Kirkby Stephen
Encyclopedia
Kirkby Stephen is a civil parish and small market town
in Cumbria
, in North West England
which historically, is part of Westmorland
. The town is located on the A685
, surrounded by sparsely populated hill country, and about 30 miles (48.3 km) from the two nearest larger towns, Kendal
and Penrith
. The River Eden
rises 6 miles (9.7 km) away in the peat bogs below Hugh Seat
and passes by, almost unobserved, on the eastern edge of the town.
Kirkby Stephen has its own parish council and also provides a centre for several smaller villages and parishes in the surrounding area, including Nateby
, Ravenstonedale
and Mallerstang
.
A community and council centre, on the premises of the library, provides information and services on behalf of all the local councils (county, district and parish), as well as general and local information and facilities.
There are two main websites: the official parish website, and one giving news and events
is often called the "Cathedral of the Dales" and, in Cumbria, only the church in Kendal is larger. There have been three churches on this spot. The first was built in Saxon times
; it was followed in 1170 by a Norman church
. This was then replaced by the present building in 1240. But it has been considerably altered in the centuries since then, being partly rebuilt in 1847 and further restored in the 1870s. The church is approached from the market square, where it is almost hidden from view by the picturesque cloister
s, built in 1810.
There are monuments to the Musgrave and Wharton families, but the most important of several other ancient monuments in the church is a relief of the Norse god
Loki
, who is shown bound and chained.
Like the name of the town, this is a reminder of the Viking
s, who were early settlers here around the end of the first millennium.
(Norse: Kirk [kirkja], a church; by, a settlement).
and Ravenstonedale
.
Secondary education
for the town and surrounding area is provided by Kirkby Stephen Grammar School
. This was founded in 1566 by Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton
, under letters patent granted by Queen Elizabeth I
. Although it has retained the old name "grammar school" its old buildings were replaced long ago, and it is now a comprehensive school
(and Sports College
), with approximately 410 pupils.
Within the grounds of the grammar school there is an open-air swimming pool
built in the 1960s for the school and the local community which is open from May to August to members of the Kirkby Stephen and District Swimming Club, and to visitors to the area.
, obtained a charter from King Edward III
, for a market and two yearly fairs to be held in the town. This was reaffirmed by a charter granted in 1606 to George, Earl of Cumberland, by King James I
, for: "one market on Monday and two fairs yearly; one on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after Whitsuntide
and the other on the two days next before the feast of St. Luke
".
The Monday market, with livestock sales at the Mart in Faraday Road and stalls on Market Square, is still an important event in the town and surrounding countryside. There were special celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James charter; but St Luke’s Fair, or “Charter Day”, is celebrated every year at the end of October, beginning with the Charter being read at the “Charter Stone” in High Street. The special "Tup
sales", very important in this sheep rearing area, still take place at around this time each year.
and a Tourist
Information Office. In recent years there has been an annual music festival and the town has won several awards from Britain in Bloom
.
Kirkby Stephen serves as a base for tourism in the Eden Valley
area and for walking tours of the Dales
. It is on the line of the Coast to Coast Walk
, devised by Alfred Wainwright
, Each June there is the "Mallerstang Horseshoe and Nine Standards Yomp" which takes a strenuous route along the high ground along both sides of the neighbouring dale of Mallerstang
, including Wild Boar Fell
and the summit of nearby Nine Standards Rigg
.
The surrounding countryside is a joy for walkers, but the Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team
sometimes has to assist those who are not fully prepared for the occasionally harsh conditions on the fell tops.
(1791–1867). But, in fact, it is named after his uncle, Richard Faraday, who was a respected local tradesman. Richard's younger brother, James, was for some time the blacksmith
in Outhgill
, nearby - but his third child, Michael, was born soon after they had moved to London. The Faraday brothers had been prompted to move from Clapham
, Yorkshire
to the Kirkby Stephen area because the family were all staunch members of the Sandemanian sect
and at that time there was one of the few Sandemanian communities here, with a chapel which was in the courtyard behind what is now the HSBC
bank.
Stenkrith Park is south of the town on the B6259 road to Nateby
. The river scenery here marks the change from the limestone
of the head of the Eden Valley
in Mallerstang, to the red Sandstone
which is characteristic further along the Eden Valley. The main rock here (from which most of the houses in Kirkby Stephen are built), is brockram
, composed of fragments of limestone in a cement of red sandstone. The river at Stenkrith has carved this rock into many fantastic shapes, collectively known as the Devil's Grinding Mill
or Devil's Hole. This spectacular natural scenery has been supplemented, in recent years, by three (human) additions.
