Category: Cumbria history
The Penrith brothel that wasn’t
The Penrith brothel that wasn’t, or… who ate all the pies (and shortcake)? ‘Penrith brothel’ is not something I want in my search history, so I don’t know how things are today. And I trust a... Read More
Old Penrith pubs: General Wolfe, Ship and others
Old Penrith pubs – an introduction Pubs are a key part of the very fabric of Britain – like tea, and Marmite, only centuries older (!). But in recent times, they have been disappearing at a rapi... Read More
Pigs in Little Dockray
Pigs in Little Dockray – who knew? Well, it seems there were some snuffling about for decades (not the same pigs, obviously!) before anyone noticed. Some background: the Richardsons 1882. Feb. P... Read More
14 King Street, Penrith
It was good to see this week that the the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald has been saved, after going into voluntary administration a fortnight ago. Established in 1860, the Herald is an independe... Read More
Love’s young dream (Lowther Lawson)
Lowther Lawson’s youthful romance is my topical topic (!) for the weekend after Valentine’s Day. Because while it started out as a romantic story, the romance didn’t last much longer... Read More
J&J Graham of Penrith and the water closet furore
Water closet – by any other name Water closet; toilet; privy; lavatory; loo; bog, ty bach in Welsh (‘little house’), khazi, netty… Brits have a LOT of words for what other English-speaking nat... Read More
Invitation to a funeral: a Cumbrian custom
Cumbrian custom, or Solway custom? The following Cumbrian custom may not be unique to Bowness-on-Solway – or indeed be a uniquely Cumbrian custom. But in 1974, one elderly Bowness-on-Solway resident... Read More
Frozen fish, a Cumbrian discovery
Frozen fish, a staple of any domestic freezer, was a 20th century discovery by Clarence Birdseye. Or was it? Well, no. But this isn’t a blog about native Canadians, or how the Romans invented underf... Read More