The growth of Keswick was due to the woollen and mining
industries and its importance as a market town. Today tourism
is Keswick’s main industry. Here is a brief history of how and
why the town developed:
553
St. Kentigern (Bishop of Glasgow) set up a wooden cross in
what is now Crosthwaite, meaning ‘the cross in the clearing’.
Original Crosthwaite Church then built on this site.
900s
Norse people first to drain the valley bottoms and
permanently settle in the area. Evidence is in the Norse place
names still used today, e.g. ‘thwaite’, ‘seat’, ‘dale’. ‘Keswick’
thought to be derived from the Norse for ‘cheese town’!
1234 William de Derwentwater had a mill dam built on his land of
‘Kesewic’, first reference to name of the town springing up on
the banks of the River Greta.
1276 Edward I granted the town its charter for a Saturday market.
Rural economy based on wool, leather and farm products.
16th C Rural economy transformed when minerals discovered in
Newlands and Borrowdale.
1553 The present church was built at Crosthwaite.
1555 First reference to graphite (plumbago) mines in Borrowdale,
known locally as ‘wad’. It was used for cannonballs, marking
sheep, glazing pottery and as a cure for ‘cholick’.
1558 First pencils in the world made in Keswick. Began as a
cottage industry.
1565 Goldscope Mine opened in the Newlands Valley. Eventually
nine mines were worked yielding mainly lead and copper.
1566 Smelting of ores began at Brigham and within two years there
were six furnaces. Keswick is a prosperous mining centre.
1571 First Moot Hall was built as a court house in the town centre.
1597 Superior quality graphite was worth 13 pounds 6 shillings and
8 pence per ton, about £13.34.
1732 Hugh Walpole, the historical novelist, described Keswick as,
‘a town of one fair street and a huddle of filthy hovels’!
1760 A woollen mill complex was built at Millbeck, under Skiddaw.
1761 The Turnpike Road was built from Kendal to Cockermouth
via Keswick.
Late The first tourists arrived in Keswick, inspired by the works
1700s of the poets Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey.
1793 Population of Keswick – 1093.
1813 The present Moot Hall was built, used first as a court house,
then a fruit market, prison, museum and then a town hall.
1832 Cumberland Pencil Company established in an old textile mill
by the River Greta.
1851 Population of Keswick – 2618.
1864 Cockermouth-Keswick-Penrith Railway was built, dramatically
increasing visitor numbers to Keswick.
1869 One of the first ‘Grand Hotels’ in England was built near to
the station, ‘The Keswick Hotel’.
1934 Cumberland Pencil Works was built at current site.
1960s The M6 built up to Penrith.
1970s Cockermouth-Keswick-Penrith Railway closed.
A66 (Dual carriageway in part) built from Penrith to
Workington.
For more details on the history of Keswick:
www.civictrust.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
The Ordnance Survey Mapping included in this plan is provided by
LDNPA under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to make
available local visitor information. Persons viewing the mapping should
contact Ordnance Survey copyright for advice where they wish to licence
Ordnance Survey mapping for their own use.
© Crown copyright. All rights reserved LDNPA 100021698 2005
Keswick Today
•
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•
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The Pencil Factory is the second largest employer in Keswick
Tourism is the main employment in Keswick
The Moot Hall is a LDNPA Tourist Information Centre
Keswick is one of the most popular destinations for visitors
to the Lake District
• Keswick won top spot in World Travel Market Awards in
November 2003. Voted best place for a ‘rural getaway’
• The weekly market is still held in the town centre
• The current population of Keswick is 5322 (2394 households)
Future in Keswick
Keswick to Penrith Railway
In 1865 the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway
Company built a line to exploit the growing coal and steel
industry, routing it through Keswick to capitalise on the tourist
trade. In 1865 75,000 third class tickets were sold. By 1882 this
had risen to 225,000. However, due to losses of £50,000 per
year in the 1950s, the whole line was closed completely in 1972,
in spite of a storm of protest from local people to keep it open.
