Casterton, Cumbria
Encyclopedia
Casterton is a small village and civil parish close to Kirkby Lonsdale
on the River Lune
in the south east corner of Cumbria
, England
.
The parish is bounded by Kirkby Lonsdale, Barbon
, Dent
, Leck
and Burrow-with-Burrow
, and lies just outside the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park
: much of the Easegill cave system
, the longest explored natural cave
system in the country, lies beneath it. The western boundary, towards Kirkby Lonsdale, is formed by the river and has one of the best preserved medieval bridges in the country, one of those known as Devil's Bridge
and a local landmark
.
The village is situated approximately 5 miles (8 km) from junction 36 (Kendal and the Lakes exit) of the M6 motorway
, near the intersection of the A65
Kendal
to Leeds
road, and the A683 which runs up the Lune valley from the port of Heysham
to the market town of Kirkby Stephen
.
The name of the village hints at a Roman camp, though no evidence of that has been found, but the major Roman Ribchester
to Carlisle road runs to the east of the village and a cross-stone was ploughed up and reerected in the 19th century. A stone circle
can be seen to the east, on top of a ridge on the flanks of Brownthwaite Pike.
The Ingleton Branch
of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
ran through the village before its closure under the Beeching axe
in the mid 1960s.
The largest buildings in the village are at Casterton School, a private girls' school. The school was founded in 1820 by William Carus-Wilson as a school for servants and teachers: the Clergy Daughters' School, formed three years later at Cowan Bridge
, Burrow-with-Burrow
. The present school was created when the two schools were amalgamated on the present site in 1833. The Brontë
sisters attended the Clergy Daughter's School on its original site and Lowood school in Jane Eyre
is based on it.
The village Church of Holy Trinity
, was also built under Carus-Wilson and was consecrated on 5 October 1833 by the Bishop of Chester
. It was enlarged in 1865 and restored in 1891, and is at present run as part of the 'Rainbow Parish' based in Kirkby Lonsdale, a combination of eight, originally seven, churches.
Casterton has a private 9 hole golf course
; an 18th century coaching inn
, The Pheasant Inn; a bus shelter for the weekly bus; and a phone box.
Kirkby Lonsdale
Kirkby Lonsdale is a small town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically within Westmorland, it is situated south east of Kendal along the A65. The parish had a population of 1,771 recorded in the 2001 census.Notable buildings include St...
on the River Lune
River Lune
The River Lune is a river in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.It is formed at Wath, in the parish of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, at the confluence of Sandwath Beck and Weasdale Beck...
in the south east corner 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...
, 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 parish is bounded by Kirkby Lonsdale, Barbon
Barbon
Barbon is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 263. The church is dedicated to St Bartholomew...
, Dent
Dent (Lonsdale)
Dent is a small village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, nestling in a narrow valley on the western slopes of the Pennines within the Yorkshire Dales National Park...
, Leck
Leck, Lancashire
Leck is a civil parish in the English county of Lancashire. The parish of Leck had a population of 189 recorded in the 2001 census, It is on the River Leck close to the main A65, south east of the Cumbrian town of Kirkby Lonsdale...
and Burrow-with-Burrow
Burrow-with-Burrow
Burrow-with-Burrow is a civil parish in the English county of Lancashire.The parish of Burrow-with-Burrow had a population of 191 recorded in the 2001 census,It is on the River Lune south of the Cumbrian town Kirkby Lonsdale...
, and lies just outside the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
: much of the Easegill cave system
Easegill System
The Ease Gill Cave System is the second longest, afer Ogof Draenen, and most complex cave system in Britain, with around of passages, including connections only passable by cave diving. It spans the valley between Leck Fell and Casterton Fell...
, the longest explored natural cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
system in the country, lies beneath it. The western boundary, towards Kirkby Lonsdale, is formed by the river and has one of the best preserved medieval bridges in the country, one of those known as Devil's Bridge
Devil's Bridge
Devil’s Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement...
and a local landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
.
The village is situated approximately 5 miles (8 km) from junction 36 (Kendal and the Lakes exit) of 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...
, near the intersection of the A65
A65 road
The A65 is a major road in England. It runs north west from Leeds in Yorkshire via Kirkstall, Horsforth, Yeadon, Guiseley, Ilkley and Skipton, passes west of Settle, then continues through Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale before terminating at Kendal in Cumbria....
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...
to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
road, and the A683 which runs up the Lune valley from the port of Heysham
Heysham
Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
to the market town of Kirkby Stephen
Kirkby Stephen
Kirkby Stephen is a civil parish and small market town in Cumbria, in North West England which historically, is part of Westmorland. The town is located on the A685, surrounded by sparsely populated hill country, and about from the two nearest larger towns, Kendal and Penrith...
.
The name of the village hints at a Roman camp, though no evidence of that has been found, but the major Roman Ribchester
Ribchester
Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston.The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze Age beginnings...
to Carlisle road runs to the east of the village and a cross-stone was ploughed up and reerected in the 19th century. A 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....
can be seen to the east, on top of a ridge on the flanks of Brownthwaite Pike.
The Ingleton Branch
Ingleton, North Yorkshire
Ingleton is a village and civil parish in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is famous for walking, hiking and caving. Favourite walks are the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail and the climb up Ingleborough which is one of the famous Three Peaks. Directly from the village visitors can...
of 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...
ran through the village before its closure under the Beeching axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in the mid 1960s.
The largest buildings in the village are at Casterton School, a private girls' school. The school was founded in 1820 by William Carus-Wilson as a school for servants and teachers: the Clergy Daughters' School, formed three years later at Cowan Bridge
Cowan Bridge
Cowan Bridge is a village in the English county of Lancashire.It is south-east of the town of Kirkby Lonsdale where the main A65 road crosses the Leck Beck...
, Burrow-with-Burrow
Burrow-with-Burrow
Burrow-with-Burrow is a civil parish in the English county of Lancashire.The parish of Burrow-with-Burrow had a population of 191 recorded in the 2001 census,It is on the River Lune south of the Cumbrian town Kirkby Lonsdale...
. The present school was created when the two schools were amalgamated on the present site in 1833. The Brontë
Brontë
The Brontës were a nineteenth-century literary family associated with Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The sisters, Charlotte , Emily , and Anne , are well-known as poets and novelists...
sisters attended the Clergy Daughter's School on its original site and Lowood school in Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
is based on it.
The village Church of Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity Church, Casterton
Holy Trinity Church, Casterton, is in the village of Casterton, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmoreland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of five local parishes, the benefice...
, was also built under Carus-Wilson and was consecrated on 5 October 1833 by the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
. It was enlarged in 1865 and restored in 1891, and is at present run as part of the 'Rainbow Parish' based in Kirkby Lonsdale, a combination of eight, originally seven, churches.
Casterton has a private 9 hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
; an 18th century coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
, The Pheasant Inn; a bus shelter for the weekly bus; and a phone box.