Workington
Encyclopedia
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria
, England
, at the mouth of the River Derwent
. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale
, Workington is 32 miles (51.5 km) southwest of Carlisle, 7 miles (11.3 km) west of Cockermouth
, and 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Maryport
. It has a population of 24,295.
Historically
a part of Cumberland
, the area around Workington has long been a producer of coal
, steel
and high-grade iron ore.
Workington is the seat of Allerdale Borough Council, which is one of three borough councils
in Cumbria. Tony Cunningham
is the local MP for the constituency of the same name
that includes other towns in the hinterland of Workington.
a part of Cumberland
, the area around Workington has long been a producer of coal
, steel
and high grade iron ore.
Between 79AD and 122AD, Roman forts
, mile-forts and watchtowers were established down the Cumbrian coast. They acted as coastal defences against attacks by the Scoti
in Ireland
and by the Caledonii, the most powerful tribe in what we now call Scotland
. The 16th century book, Britannia
, written by William Camden
describes ruins of the coastal defences at Workington.'
A Viking sword
was discovered at Northside, which is believed to indicate that there was a settlement on the river mouth.
, on the West Cumbrian coastal plain. It is bounded to the west by the Solway Firth
, part of the Irish Sea
, and by the Lake District
fells to the east.
Workington comprises various districts, many of which were established as housing estate
s. North of the river these districts include Seaton
, Barepot
, Northside, Port and Oldside. On the south side are the districts of Stainburn, Derwent Howe, Ashfield, Banklands, Frostoms (Annie Pit), Mossbay, Moorclose, Salterbeck
, Bridgefoot, Lillyhall, Harrington
, High Harrington, Clay Flatts, Kerry Park, Westfield and Great Clifton
. The Marsh and Quay, a large working class
area of the town around the docks and a major part of the town's history, was demolished in the early 1980s. Much of the former area of the Marsh is now covered by Clay Flatts Industrial Estate
.
-free haematite. The area had a long tradition of iron smelting
, but this became particularly important with the invention by Sir Henry Bessemer of the Bessemer process
, the first process for mass production
of steel, which previously had been an expensive specialist product. For the first 25 years of the process, until Gilchrist and Thomas improved it, it required phosphorus-free haematite. With Cumbria as the world's premier source of this, and the local coalfield also available for steel production, the world's first large-scale steelworks was opened in the Moss Bay area of the town. The Bessemer converter continued to work until 1977, the world's first and last commercially operated Bessemer converter. The Moss Bay Steelworks were themselves closed in 1982, despite having received significant infrastructural investment and improvement almost immediately prior to the closure.
During World War II
, a strategically important electric steel furnace which produced steel for aircraft engine
ball bearing
s was relocated to Workington from Norway
to prevent it falling into Axis
hands.
Workington was the home of Distington Engineering Company (DEC)
, the engineering arm of British Steel Corporation (BSC), which specialised in the design of continuous casting
equipment. DEC, known to the local people as "Chapel Bank", had an engineering design office, engineering workshops and a foundry that at one time contained six of the seven electric arc
furnaces built in Workington. The seventh was situated at the Moss Bay plant of BSC. In the 1970s, as BSC adapted to a more streamlined approach to the metals industry, the engineering design company was separated from the workshops and foundry and re-designated as Distington Engineering Contracting. Employing some 200 people, its primary purpose was the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of continuous casting machines.
One offshoot of the steel industry was the production of steel railway rails. Workington rails were widely exported and a common local phrase was that Workington rails 'held the world together'. Originally made from Bessemer steel, following the closure of the Moss Bay Steelworks (ending actual steel production in Workington) steel for the plant was brought by rail from Teesside
. The plant was closed in August 2006, the end of Workington's long and proud association with the steelworks. However welding work on rails produced at Corus
' French
plant in Hayange
continued at Workington for another two years, as the Scunthorpe
site initially proved incapable of producing rails adequately.
and a relatively novel industry, recycling old computers
for export, mainly to poorer countries. The town also houses the British Cattle Movement Service
, a government agency set up to oversee the U.K. beef and dairy industry
following the BSE crisis in Britain. It is located in former steelworks offices. Many Workington residents are employed outside the town in the nuclear industry located in and around Sellafield
, West Cumbria's dominant employment sector. None of the nuclear industry is located in Workington itself: much of it is based around Whitehaven.
type commuter trains and Leyland National
buses. The Leyland National was based on an Italian design, which included an air conditioning
unit mounted in a pod on top of the roof of the bus at the rear. Adapting the design for Britain, Leyland replaced the air conditioning unit with a heating unit. However, as hot air rises, much of the heat generated by the heaters was wasted as it escaped out of the top (most vehicle heaters are located low down in the vehicle). This design flaw in the National bus became infamous in the trade.
The 'Railbus' trains were based on the National bus design, designed as a cheap stopgap by British Rail
. This initiative led to Workington's brief history of train manufacturing, the buses already being built there. The trains are generally considered to be badly designed, and are very uncomfortable to ride, especially on less-than-perfectly-smooth rail lines: the carriages tend to jump about much more than most trains, as they are not equipped with proper train bogies, but have two single axles per carriage (each train consists of two carriages), a cost-cutting design feature which has also caused problems with tight-radius corners on some lines. Some industry experts have also questioned their safety compared to other commuter train types, such as the Sprinter.
The former bus plant, located in Lillyhall, is now a depot for the Eddie Stobart road haulage company.
to Maryport
and (via the A595 road
) to Whitehaven
, and by the A66 road
to Cockermouth
, the M6 motorway
, Penrith
and County Durham
. The town has bus connections to other towns and villages in West Cumbria, Penrith, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness
.