The ‘Poetry Path’ has 12 stones which were carved by the artist Pip Hall, with poems by Meg Peacock, depicting a year in the life of a hill farmer.
Eden Benchmarks: Beside the river there is a sculpture by Laura White, entitled ‘Passage’, one of the ten "Eden Benchmarks", a series of sculptures that have been placed at intervals along the River Eden
from its source in Mallerstang to the Solway Firth
.
The Millennium Bridge was opened in 2002, and provides pedestrian access from the park to a walk along the old south Durham
railway track.
Among many other scenic features in the surrounding area are: Nine Standards Rigg
, to the northeast, Pendragon Castle
and Wild Boar Fell
, to the south.
Unlike neighbouring Brough
, there is no evidence of any Roman
settlement here, but there are many traces of even more ancient settlements in the area, including the remains of a large Iron Age
earthwork or hill fort
, "Croglam Castle", on the southeastern edge of the town.
, on the Settle-Carlisle Line, is located over 1 miles (2 km) south west of the village. (This railway line kept to the high ground and avoided dropping down into the valleys wherever possible. Until the 1960s
there was another, and older, railway station in the village. This was Kirkby Stephen East railway station
which was situated at the southern edge of the village; this was on the Stainmore line and Eden Valley lines
. Work is in progress to restore parts of these defunct lines by the Stainmore Railway Company
and Eden Valley Railway Societies respectively.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in 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...
, 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...
which historically, is part of Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
. The town is located on the A685
A685 road
The A685 is a road in Cumbria, England, that runs 28 miles from Kendal to Brough.-Route:The A685 begins in Kendal town centre off the A6. It heads in a north-easterly direction to the village of Tebay and junction 38 of the M6 motorway. From the M6 the A685 has primary status as it heads in an...
, surrounded by sparsely populated hill country, and about 30 miles (48.3 km) from the two nearest larger towns, Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
and 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....
. 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...
rises 6 miles (9.7 km) away in the peat bogs below Hugh Seat
Hugh Seat
Hugh Seat is a mountain, or more accurately a fell, in Mallerstang on the eastern edge of Cumbria, England. It lies on the present border between Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales National Park....
and passes by, almost unobserved, on the eastern edge of the town.
Kirkby Stephen has its own parish council and also provides a centre for several smaller villages and parishes in the surrounding area, including Nateby
Nateby, Cumbria
Nateby is a village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It is situated very near the town of Kirkby Stephen, near the River Eden, and on the borders of the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire. Nearby are the Nine Standards Rigg hills...
, Ravenstonedale
Ravenstonedale
Ravenstonedale is a village and large civil parish in Cumbria, on the watershed between the River Lune and River Eden. Historically also known as "Russendale", the parish is divided into four parts, Town, Newbiggin-on-Lune, Bowderdale and Fell End.-Village:...
and Mallerstang
Mallerstang
Mallerstang is a civil parish in the extreme east of Cumbria, and, geographically, a dale at the head of the upper Eden Valley. Originally part of Westmorland, it lies about south of the nearest town, Kirkby Stephen...
.
A community and council centre, on the premises of the library, provides information and services on behalf of all the local councils (county, district and parish), as well as general and local information and facilities.
There are two main websites: the official parish website, and one giving news and events
Parish church
St. Stephen's parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
is often called the "Cathedral of the Dales" and, in Cumbria, only the church in Kendal is larger. There have been three churches on this spot. The first was built in Saxon times
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
; it was followed in 1170 by a Norman church
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
. This was then replaced by the present building in 1240. But it has been considerably altered in the centuries since then, being partly rebuilt in 1847 and further restored in the 1870s. The church is approached from the market square, where it is almost hidden from view by the picturesque cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
s, built in 1810.
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
, who is shown bound and chained.
Like the name of the town, this is a reminder of the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s, who were early settlers here around the end of the first millennium.
(Norse: Kirk [kirkja], a church; by, a settlement).
Schools
There are primary schools in Kirkby Stephen itself and in the two neighbouring parishes of BroughBrough, Cumbria
Brough, sometimes known as Brough under Stainmore, is a village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England, on the western fringe of the Pennines near Stainmore. The village is on the A66 trans-Pennine road, and the Swindale Beck, and is about south east of Appleby-in-Westmorland...
and Ravenstonedale
Ravenstonedale
Ravenstonedale is a village and large civil parish in Cumbria, on the watershed between the River Lune and River Eden. Historically also known as "Russendale", the parish is divided into four parts, Town, Newbiggin-on-Lune, Bowderdale and Fell End.-Village:...
