge, Cumbria, England. , the restaurant holds one star in the Michelin Guide.-History:...
, Holbeck Ghyll
Holbeck Ghyll
Holbeck Ghyll is a restaurant located in Windermere, Cumbria, England. , the restaurant holds one star in the Michelin Guide."The late 19th century building was once Lord Lonsdale's hunting lodge and only became a hotel in the 1970s...
and The Samling in Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
. The county is also noted for having more microbreweries than any other county and together with Jennings Brewery
Jennings Brewery
Jennings Brewery was established as a family concern in 1828 in the village of Lorton, between Keswick and Cockermouth in the Lake District, England. The brewery was started by John Jennings Snr, son of William Jennings . Jennings brewed exclusively in Lorton until 1874 when its present home, the...
they supply a wide variety of local ales
Ales
Ales may mean:Places* Alès, a town and commune in southern France* Ales , a small town in the province of Oristano on Sardinia in ItalyOther* Ale, a fermented alcoholic beverage* Ales , a 1920s Japanese automobile...
, many of which are served in pubs and restaurants throughout Carlisle.
Every august the Carlisle Food Fair is held in the pedestrianised area of the city centre. The fair plays host to produce from across the continent as well as featuring a large amount of local farmer's produce including authentic Cumberland sausage
Cumberland sausage
Cumberland sausage is a form of sausage that originated in the ancient county of Cumberland, England, now part of Cumbria. They are traditionally very long , and sold rolled in a flat, circular coil but within western Cumbria they are more often served in long curved lengths...
, Cumberland sauce
Cumberland Sauce
Cumberland sauce is a fruit-based sauce, usually used on non-white meats such as venison, ham, and lamb. Created sometime in the late 19th century, the sauce was named after the Duke of Cumberland who had ties in Hanover, Germany, where the sauce was invented....
and Cumberland Mustard.
Media
Carlisle has been home, since 1961, to Border TelevisionBorder Television
Border Television is the ITV franchise holder for the Border region, spanning the England/Scotland border and covering Dumfries & Galloway region, a small part of the south-west area of Ayrshire, the Scottish Borders, parts of north and west Northumberland and the majority of Cumbria...
, the local ITV region and to many newspapers. It is also home to BBC Radio Cumbria
BBC Radio Cumbria
BBC Radio Cumbria is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Cumbria and broadcasts from studios in Carlisle.- History :The county of Cumbria, from which the station takes its current name, was not created until 1974...
and other commercial stations.
Football
Carlisle is represented in English football by Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, Currently residing in the third tier of English football after being promoted from the Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. They play at Brunton Park
Brunton Park
Brunton Park is a football stadium and the home of Carlisle United F.C. It is situated in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria and has a certified capacity for the 2011/2012 season of 18,202. The ground opened in 1909...
on Warwick Road (A69)and have done since 1909, though in November 2011 plans were unveiled for the club to move to a 12,000-seat new stadium in the Kingmoor Park area of the city.
Their first Football League tenure began in 1928 when they were elected to the northern section of the Football League Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
, replacing Durham City
Durham City A.F.C.
Durham City A.F.C. are an English football club that currently plays in the Northern Premier League Division One North. They are based in the city of Durham in North East England.-History:...
. Their past achievements include reaching the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
semi-finals (their best run in either of the two domestic cups) in 1969, and winning promotion to the top flight (then the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
) in 1974. They famously topped the whole English league after winning their first three games of the 1974-75 season
1974-75 in English football
The 1974–75 season was the 95th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Dave Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Manchester City, Sheffield United and...
, but failed to keep up their good form and were relegated after just one season. In 1987 they fell back into the Football League Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
, and in 2004 were relegated to the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
- the first former top division club to suffer this difficulty - only to regain their Football League place after one year.
In 1999, Carlisle famously escaped relegation from the Football League on the final day of the season when on-loan goalkeeper Jimmy Glass
Jimmy Glass
James "Jimmy" Glass is a former football goalkeeper. Glass is remembered for scoring the last-minute goal which kept Carlisle United in the Football League in 1999...
scored an injury time winner for them against Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
. Their 2-1 win meant that Scarborough
Scarborough F.C.
Scarborough Football Club was an English football club based in the seaside resort of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. They were one of the oldest football clubs in England, formed in 1879, before they were wound up on 20 June 2007, with debts of £2.5 million.In the 2006–07 season...
were relegated instead.
Though Carlisle United have rarely attracted the national football headlines, they have fielded a number of high profile players over the years. Some of these have achieved fame at bigger clubs after spending the early part of their career at the club. These include Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
, Stan Bowles
Stan Bowles
Stanley Bowles was a leading English footballer who gained a reputation as one of the game's greatest mavericks. He was a cousin of Paul Bowles.-Career:...
, Steve Harkness
Steve Harkness
Steven "Steve" Harkness is a former footballer who played for several clubs, most notably Liverpool.-Playing career:...