The Cumbrian Coast Line
provides rail connections
to Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, with occasional through trains to Newcastle
, Lancaster
and Preston. A temporary railway station at Workington North
opened on November 30, 2009 as a means of crossing the river following the closure of road bridges.
The nearest airports are Newcastle
, Manchester and Glasgow
, which can be reached by road and rail.
The Coast to Coast Walk
begins in West Cumbria, on the shores of the Irish Sea
at St Bees
, near Whitehaven and Workington. The route then crosses the coastal plain
, the Lake District
, the Pennines
and the North York Moors
, and ends on the North Sea
coast at Robin Hood's Bay
in Yorkshire
. But some walkers instead start from the east coast, preferring to have the Lake District
as the climax of their walk. The cycling alternative, the Sea to Sea Cycle Route
, may also begin in the surf at Workington's sea shore. The Reiver's Route passes through the town. West Cumbria is an interesting diversion from the Cumbria Cycle Way.
and West Cumberland Lions
.
In 2008, The Paint Your Town Red Festival invited Liverpool
comic and actor Ricky Tomlinson
. Described as 'The biggest free festival in Workington’s history', it welcomes everyone adopting red as their colour for the day. Town centre shops are open to extended hours. The 2008 festival included a free children’s fun fair in Vulcan Park and stage and street entertainnment. Soul legend, Jimmy James and his Soul Explosion performed. Keswick’s 'Cars of the Stars' Museum, provided a cavalcade mini cars with a stunt driving display. Appearances included Herbie the Beetle, the Back to the Future
De Lorean and Kit from Knightrider of the 1980. Dearham Band and the all-girl band Irresistible also appeared.
, Theatre Royal and the Workington Opera House
. In the past Workington was a big town for variety acts and theatre and hosted many top acts including Tommy Cooper
and Shirley Bassey
. Workington Opera House
has also hosted many circus shows which included elephants and other circus animals performing on stage.
The Carnegie Theatre
and Theatre Royal are still open and put on performances all year round. The Workington Opera House
is currently closed after its last use as a bingo hall. The "Opera Action" group plan to restore the Workington Opera House into a working theatre to revitalise the economy of Workington and provide top quality entertainment for the people of West Cumbria.
known as Uppies and Downies
, a traditional version of football
, with its origins in Medieval football, Mob football
or an even earlier form. Since 2001, the matches have raised over £75,000 for local charities. An Uppies and Downies ball is made from four pieces of cow leather. It is 21 inches (53 cm) in circumference and weighs about two and a half pounds (1.1 kg). Only three hand-made balls are produced every year and each is dated. Some players from outside Workington take part, especially fellow West Cumbrians from Whitehaven and Maryport. As with much of the town's sporting history, some of the best and most accurate records are to be found in the local newspapers, The Evening Star and The West Cumberland Times and Star.
home ground is Borough Park, situated on the Low Cloffolk on the south bank of the River Derwent. Formally a professional football team
it now competes as non-League club
. Popularly known as the 'Reds', they currently play in the Conference North
. First formed in 1888 by Dronnies, the nickname used by locals for the Dronfield
steelworkers and their families, who moved to Workington from 1882. It is estimated that about 1500 people made the move. The Dronnies brought the newly established rules of football with them. These rules for Association Football were established by the world's first soccer club, Sheffield Football Club. Dronnies formed the nucleus of the original Workington FC in 1988.
team are former Challenge Cup
winners Workington Town
. They play in the Championship 1. Their stadium is called Derwent Park
.
Their nickname is simply 'Town', though they are sometimes referred to as 'Worky' by fans of other teams.
Their local rivals are Whitehaven
, who joined the league three years after Workington Town.
Workington Town RLFC was formed at a meeting held in the Royal Oak Hotel, Workington in December 1944. Many of Workington Town's board came from local soccer team Workington AFC's board and the team would ground share with "the Reds" at Borough Park
. They were the first side from Cumberland
to enter the professional league.
They first played their home games, wearing green and red hoops, at Borough Park. The first match against Broughton Rangers
on Saturday 25 August 1945 attracted a crowd of 4,100 to Borough Park. Workington went on to win 27-5.
There was a club record 20,403 spectators for the third round Challenge Cup game against St Helens. Town won the Championship final in 1951 by beating Warrington
at Maine Road
, Manchester
. In the 1952 final of the Challenge Cup, the first to be televised, Town beat Featherstone Rovers
18-10 in front of a crowd of 72,093 at Wembley Stadium. During the 1954-55 season, Workington Town made it to the Challenge Cup final again but were beaten 21-12 by Barrow
.
Town moved to Derwent Park in 1956. Workington Town lost in the in 1958 Challenge Cup final to Wigan and one week later, they lost in the Championship final at Odsal Stadium
, Bradford
.
was consulted on the layout. Considered 'one of the premier courses in Cumbria' it has been influenced by FG Hawtree during the 1950s and by Howard Swan today. Annual club championships are staged.
are the town's professional speedway
team, which competes in the British Speedway Premier League.
Before World War II
racing was staged at Lonsdale Park, which was next to Borough Park, on the banks of the River Derwent
. The sport did not return to the town until 1970, when it was introduced to Derwent Park by local entrepreneur Paul Sharp and Ian Thomas who is the present team manager (2009). In 1987, Derwent Park was a temporary home to the Glasgow Tigers
who briefly became the Workington Tigers prior to their withdrawal from the league. Speedway returned to Workington and the team has operated with varying degrees of success, but in 2008, they won the Young Shield and the Premier League Four-Team and Pairs Championships. An Academy team under the banner of Northside Stars, develops young riders who show potential at the Northside training track and may make future first teams.
