Lowca
Encyclopedia
Lowca is a village and civil parish
in the English
county
of Cumbria
. It was formerly a mining
area but is now noted for its wind farm
.
In 1800, brothers Adam, Thomas and Crosby Heslop, formerly associated with the ironworks at Seaton
near Workington
established an iron foundry and engineering business on the seashore by the mouth of the Lowca Beck. The impetus for the business was probably the success of the double-acting steam engine mechanism Adam had invented while working in Shropshire
in 1790, and there was no shortage of finance, hence the company title "Heslops, Milward, Johnston & Co." The three brothers were all dead by the mid-1830s so the investors sold up, and the works was taken over by local iron mining partnership Tulk and Ley
which began a long tradition of locomotive
manufacture. In 1857 it was sold again, to Fletcher, Jennings & Co.
Lowca also had large reserves of coal, which were mined for centuries, providing even more employment than the engineering works. In 1911 a chemical works was established to exploit the latest coal by-product technologies which had been developed in Germany. This plant was shelled by a German submarine, U-24, during World War I
, on 16 August 1915; an event which the Germans made much of at the time, and Lowca has made much of ever since. Local legend has it that a quick thinking local worker opened a relief valve which sent up an impressive plume of burning gas, so the submariners thought they had destroyed their target and left. Apparently the only fatality of the incident was one local dog.
The village used to be served by Lowca railway station
on the Lowca Light Railway which connected with the Cleator & Workington junction railway at Harrington
.
Lowca is the birthplace of the famous northern artist, Kevin Carr.
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Lowca was also one of the Star Wars Galaxies MMO Servers. It was ranked as the number one server for Player Vs. Player and Jedi Accounts.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
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
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
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 was formerly a mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
area but is now noted for its wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
.
In 1800, brothers Adam, Thomas and Crosby Heslop, formerly associated with the ironworks at Seaton
Seaton, Cumbria
Seaton is a civil parish and one of the largest villages in England, housing 4,861 people. Historically a part of Cumberland, it is situated next to the town of Workington and the village of Camerton along the River Derwent and dates back at least to Medieval times. It forms part of the Borough...
near Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
established an iron foundry and engineering business on the seashore by the mouth of the Lowca Beck. The impetus for the business was probably the success of the double-acting steam engine mechanism Adam had invented while working in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
in 1790, and there was no shortage of finance, hence the company title "Heslops, Milward, Johnston & Co." The three brothers were all dead by the mid-1830s so the investors sold up, and the works was taken over by local iron mining partnership Tulk and Ley
Tulk and Ley
Tulk and Ley was a 19th century iron mining company in west Cumbria which also ran an engineering works at Lowca near Whitehaven.-Overview:Established on the Lowca site in 1800 as "Heslops, Milward, Johnston & Co."- the engineering and ironfounding expertise coming from the brothers Adam, Thomas &...
which began a long tradition of locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
manufacture. In 1857 it was sold again, to Fletcher, Jennings & Co.
Fletcher, Jennings & Co.
Fletcher, Jennings & Co. was an engineering company at Lowca near Whitehaven, Cumbria, England.-Overview:Fletcher and Jennings took over the business of Tulk and Ley in 1857...
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...
, on 16 August 1915; an event which the Germans made much of at the time, and Lowca has made much of ever since. Local legend has it that a quick thinking local worker opened a relief valve which sent up an impressive plume of burning gas, so the submariners thought they had destroyed their target and left. Apparently the only fatality of the incident was one local dog.
The village used to be served by Lowca railway station
Lowca railway station
Lowca railway station served the village of Lowca in the English county of Cumbria. The station opened on 2 June 1913 and closed in 1925 when passenger services ceased....
on the Lowca Light Railway which connected with the Cleator & Workington junction railway at Harrington
Harrington railway station
Harrington Railway Station serves the village of Harrington in Cumbria, England. It is a request stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line south east of Carlisle...
.
Lowca is the birthplace of the famous northern artist, Kevin Carr.
External links
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Lowca was also one of the Star Wars Galaxies MMO Servers. It was ranked as the number one server for Player Vs. Player and Jedi Accounts.