.
Secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
for the town and surrounding area is provided by Kirkby Stephen Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
. This was founded in 1566 by Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton was an English nobleman and a follower of King Henry VIII of England. He is best known for his victory at Solway Moss on 24 November 1542 for which he was given a barony.-Early life:...
, under letters patent granted by Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth 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...
. Although it has retained the old name "grammar school" its old buildings were replaced long ago, and it is now a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
(and Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...
), with approximately 410 pupils.
Within the grounds of the grammar school there is an open-air swimming pool
Lido
The Lido is an 11 km long sandbar located in Venice, northern Italy, home to about 20,000 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September.-Geography:...
built in the 1960s for the school and the local community which is open from May to August to members of the Kirkby Stephen and District Swimming Club, and to visitors to the area.
The market
In 1530 Roger de Clifford, Baron of WestmorlandWestmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
, obtained a charter from King Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, for a market and two yearly fairs to be held in the town. This was reaffirmed by a charter granted in 1606 to George, Earl of Cumberland, by King James I
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...
, for: "one market on Monday and two fairs yearly; one on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after Whitsuntide
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
and the other on the two days next before the feast of St. Luke
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
".
The Monday market, with livestock sales at the Mart in Faraday Road and stalls on Market Square, is still an important event in the town and surrounding countryside. There were special celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James charter; but St Luke’s Fair, or “Charter Day”, is celebrated every year at the end of October, beginning with the Charter being read at the “Charter Stone” in High Street. The special "Tup
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
sales", very important in this sheep rearing area, still take place at around this time each year.
Other facilities and events
There is a good range of shops, also several antique shops, restaurants, cafés, pubsPublic 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...
and a Tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
Information Office. In recent years there has been an annual music festival and the town has won several awards from Britain in Bloom
Britain in Bloom
RHS Britain in Bloom, supported by Anglian Home Improvements, is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society ...
.
Kirkby Stephen serves as a base for tourism in the Eden Valley
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...
area and for walking tours of the Dales
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
. It is on the line of the Coast to Coast Walk
Coast to Coast Walk
The Coast to Coast Walk is a 192-mile unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England...
, devised by Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
, Each June there is the "Mallerstang Horseshoe and Nine Standards Yomp" which takes a strenuous route along the high ground along both sides of the neighbouring dale of Mallerstang
Mallerstang
Mallerstang is a civil parish in the extreme east of Cumbria, and, geographically, a dale at the head of the upper Eden Valley. Originally part of Westmorland, it lies about south of the nearest town, Kirkby Stephen...
, including Wild Boar Fell
Wild Boar Fell
Wild Boar Fell is a mountain in Mallerstang on the eastern edge of Cumbria, England. At , it is either the 4th highest fell in the Yorkshire Dales or the 5th, whether counting nearby High Seat or not...
and the summit of nearby Nine Standards Rigg
Nine Standards Rigg
Nine Standards Rigg is the summit of Hartley Fell in the Pennine Hills of England. It lies near the boundary between Cumbria and North Yorkshire, a few miles south-east of Kirkby Stephen and approx 700 metres outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The name is derived from a group of standing...
.
The surrounding countryside is a joy for walkers, but the Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team
Mountain rescue in England and Wales
Mountain rescue services in England and Wales operate under the umbrella association of the MREW - Mountain Rescue...
sometimes has to assist those who are not fully prepared for the occasionally harsh conditions on the fell tops.
The Faraday connection
It is sometimes said that Faraday Road (parallel with High Street and Market Street) is named in honour of the great scientist, Michael FaradayMichael Faraday
Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....
(1791–1867). But, in fact, it is named after his uncle, Richard Faraday, who was a respected local tradesman. Richard's younger brother, James, was for some time the blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
in Outhgill
Outhgill
Outhgill is a hamlet in Mallerstang, Cumbria. It lies about 5 miles south of Kirkby Stephen.It is the main hamlet in the dale of Mallerstang - a civil parish, which retains the Norse pattern of its original settlement: a series of small hamlets and isolated houses, with no village centre...
, nearby - but his third child, Michael, was born soon after they had moved to London. The Faraday brothers had been prompted to move from Clapham
Clapham, North Yorkshire
Clapham is a village in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It was previously in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park 6 miles north west of Settle just off the A65.-History:...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to the Kirkby Stephen area because the family were all staunch members of the Sandemanian sect
Glasite
The Glasites or Glassites were a Christian sect founded in about 1730 in Scotland by John Glas. Glas' faith, as part of the First Great Awakening, was spread by his son-in-law Robert Sandeman into England and America, where the members were called Sandemanians.Glas dissented from the Westminster...
and at that time there was one of the few Sandemanian communities here, with a chapel which was in the courtyard behind what is now the HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
bank.