Today 85% of visitors come to the Lake District by car,
causing problems of congestion and pollution. The Lake
District Transport Strategy is a partnership project between
some of the major stakeholders in the area. It develops
strategies to tackle traffic and transport issues in the National
Park. One of their aims is to provide alternative modes of
transport to the car. The only railway link into the National
Park is the line from Oxenholme to Windermere. Therefore
investigations into reopening the Penrith to Keswick line have
been ongoing. The Cumbria Tourist Board forecasts that an
‘all day every day’ rail service between Keswick and Penrith
would attract up to 410,000 passengers each year, in addition
to local demand for this service. CKP Railways plc is raising
funds to continue to develop the proposal to reinstate the line:
www.ckpr.fsnet.co.uk
Market Towns Initiative
Keswick is one of the five towns in Allerdale involved in the
Market Towns Initiative. Led by the Countryside Agency, the
Initiative is aimed at improving and consolidating the
commercial and social activity of rural market towns to address
rural deprivation. The Keswick Area Partnership have been
working together to create an action plan for the town to
secure a soundly based and viable future for the local
community. The partnership has a wide membership bringing
together statutory agencies, voluntary bodies, private sector
and local government. www.allerdale.gov.uk
Derwentwater Foreshore Project
The Derwentwater Foreshore on the approach to Friar’s Crag
has been popular since Victorian times. It has deteriorated
significantly with increased visitor numbers resulting in the
area being literally ‘worn-out’. The project plans to improve
physical and intellectual access, increasing awareness of the
heritage and cultural importance of the site. It also aims to
conserve the environment through treating natural erosion,
hazards and pollutants and managing high-volume use.
Any updates in the future will be available on the LDNPA website: www.lake-district.gov.uk
Lake District National Park Authority Education Service, Brockhole, Windermere,
Cumbria LA23 1LJ Copyright waived for classroom use.
Alternative formats available
from 01539 724555
Education Service
Location Map
Keswick
Keswick is a small market town situated on the northern end of
Derwentwater in the north of the Lake District National Park, within
the Allerdale District of Cumbria. www.visitcumbria.com
Keswick School
Employment
With 950 pupils, the school
has achieved specialist
‘Science School Status’,
which has benefits for the
wider community.You can
obtain live weather
data from:
www.keswickweather.co.uk
Over 60% of the population
of Keswick is employed in
hotels, restaurants and
distribution. At the peak of
seasonal unemployment in
2001 the number of
unemployed was 47, 1% of
the working population.
Source: 2001 Census Data
Cumberland
Pencil Museum
Keswick
Shop Survey
This was carried out in 2000
on the main shopping areas.
Out of 222 buildings
surveyed, over 10% were
outdoor clothing/sports
shops, over 10% were cafes/
tearooms and 8.1% were
gift shops.
Keswick Town Map
‘Home of the World’s First
Pencils’, following the
discovery of graphite at
Seathwaite in Borrowdale
in the 1500s.
www.pencils.co.uk
The Moot Hall
The Grade 2 listed building
has a prominent onehanded clock. In 1999 it
had a major refurbishment
to provide a well equipped
Tourist Information Centre
for Keswick. On average it
receives over 400,000
visitors per year.
Architectural
Style
The medieval town layout
has determined the pattern of
buildings in the town centre.
The 18th Century building
styles still in evidence today,
such as the terrace of houses
on Main Street, represent
local traditional styles of
building with thick walls and
small windows in local stone
and slate. Yet the Victorian
buildings make the most
striking impact in scale and
design, even though they are
an imported product to
this area.
Conservation
Area
A ‘Conservation Area’ is an
area of special architectural
or historical interest, where
Age
Structure
of
Population
Tourist
the character is worthy of
Source: 2001 Census Data
Accommodation
protection and enhancement.
The streets of Keswick are
Population The Conservation Area in
lined with hotels, guest
Keswick town was designated
Change
houses, bed & breakfasts,
in 1981, then extended in area
1981: 4762
holiday flats and timeshare
in 1997 and is marked on the
1991: 4821
apartments. There are two
adjacent town map within the
2001: 5322
Youth Hostels and three
thick black line. In practice,
camping and caravan sites.
this means that the LDNPA
www.keswick.org
have greater control to enable
Public Transport
www.dokeswick.com
them to protect this special
For information on bus routes,
area of the town and to carry
timetables
and
fares
in
the
area:
Keswick Tourist Information Centre Visitor Numbers
www.stagecoachbus.com/northwest out environmental
improvement schemes.
www.traveline.org.uk
Town Centre
Pedestrianisation
£1.9 million scheme
implemented to create a safer,
more accessible environment for
pedestrians by restricting traffic
and parking.