Workington Cricket Club will also stage Valentine Rock, a 19 band charity music festival at the ground on 19 September. With all profits going to the RNLI and West Cumberland Lions, it is a further expression of the progressive nature of one of the oldest sporting clubs in the town.
, triathlon
, road running
, cross-country
, fell running
and orienteering
. All of its schools and clubs are affiliated to the Cumbria Athletics Association, except orienteering which is organised through its own national federation. Athletes tend to join clubs which concentrate on their particular discipline. Cumberland Fell Runners; Cumberland Athletics Club; Derwent and West Cumberland AC; Seaton Athletics Club; Workington Zebras AC and West Cumberland Orienteering Club are the most popular at present.
Primary schools have a well organised inter-school programme. Secondary schools focus especially on the Allerdale District School's Championships, which lead on to the Cumbria Schools Championships. The results of Cumbria's championships guide selection of the county teams to compete in the English Schools Athletic Association Championships. Over the years, Workington athletes have earned English Schools Championship honours.
Clubs. The West Cumbrian motorcycle club
, The Roadburners. was established 20 years ago and regularly attends local and national motorbike rallies, and charity road runs. It welcomes new members interested in multi cylinder machines. The National Chopper Club also has local members.
was opened. It replaced the run down St John's Arcade, built in the 1960s and '70s with a modern 275000 sq ft (25,548.3 m²) retail-led
mixed use complex. In 2007, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors named Washington Square as the 'best commercial project' in the north west of England
. Their award
acknowledged that "The Washington Square development has radically transformed Workington town centre. The development
is a massive improvement on the 1960's town centre. The transformation is impressive and the development has succeeded in one of its main objectives in making Workington a major shopping destination within the region, attracting a number of major high street retailers to the town. In short it has changed the face of Workington."
The square's designers Harrison's also won the Business Insider's Project of The Year (Retail/Leisure) award, because 'the Workington scheme has been transformational and Harrison deserves great credit for its bravery.' The judges felt that 'the challenge that was overcome in Workington was altogether greater than the other projects.'
Among the centre's main attractions are a new Debenhams
, Next, River Island
, HMV
and Costa Coffee
.
have been installed in the town centre:
There are still a lot of empty shops in the new town centre. The council have been criticized for not doing more to help small local businesses out, they seem more inclined to get the big named chains into the town at the expense of losing the local businesses who have been in the town for years, many fear that with the loss of the small local businesses, that the town will become a clone town
center of other shopping areas all over the country.
While successful efforts have been made to find appropriate local names for the major streets of the new shopping centre, the initial 'planning' title of Washington Square has been retained. The concern is over the use of the word Washington, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning the settlement of the people of 'Wash' for the new square in Workington, which means settlement of the people of 'Weorc'. A renaming or rebranding
of the new development may be necessary.
Extra store on the Cloffocks has been passed by Allerdale Borough Council.
As the Cloffocks (or Cloffolks) are considered to be common recreational land
and the venue for the annual Uppies and Downies games, the decision has met with very mixed responses from the community. ...and centuries old Uppies and Downies.'
Save Our Cloffocks campaigners have made a fourth attempt to register the area as a town green
. The application is being assessed by the county council’s legal department, which might seek the advice of a planning inspector. Three previous applications have been rejected but since then the government’s Commons Act (2006) has become law.
The local newspaper
reported that Uppies and Downies veterans believe that if the ancient rights
of the people of Workington are threatened:
While a Tesco spokesman said:
Locals use the words of their celebrated poet, Ethel Fisher MBE, when emphasising the staying power of this tradition:
Some locals have suggested Uppies and Downies moves to the northern bank of the River Derwent, Curwen Park and Mill field, but Workington Regeneration plans may threaten such a move.
approval for the new Tesco Extra store has raised fresh fears among locals that more green spaces set aside for recreation
are under threat.
Workington Regeneration
and Cumbria County Council, have plans to build a road
through Workington’s historic Curwen Park to ease traffic congestion
through the town centre. As with similar plans in the 1980s and 1990s, non-violent direct action
was promised by those opposed to the Council plans. Workington MP Tony Cunningham vowed,
If built, the road would be an extension of the A596, connect with the proposed southern link bypass of Harrington and Salterbeck. Just like the Council's 'preferred route' in the 1980s and 1990s, the road would run under the escarpment
which overlooks the park, linking the roundabout
s at Stainburn School and Calva Brow and split Curwen Park from Millfield.
A much shorter and less controversial route is possible, which would form a loop between Workington Hall and the Ramsey Brow magistrates' court
building. Mr Cunningham said he would not rule out the shorter route. The southern, shorter route may necessitate the demolition
of the Henry Curwen public house
and the magistrates' court, thus allowing for the remodelling of Curwen Square area.
One of the aims of Workington Regeneration is to connect the new commercial heart with the old town around Portland Square and the Cumbria County Council consultants’ report said:
The occupation of the site is believed to have begun some time after King William II (Rufus) moved north and the lands were given to Ketel. An early 12th century manuscript records how:
Professor Jones' words echo the thoughts of many locals, who believe that West Cumbria can benefit socially and economically from learning more about Burrow Walls:
The Derwent rises in the heart of the Lake District
, at , Sprinkling Tarn below Great End and runs into Styhead Tarn
beneath Scafell Pike
, and flows through the valley of Borrowdale
before continuing through Derwentwater, giving the lake its name. The Derwent then continues into Bassenthwaite Lake
, picking up the waters of the River Greta just outside Keswick
. The River Cocker joins the Derwent at Cockermouth
. The River Marron joins the Derwent near Bridgefoot, Clifton. The waters all flow into the Irish Sea
at Workington.
