Shap
Encyclopedia
Shap is a linear village
and civil parish located amongst fell
s and isolated dales
in Eden district
, Cumbria
, England
. The village lies along the A6 road and the West Coast Main Line
, and is near to the M6 motorway
. It is situated 10 miles (16 km) from Penrith
and about 15 miles (24 km) from Kendal
.
rendering Hjáp of an Old English
original Hēap = "heap", perhaps referring to an ancient stone circle
or cairn
.
, a fish and chip shop, an antique book
shop, a butcher's shop, a primary school, a newsagent's, a coffee shop, a ceramic art studio called Edge Ceramics, a fire station
, a bank (only open 4 hours a week), a shoe shop (New Balance
factory shop) and an Anglican church.
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
(now part of the West Coast Main Line
), opened on 17 December 1846, and runs along the eastern edge of the village, but Shap railway station
was closed in 1968, though there have been recent calls for its re-opening.
Major employers in the area are the Hanson
and Corus
limestone
quarries.
Although Shap is geographically a small village, it is legally a market town
with a charter dating from the 17th century. The parish was, between 1905 and 1935, administered by an urban district
council. At one time, the granite works (which are situated about a mile outside the village) was in itself a separate community, with its own Co-op
store.
The civil parish
of Shap (formerly Shap Urban Parish) includes the hamlet of Keld
and parts of the granite works and Corus limestone works, and has a population of 1,221. The parish shares a joint parish council with Shap Rural
.
Shap is on the route of the Coast to Coast Walk
. There are a few places to stop on this long walk once arriving in Shap. The New Ing Lodge, the Hermitage, Brookfield House, Green Farm (camping) and the King's Arms and Greyhound pubs.
Some of the scenes in the feature film Withnail and I
were filmed around Shap. Sleddale Hall
, the filming location for Uncle Monty's cottage Crow Crag, is located near Wet Sleddale Reservoir
.
On 22 October 1999, a Hawk jet
from RAF Leeming
crashed into an empty barn in the village before disintegrating across the A6 and West Coast railway line, killing its two man crew.
spoken around the Penrith and Eden district area.
is located on the motorway at and the railway at .
Shap Fell is known for Shap granite
that is a pink rock rich in orthoclase
, quartz
and biotite
; Shap Pink Quarry takes its name from this. Shap Abbey
is also nearby.
Shap Fell used to be notorious for the difficult and dangerous stretch of A6 for drivers, and it includes a well-known section of the West Coast Main Line. It has a 1:75 gradient for trains heading north, and in the days of steam locomotives banking engines from Tebay were often being used to assist trains. It has been popular with railway photographers and there have been many pictures published taken in the area, most notably at Scout Green
which lies on the southern approach to the hill.
Shap Wells has a mineral spa
located in the grounds of the Shap Wells hotel that was used in World War II
as a prisoner of war camp.
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....
and civil parish located amongst fell
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
s and isolated 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...
in Eden district
Eden, Cumbria
Eden is a local government district in Cumbria, England. Its council is based in Penrith. It is named after the River Eden which flows north through the district toward Carlisle....
, 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...
, England
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...
. The village lies along the A6 road and 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 is near to the M6 motorway
M6 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...
. It is situated 10 miles (16 km) from 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 about 15 miles (24 km) from 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...
.
Etymology
Early forms such as Hep and Yheppe point to an Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
rendering Hjáp of an Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
original Hēap = "heap", perhaps referring to an ancient stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
or cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
.
Description
The village has four pubs, a small supermarketSupermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
, a fish and chip shop, an antique book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
shop, a butcher's shop, a primary school, a newsagent's, a coffee shop, a ceramic art studio called Edge Ceramics, a fire station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
, a bank (only open 4 hours a week), a shoe shop (New Balance
New Balance
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. , best known as simply New Balance, is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company...
factory shop) and an Anglican church.
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was a British railway company authorised on 6 June 1844 to build a line between Lancaster and Carlisle in North-West England...
(now part of 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...
), opened on 17 December 1846, and runs along the eastern edge of the village, but Shap railway station
Shap railway station
Shap railway station was a railway station which served the village of Shap, Westmorland , England for over 120 years.-Operations:...
was closed in 1968, though there have been recent calls for its re-opening.
Major employers in the area are the Hanson
Hanson plc
Hanson plc is a British based international building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. Traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index for many years, the company was acquired by a division of German rival Heidelberg Cement in August 2007.-History:Hanson...
and Corus
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
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....
quarries.
Although Shap is geographically a small village, it is legally a market town
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...
with a charter dating from the 17th century. The parish was, between 1905 and 1935, administered by an urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
council. At one time, the granite works (which are situated about a mile outside the village) was in itself a separate community, with its own Co-op
Co-op UK
The United Kingdom is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 3 million individual members. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers' shop in the northern English town of Rochdale in 1844....
store.