Events
Feb – Film Festival
May – Half Marathon
May – Jazz Festival
June – Carnival
Dec – Victorian Fayre
www.keswickplus.co.uk
Climate
Geomorphology/Geology
Whinlatter Forest
River Derwent
Bassenthwaite Lake
Path Erosion
Keswick has 1554 mm of rainfall
per year on average.
Keswick is surrounded by beautiful
mountain scenery, including:
• 500-million-year-old slates of
Blencathra and Skiddaw, the oldest
rocks in the Lake District.
• 450-million-year-old volcanic
rocks of Borrowdale.
The Forestry Commission own this
mountain forest. It has a Visitor
Centre offering a wide range of events
throughout the year and a video link
to the ospreys at Bassenthwaite
between May and September.
www.whinlatterforestpark.co.uk
www.ospreywatch.co.uk
Flows out near Portinscale
village, into Bassenthwaite,
onto Cockermouth then
Workington and onto the
sea. It is one of the longest
rivers in England,
stretching about 48km
from the source.
The LDNPA have owned the lake and areas of the shoreline
since 1979. It was designated a National Nature Reserve in
1993 due to its high conservation value. It supports a diverse
range of species including the rare fish vendace and the
nationally scarce floating water plantain. In 2001 the first
pair of ospreys to nest in northern England for 150 years
bred near the shoreline. It is 1 km wide, 5 km long and 19 m
at its deepest point.
The main path on the very
popular summit of Skiddaw
had eroded away to about 20
metres wide. It was visible
from the valley floor up to
ten miles away. Repairs have
been carried out on the path
to reduce its width to about
2 metres and encourage the
nationally endangered
heather on either side of the
path to regenerate.
www.fixthefells.co.uk
Keswick Average Weather Statistics by Month
Source – Keswick Reminder
Total Average
Rainfall (mm)
Average Temperature
Skiddaw
Grisedale Pike
931 metres
Third highest mountain
in the Lake District.
791 metres
Catbells
451 metres
www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk
Fell Running Events
• Four Peaks Challenge
• Skiddaw Fell Race
• Borrowdale and Latrigg
Fell Races
Keswick Athletic Club:
www.keswick-ac.org.uk
Mountain Safety
The LDNPA produces a leaflet ‘Safety
on the Fells’, which has a comprehensive ‘Safety Checklist’ for the
general public to follow prior to a
walk in the area. However, there are
still 400 reported accidents each year
involving the Mountain
Rescue Teams.
Keswick Mountain Rescue:
www.keswickmrt.org.uk
Latrigg
367 metres
River Derwent
Flows from near Scafell Pike,
past Seathwaite village in
Borrowdale, the wettest
settlement in England, with
over 3,000 mm rain per year,
into Derwentwater.
Farming
The surrounding rural
area is used largely for
agriculture with hill
farms specialising
predominantly in
sheep rearing.
Derwentwater
Fed by River Derwent catchment
area in high fells at head of
Borrowdale. It has been
designated SSSI status and is
the widest lake in England:
• 1.6 km wide
• 4.8 km long
• 22 m at deepest point
• 4 large islands –
Derwent Island, Saint Herbert’s Isle,
Lord’s Island, Rampsholme Island.
Theatre by
the Lake
Wildlife In & Around
the Lake
Keswick
Launch
• Fish – vendace, trout, perch, pike
• Birds – mallard, greylag geese,
pochard, goldeneye, sandpiper,
yellow wagtail, snipe
• Mammals – red squirrel,
badger, deer
The company offer cruises around
Derwentwater throughout the year
from the Keswick Boat Landings,
stopping at seven jetties around
the lakeshore.
www.keswick-launch.co.uk
Purpose built in 1999,
offering arts and
entertainment throughout
the year for Cumbria.
www.theatrebythelake.com
National Trust
Great Wood
Castlerigg Stone Circle
All the islands on Derwentwater are
owned by the National Trust. They
also own the bed of the lake and
much of the shoreline.
Semi-natural woodland, managed by the
National Trust, who allow natural
regeneration. It contains rare lichens, the
netted carpet moth and the alder leaf beetle.
Probably built around 3000 BC, making
this stone circle one of the earliest in
Britain. It is believed it was used for
ceremonial or religious purposes.