, Matt Jansen
Matt Jansen
Matthew Brooke "Matt" Jansen is an English footballer, who plays as a striker and currently plays for Chorley. He started his career with hometown club Carlisle United, and also played for Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers as well as a loan spell with Coventry City. He won six...
and Rory Delap
Rory Delap
Rory John Delap is an English born Irish footballer who plays for Stoke City. He has played eleven times for the Republic of Ireland national football team....
. Many older players have spent the later years of their career at Carlisle United after playing for bigger clubs. These include Michael Bridges
Michael Bridges
Michael Bridges is an English football striker who currently plays for A-League club, Newcastle Jets. Bridge has previously played over 200 Premier League games.-Sunderland:...
, Mervyn Day
Mervyn Day
Mervyn Day is a former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a goalkeeper for West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Luton Town, Sheffield United and Carlisle United. He later managed Carlisle United...
, Kevin Gray
Kevin Gray
Kevin John Gray is an English footballer, playing as a defender for Workington.-Football career:He started his career at Mansfield Town signing as a trainee in July 1990 and had a successful four year period at Mansfiled...
and David McCreery
David McCreery
David McCreery is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Newcastle United....
. Notable former managers of the club include Alan Ashman
Alan Ashman
George Alan Ashman was an English association footballer, best remembered for some notable managerial successes.-Playing career:...
, Bob Stokoe
Bob Stokoe
Robert "Bob" Stokoe was an English footballer and manager who was able, almost uniquely, to transcend the traditional north-east rivalry between the region's footballing giants, Newcastle United and Sunderland....
, Harry Gregg
Harry Gregg
Henry "Harry" Gregg, MBE is a former Northern Ireland international footballer and manager.He played 25 times for Northern Ireland as a goalkeeper and played for Manchester United during the reign of Sir Matt Busby with a total of 210 appearances.-Playing career:Gregg started his career with...
, Mick Wadsworth
Mick Wadsworth
Michael "Mick" Wadsworth is an English football coach and former player, who is currently the Manager at Football League One club Hartlepool United.-Playing career:...
, Nigel Pearson
Nigel Pearson
Nigel Graham Pearson is an English football manager and former professional player. He is currently in his second spell as manager of Leicester City, having previously managed Hull City, Southampton and Carlisle United, and been assistant manager for England Under-21s and Newcastle United...
and Paul Simpson
Paul Simpson (footballer)
Paul David Simpson is an English former footballer and manager. His son Jake is also a professional footballer.-Manchester City:...
.
Since Workington were voted out of the Football League in 1977, Carlisle United have been the only Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
n team to have played senior football.
Rugby
Carlisle has two well established rugby union clubs: Carlisle RFC and Creighton RUFC. Carlisle RFC are situated on Warwick Road, alongside Carlisle United Football Club. Creighton RUFC were originally sited near the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, but following negotiations with housing development company Story Homes during 2004 they agreed to sell their ground in exchange for a new facilities off Cumwhinton Road, near Junction 42 of the M6. Former EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
rugby union captain Steve Borthwick
Steve Borthwick
Stephen William "Steve" Borthwick is an English rugby union footballer who plays lock for Saracens F.C....
is a native of Carlisle.
At one time Carlisle was home to a rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team, Carlisle RLFC
Carlisle RLFC
Carlisle RLFC were a rugby league team based in Carlisle, Cumbria.-Early rugby league in Carlisle:Carlisle City, based at Harraby Greyhound Stadium close to Gillford Park, were admitted to the Northern Rugby Football Union for the 1928-29 season. They withdrew on November 8, 1928 after only ten...
, who would later merge with Barrow
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
and leave Carlisle. They now have a new amateur rugby league side called Carlisle Centurions who play in the National Division of the Rugby League Conference. Their home ground is Gillford Park and has covered accommodation on three sides with nearly 1,000 seats available for spectators.
Other sport
Cumberland County Cricket ClubCumberland County Cricket Club
Cumberland County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cumberland and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
play at the Edenside Ground just north of the city centre. Cumberland are classed as a minor county by the ECB
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
and have won the Minor Counties Championship twice in their history.
Horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
has been held in Carlisle for centuries. In 1904 Carlisle Racecourse
Carlisle Racecourse
Carlisle Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located at Blackwell, Cumbria village, near Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The course has been on its present site since 1904, when it moved there from another location near Carlisle. The course is 1m 4f in circumference, right handed, and hosts...
was established to the south of the city, it is now a first class racecourse.
Carlisle is also home to several Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
clubs including Stoneyholme, whose course is located within the city, and Carlisle Golf Club which regularly hosts regional qualifying to the Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
.