The civil parish
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...
of Shap (formerly Shap Urban Parish) includes the hamlet of Keld
Keld, Cumbria
Keld is a hamlet in the English county of Cumbria. It lies within the civil parish of Shap.On the banks of the River Lowther it is a mile southwest of Shap and falls within that village's civil parish, Shap Abbey is nearby. Keld's medieval chapel in noted for its unusual simplicity.- External...
and parts of the granite works and Corus limestone works, and has a population of 1,221. The parish shares a joint parish council with Shap Rural
Shap Rural
Shap Rural is a very large, but sparsely populated, civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria in England, covering part of the Lake District National Park. It has a population of 119....
.
Shap is on the route 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...
. There are a few places to stop on this long walk once arriving in Shap. The New Ing Lodge, the Hermitage, Brookfield House, Green Farm (camping) and the King's Arms and Greyhound pubs.
Some of the scenes in the feature film Withnail and I
Withnail and I
Withnail and I is a British black comedy made in 1986 by HandMade Films. It was written and directed by Bruce Robinson and is based on his life in London in the late 1960s. The main plot follows two unemployed young actors, Withnail and “I” who live in a squalid flat in Camden in 1969 while...
were filmed around Shap. Sleddale Hall
Sleddale Hall
Sleddale Hall is a historic farmhouse on the north side of the Wet Sleddale valley near Shap in Cumbria, England. It is famous for featuring as "Crow Crag", Uncle Monty's Lake District country cottage in the cult film Withnail and I.- House and farm :...
, the filming location for Uncle Monty's cottage Crow Crag, is located near Wet Sleddale Reservoir
Sleddale Hall
Sleddale Hall is a historic farmhouse on the north side of the Wet Sleddale valley near Shap in Cumbria, England. It is famous for featuring as "Crow Crag", Uncle Monty's Lake District country cottage in the cult film Withnail and I.- House and farm :...
.
On 22 October 1999, a Hawk jet
BAE Hawk
The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, advanced jet trainer aircraft. It first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The Hawk is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft...
from RAF Leeming
RAF Leeming
RAF Leeming is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, UK.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Leeming. The Station Commander is Group Captain Anthony Innes....
crashed into an empty barn in the village before disintegrating across the A6 and West Coast railway line, killing its two man crew.
Dialect
The people of Shap speak a variant of the Penrithian dialect, which is itself a variant of the Cumbrian dialectCumbrian dialect
The Cumbrian dialect is a local English dialect spoken in Cumbria in northern England, not to be confused with the extinct Celtic language Cumbric that used to be spoken in Cumbria. As in any county, there is a gradual drift in accent towards its neighbours...
spoken around the Penrith and Eden district area.
Attractions
Shap SummitRoute summit
A route summit is the highest point on a transportation route crossing higher ground. The term is often used in describing railway routes, less often in road transportation...
is located on the motorway at and the railway at .
Shap Fell is known for Shap granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
that is a pink rock rich in orthoclase
Orthoclase
Orthoclase is an important tectosilicate mineral which forms igneous rock. The name is from the Greek for "straight fracture," because its two cleavage planes are at right angles to each other. Alternate names are alkali feldspar and potassium feldspar...
, quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
and biotite
Biotite
Biotite is a common phyllosilicate mineral within the mica group, with the approximate chemical formula . More generally, it refers to the dark mica series, primarily a solid-solution series between the iron-endmember annite, and the magnesium-endmember phlogopite; more aluminous endmembers...
; Shap Pink Quarry takes its name from this. Shap Abbey
Shap Abbey
Shap Abbey was a monastic religious house of the Premonstratensian order on the western bank of the River Lowther in the civil parish of Shap Rural, around from the village of Shap, in the Eden District of Cumbria, England...
is also nearby.
Shap Fell used to be notorious for the difficult and dangerous stretch of A6 for drivers, and it includes a well-known section of the West Coast Main Line. It has a 1:75 gradient for trains heading north, and in the days of steam locomotives banking engines from Tebay were often being used to assist trains. It has been popular with railway photographers and there have been many pictures published taken in the area, most notably at Scout Green
Scout Green
Scout Green is a hamlet and small area of farm land near the village of Tebay in Cumbria, England.It is best known among railway enthusiasts as a location for trainspotting and photography on the West Coast Main Line between Penrith and Oxenholme, and has been a famous vantage point on the railway...
which lies on the southern approach to the hill.
Shap Wells has a mineral spa
Mineral spa
Mineral spas are resorts developed around naturally occurring mineral spring locales.- Origins :Spas grew in reputation in the nineteenth century on into the late middle-twentieth century for their purported healing or healthful benefits to those wealthy enough to partake of their waters...
located in the grounds of the Shap Wells hotel that was used in 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...
as a prisoner of war camp.
External links
- http//:www.shapcumbria.co.uk Shap Community Website - Maintained by the Parish Council
- www.shapcumbria.info
- Shap Air Crash Anniversary
- Rail Worker’s Monument, Shap