During the twenty-four hours before Friday 20 November 2009, rainfall of over 300 mm was recorded in Cumbria. Flooding along the Borrowdale and Derwent Valley meant that some areas were up to 8 feet (2.44 m) deep in water.
The surge of water off the fells of the Lake District which flowed into Workington down the River Derwent
washed away a road bridge and a footbridge . PC Bill Barker was killed when Northside Bridge collapsed.
The community of Barepot on the north side of the Derwent was badly affected.
Most of the damage on the south side of the river affected buildings and property on the Cloffocks. For many centuries, the Cloffocks have been utilised by the townspeople for recreation and they form part of the natural flood plain for the River Derwent during heavy rainfall.
In recent years, civic landscaping and new buildings have significantly altered the character of the Cloffocks and this may have affected its role as part of the town's flood protection system.
The cemetery at Camerton
, historically the burial ground for the community of Seaton, was badly damaged with many gravestones being damaged or upturned.
Bridge was supported by the majority of the town as a tribute to the men who built the local railway system. By the 1960s Navvy Bridge had become Navvies. After Dr Beeching
closed the line, its sandstone pillars carried a steel foot and cycle way connecting the Northside community with the heart of Workington's town centre. Navvy Bridge collapsed on 20 November 2009. Work on a redesigned replacement bridge began in May 2011, and the bridge was officially opened to the public 4 months later on September 10th.
New Bridge collapsed on the morning of 20 November 2009. PC Bill Barker was directing traffic away from the bridge when it fell into the river. The red sandstone bridge was officially named New Bridge, as it was constructed over 40 years after Workington or Calva bridge.
In 1903, the bridge was the subject of a Local Government Board Inquiry, which raised issues relating to its construction.
Work on a permanent replacement bridge began on 15th August 2011, and is expected to take around 50 weeks to complete.
was washed away. As the level of the river Derwent rose it flooded along the railway line with such force that it washed away the road bridge over the line. This bridge was the only vehicular access to the church yard of St Peter's Church in Camerton, customarily used as the burial ground for Seaton.
Since this bridge has been washed away, the gap has been filled and levelled up, and now has a new roadway/pathway along to the St Peter's church once more.
from 3 Armoured Squadron and 170 Infrastructure Support Group, Royal Engineers
installed a footbridge (200 m) upstream of Calva Bridge. The bridge from the Mill Field to the north of the river was scheduled to open on 5 December 2009. Seventeen pre-fabricated bridge sections were assembled and dropped into place on the newly established foundations. The 170 ft (52m) bridge across the River Derwent took a week to build. Schoolchildren were the first to use the new crossing, as heavy rain again fell across the county.
On 7 December 2009 Barker Crossing
was opened. It is 170 feet (52 m) long, and is named after Bill Barker who was drowned when the flood washed the old bridge away.
Maj Nigel Hindmarsh, of the Royal Engineers, said the new bridge had been constructed to withstand a one in 100-year flood. Sadiq Khan
, the Transport Minister, said: "The installation of this footbridge is a vital step in reuniting the local community and helping them to recover from the devastating flooding.”
Gillian Spokes, deputy headmistress of Victoria Junior School, spoke of her relief at the opening of Barker Crossing, saying: "It was taking some of our kids two hours to get home, in what was normally a five-minute car journey. We're hoping that the new bridge will restore everything back to normal." She also commended the efforts of the Royal Engineers
. "The Army have been brilliant in the last month. Jerry Lafferty (Squadron Sergeant Major of 3 Armoured Engineer Squadron) has taken the children down to the bridge site and told them how it will be strong enough for a tank to pass over, which obviously delighted them. He's also came in today to do a Q&A session at assembly. The new bridge has actually helped to build bridges in the community."
The crossing was taken down in February 2011, shortly after nearby Calva bridge was repaired and reopened to pedestrians.
Shortly after the town was divided, Network Rail
announced the construction of a new railway station, Workington North
, to be completed within a week on land owned by the local council, to enable access across the river for residents.
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...
, at the mouth of the River Derwent
River Derwent, Cumbria
The Derwent is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria in the north of England. The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees"....
. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale
Allerdale
Allerdale is a non-metropolitan district of Cumbria, England, with borough status. Its council is based in Workington and the borough has a population of 93,492 according to the 2001 census....
, Workington is 32 miles (51.5 km) southwest of Carlisle, 7 miles (11.3 km) west of Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
, and 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Maryport
Maryport
Maryport is a town and civil parish within the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, in the historic county of Cumberland. It is located on the A596 road north of Workington, and is the southernmost town on the Solway Firth. Maryport railway station is on the Cumbrian Coast Line. The town is in...
. It has a population of 24,295.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, the area around Workington has long been a producer of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and high-grade iron ore.
Workington is the seat of Allerdale Borough Council, which is one of three borough councils
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
in Cumbria. Tony Cunningham
Tony Cunningham
Thomas Anthony 'Tony' Cunningham is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Workington since 2001...
is the local MP for the constituency of the same name
Workington (UK Parliament constituency)
Workington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
that includes other towns in the hinterland of Workington.
History
HistoricallyHistoric counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, the area around Workington has long been a producer of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and high grade iron ore.
