Holmrook
Encyclopedia
Holmrook is a linear village
in the English
county of Cumbria
. It lies along the A595 road
on the west banks of the River Irt
. The B5344 road connects it to Drigg
, with its railway station
less than two miles to the west.
Two miles north-east along the Irt valley is Irton Hall, a large mostly 19th century house which incorporates a 14th century pele tower
.
country house, at one time owned by the Reverend Charles Skeffington Lutwidge. His relative Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as the author, mathematician and photographer Lewis Carroll
, used to come and stay occasionally.
During World War II
, Holmrook Hall was requisitioned by the Admiralty
on behalf of the Royal Navy
, with locals told that its was a rest home for shipwrecked and distressed sailors. In actually fact, strategically located between ROF
Drigg and ROF Sellafield, it was the Royal Navy bomb and munitions training school between 1943 and 1946, under the title HMS Volcano. Defined as a Top Secret
site, it trained both Royal Navy personnel, the Special Boat Service
and Norwegian
expatriates in the war time use of explosives and demolition. Among the graduates of HMS Volcano were:
Post war, the hall fell into disrepair, and was later demolished. Today, only the stable block remains, converted into housing.
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county 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...
. It lies along the A595 road
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...
on the west banks of the River Irt
River Irt
The River Irt is a river in the county of Cumbria in northern England. It flows from the south-western end of Wast Water, the deepest lake in England, leaving the lake at the foot of Whin Rigg, the southern peak of the famous Wastwater Screes....
. The B5344 road connects it to Drigg
Drigg
Drigg is a village situated in the civil parish of Drigg and Carleton on the West Cumbria coast of the Irish Sea and on the boundary of the Lake District National Park in the county of Cumbria, England....
, with its railway station
Drigg railway station
Drigg railway station serves the villages of Drigg and Holmrook in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a request stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line south of Whitehaven. Some through trains to the Furness Line stop here...
less than two miles to the west.
Two miles north-east along the Irt valley is Irton Hall, a large mostly 19th century house which incorporates a 14th century pele tower
Peel tower
Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger...
.
Holmrook Hall
Holmrook Hall was a VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
country house, at one time owned by the Reverend Charles Skeffington Lutwidge. His relative Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as the author, mathematician and photographer Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
, used to come and stay occasionally.
During 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...
, Holmrook Hall was requisitioned by the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
on behalf of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, with locals told that its was a rest home for shipwrecked and distressed sailors. In actually fact, strategically located between ROF
Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factories was the collective name of the UK government's munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence....
Drigg and ROF Sellafield, it was the Royal Navy bomb and munitions training school between 1943 and 1946, under the title HMS Volcano. Defined as a Top Secret
Top Secret
Top Secret generally refers to the highest acknowledged level of classified information.Top Secret may also refer to:- Film and television :* Top Secret , a British comedy directed by Mario Zampi...
site, it trained both Royal Navy personnel, the Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
and Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
expatriates in the war time use of explosives and demolition. Among the graduates of HMS Volcano were:
- Noel Cashford MBE
- Lionel "Buster" Crabb OBELionel CrabbLionel "Buster" Crabb OBE, GM was a British Royal Navy frogman and MI6 diver who vanished during a reconnaissance mission around a Soviet cruiser in 1956.-Early life:...
Post war, the hall fell into disrepair, and was later demolished. Today, only the stable block remains, converted into housing.