Scenic highlights
Nateby, Cumbria
Nateby is a village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It is situated very near the town of Kirkby Stephen, near the River Eden, and on the borders of the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire. Nearby are the Nine Standards Rigg hills...
. The river scenery here marks the change from the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
of the head of the Eden Valley
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...
in Mallerstang, to the red Sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
which is characteristic further along the Eden Valley. The main rock here (from which most of the houses in Kirkby Stephen are built), is brockram
Brockram
Brockram is a type of rock found in northern England. It is a basal breccia of cemented limestone and sandstone fragments dating from the Permian period, forming part of the Appleby Group....
, composed of fragments of limestone in a cement of red sandstone. The river at Stenkrith has carved this rock into many fantastic shapes, collectively known as the Devil's Grinding Mill
Devil's Grinding Mill
Devil's Grinding Mill is part of The Angel's Drainpipe, a partially collapsed cave system on the River Eden in England, which forms dramatic gorges and natural arches. It is located South of Kirkby Stephen within Stenkrith park. The water moving with the caves and gorges produces an incessant roar...
or Devil's Hole. This spectacular natural scenery has been supplemented, in recent years, by three (human) additions.
The ‘Poetry Path’ has 12 stones which were carved by the artist Pip Hall, with poems by Meg Peacock, depicting a year in the life of a hill farmer.
Eden Benchmarks: Beside the river there is a sculpture by Laura White, entitled ‘Passage’, one of the ten "Eden Benchmarks", a series of sculptures that have been placed at intervals along 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...
from its source in Mallerstang to the Solway Firth
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...
.
The Millennium Bridge was opened in 2002, and provides pedestrian access from the park to a walk along the old south Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
railway track.
Among many other scenic features in the surrounding area are: Nine Standards Rigg
Nine Standards Rigg
Nine Standards Rigg is the summit of Hartley Fell in the Pennine Hills of England. It lies near the boundary between Cumbria and North Yorkshire, a few miles south-east of Kirkby Stephen and approx 700 metres outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The name is derived from a group of standing...
, to the northeast, Pendragon Castle
Pendragon Castle
Pendragon Castle is a ruin located in Mallerstang dale, Cumbria, close to the hamlet of Outhgill, at It stands in an atmospheric spot, above a bend in the river Eden, overlooked by Wild Boar Fell to the south-west and Mallerstang Edge to the east.-Legend:...
and Wild Boar Fell
Wild Boar Fell
Wild Boar Fell is a mountain in Mallerstang on the eastern edge of Cumbria, England. At , it is either the 4th highest fell in the Yorkshire Dales or the 5th, whether counting nearby High Seat or not...
, to the south.
Unlike neighbouring Brough
Brough, Cumbria
Brough, sometimes known as Brough under Stainmore, is a village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England, on the western fringe of the Pennines near Stainmore. The village is on the A66 trans-Pennine road, and the Swindale Beck, and is about south east of Appleby-in-Westmorland...
, there is no evidence of any 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....
settlement here, but there are many traces of even more ancient settlements in the area, including the remains of a large Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
earthwork or hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
, "Croglam Castle", on the southeastern edge of the town.
Railways
Kirkby Stephen railway stationKirkby Stephen railway station
Kirkby Stephen railway station is a railway station which serves the town of Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, England. It is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services....
, on the Settle-Carlisle Line, is located over 1 miles (2 km) south west of the village. (This railway line kept to the high ground and avoided dropping down into the valleys wherever possible. Until the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
there was another, and older, railway station in the village. This was Kirkby Stephen East railway station
Kirkby Stephen East railway station
Kirkby Stephen East railway station was situated on the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway between Barnard Castle and Tebay. It served the town of Kirkby Stephen in England. The station opened to passenger traffic on 8 August 1861, and closed on 22 January 1962.The station had an extensive...
which was situated at the southern edge of the village; this was on the Stainmore line and Eden Valley lines
Eden Valley Railway
The Eden Valley Railway was a railway in Cumbria, England. It ran between Clifton Junction near Penrith and Kirkby Stephen via Appleby-in-Westmorland....
. Work is in progress to restore parts of these defunct lines by the Stainmore Railway Company
Stainmore Railway Company
Stainmore Railway Company is a volunteer run non-profit company aiming to restore Kirkby Stephen East railway station in Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, England. The station was formerly on the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway and the company aims to relay a short section of track to allow train...
and Eden Valley Railway Societies respectively.