Lord's Seat
Encyclopedia
Lord's Seat is a fell
in the English
Lake District
. It is the highest of the group of hills north of Whinlatter Pass
in the North Western Fells
. The slopes of Lord's Seat are extensively forested.
and the Vale of Embleton.
The principal feature of these fells is a ridge running from the Vale of Lorton in the west to Bassenthwaite Lake
in the east. Travelling in this direction the main tops are Graystones
, Broom Fell
, Lord's Seat and Barf
. Barf is in truth a satellite of Lord's Seat but was given the status of a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright
in his influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
Lord's Seat is the focal point of the group and sends out a number of additional ridges. To the south east is Ullister Hill (1,722 ft), a bare mound surrounded by conifer plantations. Further on in the same direction is Seat How (1,627 ft), a rocky top standing above the steep descent to Comb Beck and the Whinlatter Pass road. A second branch of the ridge curves around south and then west from Ullister Hill, terminating in Whinlatter
fell. Between Whinlatter and the main east-west ridge is the quiet valley of Aiken Beck.
North eastward from Lord's Seat, branching off from the ridge connection to Barf, is a long and sometimes imperceptible watershed which runs up the shore of Bassenthwaite. This divides the catchments of Wythop Beck (flowing north west) and Beck Wythop, a short stream running directly east into the lake. Some way to the north, this line of higher ground ends at Sale Fell
.
Lord's Seat gives birth to a number of streams which, although departing in different directions, all ultimately join the River Derwent. Aiken Beck and its many tributaries drain the south western flanks, most of which are clad in conifers. Hagg Beck, the main feeder of Beck Wythop, begins a little to the north of the summit. This runs across open fellside at first, only entering the trees at around the 1,100 ft contour. Beckstones Gill flows to Bassenthwaite to the south of Barf, while an unnamed stream does the same to the north. All of the eastern flanks of the range are forested, except for the scree-ridden face of Barf between these two watercourses.
and siltstone
. Much of the summit is overlain with peat
and there is a fault to the south west, beyond which are greywacke
sandstone
turbidities of the Loweswater Formation.
There is evidence of historic mining activity on the eastern slopes, particularly below Seat How. Four mines operated in this area:- Ladstock, Rachel Wood, Thornthwaite and Beckstones. Most were abandoned in the 1870s but Thornthwaite and Rachel Wood operated until December 1920. The main yields were lead
and zinc
ores, in particular galena
, blende
, cerussite
and gossan
.
. The view is extensive, befitting the highest point north of Whinlatter. The Northern Fells
are well displayed over Bassenthwaite and there is also a good view of the Helvellyn range
. Grasmoor
and its supporters restrict the southward panorama, but there is no such obstruction to the north, the Scottish Hills being visible across the Solway Firth
.
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 :...
in the English
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...
Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. It is the highest of the group of hills north of Whinlatter Pass
Whinlatter Pass
The Whinlatter Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District. It is located on the B5292 road linking Braithwaite, to the west of Keswick, with High Lorton to the south of Cockermouth....
in the North Western Fells
North Western Fells
The North Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including such favourites as Catbells and Grisedale Pike, they occupy an oval area beneath the Buttermere and Borrowdale valley systems...
. The slopes of Lord's Seat are extensively forested.
Topography
The North Western Fells occupy the area between the rivers Derwent and Cocker, a broadly oval swathe of hilly country, elongated on a north-south axis. Two roads cross from east to west, dividing the fells into three convenient groups. Lord's Seat is the hub of the most northerly sector, rising between Whinlatter PassWhinlatter Pass
The Whinlatter Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District. It is located on the B5292 road linking Braithwaite, to the west of Keswick, with High Lorton to the south of Cockermouth....
and the Vale of Embleton.
The principal feature of these fells is a ridge running from the Vale of Lorton in the west to Bassenthwaite Lake
Bassenthwaite Lake
Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately long and wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about ....
in the east. Travelling in this direction the main tops are Graystones
Graystones
Graystones is a fell in the English Lake District. It lies in the North Western Fells region and is one of the peaks on the ridge which encircles the valley of Aiken Beck.-Name:...
, Broom Fell
Broom Fell
Broom Fell is a small hill in the English Lake District. It lies on a ridge connecting Lord's Seat and Graystones, but is rarely climbed. Alfred Wainwright did however accord it the status of a separate fell in his influential guidebook series, the Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland...
, Lord's Seat and Barf
Barf (Lake District)
Barf is a fell in the north-western Lake District in Cumbria, UK. It stands on the south-western shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. Barf is well known for a whitewashed pillar of rock on the lower slopes, the so-called "Bishop's Rock" or "Bishop of Barf"....