Between 79AD and 122AD, Roman forts
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
, mile-forts and watchtowers were established down the Cumbrian coast. They acted as coastal defences against attacks by the Scoti
Scoti
Scoti or Scotti was the generic name used by the Romans to describe those who sailed from Ireland to conduct raids on Roman Britain. It was thus synonymous with the modern term Gaels...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and by the Caledonii, the most powerful tribe in what we now call Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The 16th century book, Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
, written by William Camden
William Camden
William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
describes ruins of the coastal defences at Workington.'
A Viking sword
Viking sword
The Viking sword is a form of spatha, evolving out of the Migration Period sword in the 8th century, and evolving into the classical knightly sword in the 11th century with the emergence of larger crossguards...
was discovered at Northside, which is believed to indicate that there was a settlement on the river mouth.
Geography
Workington lies astride the River DerwentRiver Derwent
River Derwent is the name of several rivers in England:*River Derwent, Derbyshire*River Derwent, North East England on the border between County Durham and Northumberland*River Derwent, Cumbria in the Lake District*River Derwent, Yorkshire in Yorkshire...
, on the West Cumbrian coastal plain. It is bounded to the west by 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...
, part of the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
, and by the 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...
fells to the east.
Workington comprises various districts, many of which were established as housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
s. North of the river these districts include Seaton
Seaton, Cumbria
Seaton is a civil parish and one of the largest villages in England, housing 4,861 people. Historically a part of Cumberland, it is situated next to the town of Workington and the village of Camerton along the River Derwent and dates back at least to Medieval times. It forms part of the Borough...
, Barepot
Barepot
Barepot is a village in Cumbria, England. As Workington and Seaton grew, Barepot and also Seaton became districts of Workington. Barepot has about 70 houses and is situated on the River Derwent. There are no transport links Barepot is a village in Cumbria, England. As Workington and Seaton grew,...
, Northside, Port and Oldside. On the south side are the districts of Stainburn, Derwent Howe, Ashfield, Banklands, Frostoms (Annie Pit), Mossbay, Moorclose, Salterbeck
Salterbeck
Salterbeck is a council housing estate on the South side of Workington, built during the 1930s on farmland for steelworkers and their families relocating to the area. 70% is now owned by Impact Housing Association and 30% privately owned...
, Bridgefoot, Lillyhall, Harrington
Harrington, Cumbria
Harrington is on the Cumbrian coast south of Workington and north of Whitehaven. Its industrial history, which largely ended in the late 1930s, included an iron works, coal mining, and steel making. It once had five railway stations...
, High Harrington, Clay Flatts, Kerry Park, Westfield and Great Clifton
Great Clifton
Great Clifton is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in the English county of Cumbria. In the 2001 census, it has a population of 1,101....
. The Marsh and Quay, a large working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
area of the town around the docks and a major part of the town's history, was demolished in the early 1980s. Much of the former area of the Marsh is now covered by Clay Flatts Industrial Estate
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
.
Iron and steel
The Cumbria iron ore field lies to the south of Workington, and produced extremely high grade phosphorusPhosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
-free haematite. The area had a long tradition of iron smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
, but this became particularly important with the invention by Sir Henry Bessemer of the Bessemer process
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly...
, the first process for mass production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
of steel, which previously had been an expensive specialist product. For the first 25 years of the process, until Gilchrist and Thomas improved it, it required phosphorus-free haematite. With Cumbria as the world's premier source of this, and the local coalfield also available for steel production, the world's first large-scale steelworks was opened in the Moss Bay area of the town. The Bessemer converter continued to work until 1977, the world's first and last commercially operated Bessemer converter. The Moss Bay Steelworks were themselves closed in 1982, despite having received significant infrastructural investment and improvement almost immediately prior to the closure.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a strategically important electric steel furnace which produced steel for aircraft engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
ball bearing
Ball bearing
A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this by using at least two races to contain the balls and transmit...
s was relocated to Workington from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to prevent it falling into Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
hands.
Workington was the home of Distington Engineering Company (DEC)
Distington
Distington is a large village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, south of Workington and north-northeast of Whitehaven.Historically a part of Cumberland, the civil parish includes the nearby settlements of Common End, Gilgarran and Pica...
, the engineering arm of British Steel Corporation (BSC), which specialised in the design of continuous casting
Continuous casting
Continuous casting, also called strand casting, is the process whereby molten metal is solidified into a "semifinished" billet, bloom, or slab for subsequent rolling in the finishing mills. Prior to the introduction of continuous casting in the 1950s, steel was poured into stationary molds to form...
equipment. DEC, known to the local people as "Chapel Bank", had an engineering design office, engineering workshops and a foundry that at one time contained six of the seven electric arc
Electric arc
An electric arc is an electrical breakdown of a gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air. A synonym is arc discharge. An arc discharge is characterized by a lower voltage than a glow discharge, and relies on...
furnaces built in Workington. The seventh was situated at the Moss Bay plant of BSC. In the 1970s, as BSC adapted to a more streamlined approach to the metals industry, the engineering design company was separated from the workshops and foundry and re-designated as Distington Engineering Contracting. Employing some 200 people, its primary purpose was the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of continuous casting machines.
One offshoot of the steel industry was the production of steel railway rails. Workington rails were widely exported and a common local phrase was that Workington rails 'held the world together'. Originally made from Bessemer steel, following the closure of the Moss Bay Steelworks (ending actual steel production in Workington) steel for the plant was brought by rail from Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
. The plant was closed in August 2006, the end of Workington's long and proud association with the steelworks. However welding work on rails produced at Corus
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
' French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
plant in Hayange
Hayange
Hayange is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.Outlying villages include Marspich and Saint-Nicolas-en-Forêt, Konacker and Ranguevaux.-Economy:...
continued at Workington for another two years, as the Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
site initially proved incapable of producing rails adequately.