Military
As a frontier town for over a millennium and a half, Carlisle can trace its roots as a military city. It is the most besieged place in the British Isles, having been held under siege at least ten times, and has garrisoned troops for the majority of its history. Most recently Cumbria's County regiment, the Border RegimentBorder Regiment
The Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th Regiment of Foot and the 55th Regiment of Foot....
made headquarters at Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle is situated in Carlisle, in the English county of Cumbria, near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. The castle is over 900 years old and has been the scene of many historical episodes in British history. Given the proximity of Carlisle to the border between England and Scotland, it...
. The regiment was eventually amalgamated with King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
The King's Own Royal Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1680 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.-History:...
to become The King's Own Royal Border Regiment
The King's Own Royal Border Regiment
The King's Own Royal Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed in 1959 through the amalgamation of two other regiments:*The King's Own Royal Regiment *The Border Regiment...
and subsequently Duke of Lancaster's Regiment where its lineage is continued today. From 1720 to 1959 the regiment fought in many campaigns including the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
RAF Carlisle
RAF CarlisleRAF Carlisle
RAF Carlisle was a Royal Air Force establishment, now closed after being used for a variety of roles over a period of fifty eight years and formerly located north of Carlisle city centre in Cumbria, England....
also known as 14 MU was located at Kingstown near the present-day Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
. The station closed in 1996 after nearly sixty years in a variety of roles. First established as RAF Kingstown in 1938, it was originally a bomber station, then one of the RAF's Elementary Flying Training Schools and latterly a post war storage facility.
Royal Observer Corps, Carlisle Group
During the Second World War the air raid warning organisation No 32 Group Carlisle Royal Observer CorpsRoyal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
operated from a building in the city centre although it was controlled administratively from RAF Kingstown. The association with Kingstown developed further in 1962 when the ROC ceased its aircraft spotting role for the RAF and took on a new role of plotting nuclear explosions and warning the public of approaching radioactive fallout for the UKWMO
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation was a British civilian organisation operating between 1957 and 1992 to provide the authorities with data about nuclear explosions and forecasts of likely fallout profiles across the country in the event of war.The UKWMO was established and...
. A new administration building and a protected, hardened Nuclear Reporting bunker was built at RAF Carlisle. The nuclear bunker was a standard above-ground structure and both the bunker and Headquarters hutting stood on a separate site at Crindledyke just outside the main gates of RAF Carlisle and roughly opposite the station's officers mess. The Carlisle group was redesignated no 22 Group ROC.
The ROC also constructed a smaller nuclear reporting post called Kingstown post (OS ref:NY 3837 5920), on the main RAF Carlisle site. The post was also an underground protected bunker but designed for a crew of three observers. The headquarters bunker accommodated an operational crew of around 100 with dormitory and canteen facilities included with the operations room and life support plant.
The Royal Observer Corps and its parent organisation the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation was a British civilian organisation operating between 1957 and 1992 to provide the authorities with data about nuclear explosions and forecasts of likely fallout profiles across the country in the event of war.The UKWMO was established and...
were disbanded in December 1995 after the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and as a result of recommendations in the governments Options for Change
Options for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....
review of UK defence. The ROC buildings were demolished in 1996 and replaced by a cellphone communications mast. The foundations of the nuclear bunker can still be partially seen outlined in the concreted yard, which also contains the Air Training Corps hut during recent further development of the site.
The Curse of Carlisle
The Curse of Carlisle is a 16th century16th century
As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century lasted from 1501 to 1600. It is regarded by historians as the century in which the rise of the West occurred....
curse that was first invoked by Archbishop Dunbar of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1525 against cross-border families, known as the Border Reivers
Border Reivers
Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality...
, who lived by stealing cattle and pillage. The curse was not directly aimed at Carlisle or its people. For the millennium celebrations, the local council commissioned a 14-tonne granite artwork inscribed with all 1,069 words of the curse.
In 1998 some Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s, among other projects, began campaigning to prevent the city of Carlisle from installing the stone. In the wake of this controversy, superstition about the stone grew and a number of the city's setbacks were blamed on the curse stone, including an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease or hoof-and-mouth disease is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids...
, a flood, various crimes, rising unemployment statistics and even the fate of Carlisle United, which was relegated out of its league.
In March 2005, Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
city councillor Jim Tootle, on the request of a Christian citizen, proposed the stone either be moved outside the city boundaries or destroyed altogether. Kevin Carlyon, the self-titled "high priest of the British white witch
White witch
White witch and good witch are qualifying terms in English used to distinguish practitioners of folk magic for benevolent purposes from practitioners of malevolent witchcraft...
es" and the "Living God of all Witches" but only in his own and very singular opinion, proclaimed that such actions would give the curse more power. He commented that: "A curse can only work if people believe in it. I think at the moment the sculpture is a nice piece of history, but if the council destroys it, they would be showing their belief in the curse." A council meeting on March 8, 2005 rejected Tootle's proposal, a move welcomed by council leader Mike Mitchelson, who had earlier questioned whether moving the stone was a good use of council funds.