. Barf is in truth a satellite of Lord's Seat but was given the status of a separate fell by Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
in his influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells of the Lake District in northwest England...
Lord's Seat is the focal point of the group and sends out a number of additional ridges. To the south east is Ullister Hill (1,722 ft), a bare mound surrounded by conifer plantations. Further on in the same direction is Seat How (1,627 ft), a rocky top standing above the steep descent to Comb Beck and the Whinlatter Pass road. A second branch of the ridge curves around south and then west from Ullister Hill, terminating in Whinlatter
Whinlatter
Whinlatter is a small fell in the north west of the English Lake District, just north of the Whinlatter Pass. It is easily climbed from the top of the Whinlatter Pass, through the Forestry Commission plantations. The Whinlatter Visitor's Centre, a popular tourist attraction, is on the south side of...
fell. Between Whinlatter and the main east-west ridge is the quiet valley of Aiken Beck.
North eastward from Lord's Seat, branching off from the ridge connection to Barf, is a long and sometimes imperceptible watershed which runs up the shore of Bassenthwaite. This divides the catchments of Wythop Beck (flowing north west) and Beck Wythop, a short stream running directly east into the lake. Some way to the north, this line of higher ground ends at Sale Fell
Sale Fell
Sale Fell is a small hill near Cockermouth in the English Lake District. It is one of the smallest Wainwrights, but is nevertheless popular with locals, as it offers gentle walking and lovely views across Bassenthwaite Lake to Skiddaw.-Topography:...
.
Lord's Seat gives birth to a number of streams which, although departing in different directions, all ultimately join the River Derwent. Aiken Beck and its many tributaries drain the south western flanks, most of which are clad in conifers. Hagg Beck, the main feeder of Beck Wythop, begins a little to the north of the summit. This runs across open fellside at first, only entering the trees at around the 1,100 ft contour. Beckstones Gill flows to Bassenthwaite to the south of Barf, while an unnamed stream does the same to the north. All of the eastern flanks of the range are forested, except for the scree-ridden face of Barf between these two watercourses.
Geology and Mining
The predominant surface rocks are the Kirk Stile Formation, composed of laminated mudstoneMudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
and siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
. Much of the summit is overlain with peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
and there is a fault to the south west, beyond which are greywacke
Greywacke
Greywacke or Graywacke is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lithic fragments set in a compact, clay-fine matrix. It is a texturally immature sedimentary rock generally found...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
turbidities of the Loweswater Formation.
There is evidence of historic mining activity on the eastern slopes, particularly below Seat How. Four mines operated in this area:- Ladstock, Rachel Wood, Thornthwaite and Beckstones. Most were abandoned in the 1870s but Thornthwaite and Rachel Wood operated until December 1920. The main yields were lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
ores, in particular galena
Galena
Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
, blende
Blende
Blende may refer to:* Sphalerite , the most common usage* Hornblende* Pitchblende* an alternative name for Rana Niejta...
, cerussite
Cerussite
Cerussite is a mineral consisting of lead carbonate , and an important ore of lead. The name is from the Latin cerussa, white lead. Cerussa nativa was mentioned by Conrad Gessner in 1565, and in 1832 F. S. Beudant applied the name cruse to the mineral, whilst the present form, cerussite, is due to...
and gossan
Gossan
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein. In the classic gossan or iron cap all that remains is iron oxides and quartz often in the form of boxworks, quartz lined cavities retaining the shape of the dissolved...
.
Summit and View
The top of Lord's Seat is a smooth grassy dome, the summit being marked by the meeting point of ruined fences and a small cairnCairn
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...
. The view is extensive, befitting the highest point north of Whinlatter. The Northern Fells
Northern Fells
The Northern Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including Skiddaw, they occupy a wide area to the north of Keswick. Smooth sweeping slopes predominate with a minimum of tarns or crags...
are well displayed over Bassenthwaite and there is also a good view of the Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range
Helvellyn range is the name given to a part of the Eastern Fells in the English Lake District, fell being the local word for hill. The name comes from Helvellyn, the highest point of the group....
. Grasmoor
Grasmoor
Grasmoor is a mountain in the north-western part of the Lake District, northern England. It is the highest peak in a group of hills between the villages of Lorton, Braithwaite and Buttermere, and overlooks Crummock Water....
and its supporters restrict the southward panorama, but there is no such obstruction to the north, the Scottish Hills being visible across the Solway Firth
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
.