After coal and steel
After the loss of the two industries on which Workington was built, coal and steel, Workington and the whole of West Cumbria are something of an unemployment blackspot. Industries in the town today include chemicals, cardboard, the docks (originally built by the United Steel Co, they have for some time faced an uncertain future), waste managementWaste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
and a relatively novel industry, recycling old computers
Computer recycling
Computer recycling or electronic recycling is the recycling or reuse of computers or other electronics. It includes both finding another use for materials , and having systems dismantled in a manner that allows for the safe extraction of the constituent materials for reuse in other...
for export, mainly to poorer countries. The town also houses the British Cattle Movement Service
British Cattle Movement Service
The British Cattle Movement Service is the organisation responsible for maintaining a database of all bovine animals in the United Kingdom...
, a government agency set up to oversee the U.K. beef and dairy industry
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
following the BSE crisis in Britain. It is located in former steelworks offices. Many Workington residents are employed outside the town in the nuclear industry located in and around Sellafield
Sellafield
Sellafield is a nuclear reprocessing site, close to the village of Seascale on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England. The site is served by Sellafield railway station. Sellafield is an off-shoot from the original nuclear reactor site at Windscale which is currently undergoing...
, West Cumbria's dominant employment sector. None of the nuclear industry is located in Workington itself: much of it is based around Whitehaven.
Vehicles
Workington formerly manufactured 'Railbus' and 'Sprinter'Sprinter (train)
The Sprinter is a family of diesel multiple unit trains in use on the UK railway system. They were built in the 1980s and early 1990s by BREL, Metro Cammell and Leyland. Most are based around a Cummins engine with Voith hydraulic transmission, although some class 158s have a Perkins engine...
type commuter trains and Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
buses. The Leyland National was based on an Italian design, which included an air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
unit mounted in a pod on top of the roof of the bus at the rear. Adapting the design for Britain, Leyland replaced the air conditioning unit with a heating unit. However, as hot air rises, much of the heat generated by the heaters was wasted as it escaped out of the top (most vehicle heaters are located low down in the vehicle). This design flaw in the National bus became infamous in the trade.
The 'Railbus' trains were based on the National bus design, designed as a cheap stopgap by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. This initiative led to Workington's brief history of train manufacturing, the buses already being built there. The trains are generally considered to be badly designed, and are very uncomfortable to ride, especially on less-than-perfectly-smooth rail lines: the carriages tend to jump about much more than most trains, as they are not equipped with proper train bogies, but have two single axles per carriage (each train consists of two carriages), a cost-cutting design feature which has also caused problems with tight-radius corners on some lines. Some industry experts have also questioned their safety compared to other commuter train types, such as the Sprinter.
The former bus plant, located in Lillyhall, is now a depot for the Eddie Stobart road haulage company.
Transport
Workington is linked by the A596 roadA596 road
The A596 is a primary route in Cumbria, in northern England, that runs between Thursby and Workington. For its entirety the A596 parallels the A595, and meets the A595 at both ends. The A596 begins its course at a roundabout junction with the A595 at Thursby, before continuing past the towns of...
to Maryport
Maryport
Maryport is a town and civil parish within the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, in the historic county of Cumberland. It is located on the A596 road north of Workington, and is the southernmost town on the Solway Firth. Maryport railway station is on the Cumbrian Coast Line. The town is in...
and (via the A595 road
A595 road
The A595 is a primary route in Cumbria, in northern England that starts in Carlisle, passes through Whitehaven, and goes close to Workington, Cockermouth and Wigton. It passes Sellafield and Ravenglass before ending at the Dalton-in-Furness by-pass, in southern Cumbria, where it joins the A590...
) to Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
, and by the A66 road
A66 road
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria...
to Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
, 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...
, Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
and County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. The town has bus connections to other towns and villages in West Cumbria, Penrith, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
.
The Cumbrian Coast Line
Cumbrian Coast Line
The Cumbrian Coast Line is a rail route in North West England, running from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Workington and Whitehaven. The line forms part of Network Rail route NW 4033, which continues via Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands to Carnforth, where it connects with the West Coast Main...
provides rail connections
Workington railway station
Workington railway station serves the town of Workington in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line south west of Carlisle. Some through trains to the Furness Line and to Sunderland stop here. It is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train...
to Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, with occasional through trains to Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
and Preston. A temporary railway station at Workington North
Workington North railway station
Workington North railway station was a temporary railway station in Cumbria, United Kingdom, constructed following floods which cut all road access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent...
opened on November 30, 2009 as a means of crossing the river following the closure of road bridges.
The nearest airports are Newcastle
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....
, Manchester and Glasgow
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
, which can be reached by road and rail.
The Coast to Coast Walk
Coast to Coast Walk
The Coast to Coast Walk is a 192-mile unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England...
begins in West Cumbria, on the shores of the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
at St Bees
St Bees
St Bees is a village and civil parish in the Copeland district of Cumbria, in the North of England, about five miles west southwest of Whitehaven. The parish had a population of 1,717 according to the 2001 census. Within the parish is St...
, near Whitehaven and Workington. The route then crosses the coastal plain
Coastal plain
A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...
, the 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...
, the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
and the North York Moors
North York Moors
The North York Moors is a national park in North Yorkshire, England. The moors are one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of , and it has a population of about 25,000...
