KESWICK CUMBRIA
Keswick is a market town in
Geography and Administration
Keswick is on the A66 road linking Workington and Penrith, as well as the A591 road, linking it to Windermere, Kendal and to Carlilse (via the A595 road).
On January 11th, 2005 Keswick was granted
History
The town is recorded in the 13th century as Cese-wic, indicating that it acted as a market for cheese.
During the 16th century, small scale mining took place in Keswick and it was the source of the world’s first graphite pencils. The pencil industry remains today, including the Keswick was granted a charter to be a market town in 1276 by Edward I of
The Moot Hall in the centre of Keswick.
Present Day
Today, the majority of Keswick’s businesses are tourism related, providing accommodation and facilities for the tens of thousands of people visiting the area each year. The Keswick Tourism Association publishes an annual guide to the area, including details of annually inspected and approved visitor accommodation. This information is also available on the KTA website (we have a direct link to KTA – please see the ‘useful links’ page).
Many visitors to Keswick come for the town’s annual film festival that attracts thousands of paying customers. Keswick is also host to an annual beer festival that takes place on Keswick Rugby Club field, an annual Jazz Festival and an annual Mountain Festival.
Keswick is administered by Keswick Town Council and Allerdale Borough Council. Previous to 1974 the town had been an urban district in its own right and was entirely surrounded by the Cockermouth Rural District.
Keswick is the venue for an annual Christian Convention (called the Keswick Convention) that has been running since 1875 and now covers three weeks towards the end of summer.
In the Christian sphere Keswick is also the home to Castlerigg Manor, a leading Catholic residential youth centre. The centre is in the Manor house from which much of the local land was owned in the 19th century.
Places of Interest
The town is home to the Cars of the
Keswick boasts two beautiful parks that were saved as open space in perpetuity for the people of Keswick by the efforts of the local people in the 19th century.
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Fitz Park was developed in the Victorian period with specimen trees from around the world. It provides gardens for relaxation, bowls, tennis and other sports. It is a site of outstanding heritage value and is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful parks in
Hope Park, strategically located between town centre and lake, was donated to the town in 1925 by Sir Percy Hope. The land was previously an area for the grazing of horses that were used to transport charabancs from Keswick Railway Station to the various hotels in the town.
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The Park was opened as a golf course on the 27th May 1927 by Mr J H Taylor, who was the British Golf Champion at that time.
After the death of Sir Percy Hope OBE in 1974 the Hope Park Charitable Trust took over the running of the park in his memory. This magnificent park gives pleasure to all who enjoy its quiet areas and who take delight in watching the seasons change.
Transport
The town used to be linked to Cockermouth and Penrith via the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway which closed in 1972.
Notable Residents
Samuel Taylor Coleridge settled here with his family in 1800 and visited/collaborated with William Wordsworth in nearby
Dialect
The Keswick dialect is a diasystem of the Cumbrian dialect spoken around the Keswick and Cockermouth area.