, and ends on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast at Robin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood’s Bay is a small fishing village and a bay located five miles south of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire, England. Bay Town, its local name, is in the ancient chapelry of Fylingdales in the wapentake of Whitby Strand.-Toponymy:The origin of the name...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. But some walkers instead start from the east coast, preferring to have the 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...
as the climax of their walk. The cycling alternative, the Sea to Sea Cycle Route
Sea to Sea Cycle Route
The Coast to Coast or Sea to Sea Cycle Route is Great Britain's most popular long-distance cycle route and is based on minor roads, disused railway lines, off-road tracks and specially constructed cycle paths...
, may also begin in the surf at Workington's sea shore. The Reiver's Route passes through the town. West Cumbria is an interesting diversion from the Cumbria Cycle Way.
Cultural festivals
On 19 September 2009, Valentine Rock took place; a 19 band charity music festival. It is staged at the Ernest Valentine Ground home of Workington Cricket Club. Artists include: The Chairmen, Novellos, With Lights Out, Volcanoes, Breed, Colt 45, Relics, Telf, Thir13een, Slagbank, Hangin' Threads and Hand of Fate. Profits went to the RNLIRoyal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....
and West Cumberland Lions
Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
.
In 2008, The Paint Your Town Red Festival invited Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
comic and actor Ricky Tomlinson
Ricky Tomlinson
Eric Tomlinson , known by his stage name Ricky Tomlinson, is an English actor and comedian, best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in Brookside, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and James "Jim" Royle in The Royle Family....
. Described as 'The biggest free festival in Workington’s history', it welcomes everyone adopting red as their colour for the day. Town centre shops are open to extended hours. The 2008 festival included a free children’s fun fair in Vulcan Park and stage and street entertainnment. Soul legend, Jimmy James and his Soul Explosion performed. Keswick’s 'Cars of the Stars' Museum, provided a cavalcade mini cars with a stunt driving display. Appearances included Herbie the Beetle, the Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
De Lorean and Kit from Knightrider of the 1980. Dearham Band and the all-girl band Irresistible also appeared.
Theatre
Workington is home to three theatres. The Carnegie TheatreCarnegie Theatre
The Carnegie Theatre, or The Carnegie, is a theatre located in Workington, Cumbria, England. Originally built as lecture theatre with seating for around 330....
, Theatre Royal and the Workington Opera House
Workington Opera House
The Workington Opera House, or The Opera as it was known, is a purpose built theatre located in Workington, Cumbria, England. Originally built as the Queen’s Jubilee Hall & Opera House it was gutted by fire in 1927 and rebuilt with a fine wide auditorium, and Ornamental ceiling with seating for 1200...
. In the past Workington was a big town for variety acts and theatre and hosted many top acts including Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
and Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
. Workington Opera House
Workington Opera House
The Workington Opera House, or The Opera as it was known, is a purpose built theatre located in Workington, Cumbria, England. Originally built as the Queen’s Jubilee Hall & Opera House it was gutted by fire in 1927 and rebuilt with a fine wide auditorium, and Ornamental ceiling with seating for 1200...
has also hosted many circus shows which included elephants and other circus animals performing on stage.
The Carnegie Theatre
Carnegie Theatre
The Carnegie Theatre, or The Carnegie, is a theatre located in Workington, Cumbria, England. Originally built as lecture theatre with seating for around 330....
and Theatre Royal are still open and put on performances all year round. The Workington Opera House
Workington Opera House
The Workington Opera House, or The Opera as it was known, is a purpose built theatre located in Workington, Cumbria, England. Originally built as the Queen’s Jubilee Hall & Opera House it was gutted by fire in 1927 and rebuilt with a fine wide auditorium, and Ornamental ceiling with seating for 1200...
is currently closed after its last use as a bingo hall. The "Opera Action" group plan to restore the Workington Opera House into a working theatre to revitalise the economy of Workington and provide top quality entertainment for the people of West Cumbria.
Cinema
The town used to have as many as three cinemas all of which have now closed and have been replaced with the Plaza Cinema at Dunmail Park.Uppies and Downies
Workington is home to the ball gameBall game
In American English, ball game refers specifically to either a game of basketball, baseball or American football. In British English ball game refers to any sport played with a ball....
known as Uppies and Downies
Uppies and Downies
Workington in West Cumbria is home to a tradition known as "Uppies and Downies", a traditional version of football, dating to Medieval times and with roots in Celtic games, although the modern incarnation of Uppies and Downies was rejuvenated some time in the latter half of the 19th century...
, a traditional version of football
Football
Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
, with its origins in Medieval football, Mob football
Mob football
Mob football is the name given to some varieties of Medieval football, which emerged in Europe during the Middle Ages.Mob football distinguished itself from other codes by typically having an unlimited number of players and very few rules. By some accounts, any means could be used to move the ball...
or an even earlier form. Since 2001, the matches have raised over £75,000 for local charities. An Uppies and Downies ball is made from four pieces of cow leather. It is 21 inches (53 cm) in circumference and weighs about two and a half pounds (1.1 kg). Only three hand-made balls are produced every year and each is dated. Some players from outside Workington take part, especially fellow West Cumbrians from Whitehaven and Maryport. As with much of the town's sporting history, some of the best and most accurate records are to be found in the local newspapers, The Evening Star and The West Cumberland Times and Star.
Football
Workington Association Football Club'sWorkington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C. is an English football club from Workington, Cumbria. They are in the Conference North, and play their home matches at Borough Park, which has a capacity of 3,101 . The club play in red, and are known locally as the Reds...
home ground is Borough Park, situated on the Low Cloffolk on the south bank of the River Derwent. Formally a professional football team
Football team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
it now competes as non-League club
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
. Popularly known as the 'Reds', they currently play in the Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
. First formed in 1888 by Dronnies, the nickname used by locals for the Dronfield
Dronfield
Dronfield is a town in North East Derbyshire in the North Midlands region of England. It comprises the three communities of Dronfield, Dronfield Woodhouse and Coal Aston. It is sited in the valley of the small River Drone, and lies between the town of Chesterfield and the city of Sheffield. The...
steelworkers and their families, who moved to Workington from 1882. It is estimated that about 1500 people made the move. The Dronnies brought the newly established rules of football with them. These rules for Association Football were established by the world's first soccer club, Sheffield Football Club. Dronnies formed the nucleus of the original Workington FC in 1988.
Rugby League
The local professional rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team are former Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
winners Workington Town
Workington Town
Workington Town is a professional rugby league club playing in Workington in West Cumbria. They play in the Championship 1. Their stadium is called Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team....
. They play in the Championship 1. Their stadium is called Derwent Park
Derwent Park
Derwent Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Workington, England situated beside the Cumbrian River Derwent. It is used mostly for rugby league matches and is the home stadium of Workington Town who play in Championship 1, the third tier domestic competition in the United Kingdom...
.
Their nickname is simply 'Town', though they are sometimes referred to as 'Worky' by fans of other teams.
Their local rivals are Whitehaven
Whitehaven RLFC
Whitehaven RLFC is a rugby league club playing in Whitehaven in West Cumbria. They play in Co-operative Championship. Their stadium is called the Recreation Ground...
, who joined the league three years after Workington Town.
Workington Town RLFC was formed at a meeting held in the Royal Oak Hotel, Workington in December 1944. Many of Workington Town's board came from local soccer team Workington AFC's board and the team would ground share with "the Reds" at Borough Park
Borough Park (Workington)
Borough Park is a stadium in Workington, England. It is home to Workington A.F.C., once members of the Football League, they now play in Conference North, Capacity is 2,500, with around 300 seats. The stadium opened in 1937.- References :...
. They were the first side from Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
to enter the professional league.
They first played their home games, wearing green and red hoops, at Borough Park. The first match against Broughton Rangers
Broughton Rangers
Broughton Rangers was a British rugby football, and subsequently a rugby league club. It was based in Broughton, Salford.-History:Broughton Rangers was founded in 1877 as Broughton and added Rangers for its second season...
on Saturday 25 August 1945 attracted a crowd of 4,100 to Borough Park. Workington went on to win 27-5.
There was a club record 20,403 spectators for the third round Challenge Cup game against St Helens. Town won the Championship final in 1951 by beating Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
at Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. In the 1952 final of the Challenge Cup, the first to be televised, Town beat Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century...
18-10 in front of a crowd of 72,093 at Wembley Stadium. During the 1954-55 season, Workington Town made it to the Challenge Cup final again but were beaten 21-12 by Barrow
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
.
Town moved to Derwent Park in 1956. Workington Town lost in the in 1958 Challenge Cup final to Wigan and one week later, they lost in the Championship final at Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium is a stadium situated in Odsal, Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. The venue is used for rugby league and has been the home ground of Bradford Bulls/Bradford Northern since 1934...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
.
Bowling
There are two bowling greens in the town, one in Vulcan Park and another on High Cloffolk, south of the River Derwent. Teams and individuals from both greens compete in local, regional and national competitions.Golf
Workington's first golf club was formed in 1893 and played north of the River Derwent near Siddick. Known as West Cumberland Golf Club, it used this nine hole course until the First World War when it closed. After the war the club reformed as Workington Golf Club and moved to the present Hunday location. Five-times Open Champion and renowned course architect James BraidJames Braid (golfer)
James Braid was a Scottish professional golfer and a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport alongside Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He won The Open Championship five times...
was consulted on the layout. Considered 'one of the premier courses in Cumbria' it has been influenced by FG Hawtree during the 1950s and by Howard Swan today. Annual club championships are staged.
Speedway
Workington CometsWorkington Comets
Workington Comets is a speedway club based in Workington, Cumbria. Their track is at Derwent Park Stadium, which they share with Workington Town Rugby League Football Club.They compete in the Premier League...
are the town's professional speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
team, which competes in the British Speedway Premier League.
Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
racing was staged at Lonsdale Park, which was next to Borough Park, on the banks of the River Derwent
River Derwent, Cumbria
The Derwent is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria in the north of England. The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees"....
. The sport did not return to the town until 1970, when it was introduced to Derwent Park by local entrepreneur Paul Sharp and Ian Thomas who is the present team manager (2009). In 1987, Derwent Park was a temporary home to the Glasgow Tigers
Glasgow Tigers (speedway)
The Glasgow Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1928, the club adopted the Tigers nickname in 1946 and compete in the British Premier League...
who briefly became the Workington Tigers prior to their withdrawal from the league. Speedway returned to Workington and the team has operated with varying degrees of success, but in 2008, they won the Young Shield and the Premier League Four-Team and Pairs Championships. An Academy team under the banner of Northside Stars, develops young riders who show potential at the Northside training track and may make future first teams.
Cricket
Workington Cricket Club's home is the Ernest Valentine Ground, on the High Cloffock near the River Derwent and the town centre. It is a thriving club with 3 senior teams and a growing junior section putting out 6 teams. It is affiliated to Cumbria Cricket League, Cumbria Cricket Board, Cumbria Junior Cricket League and the West Allerdale & Copeland Cricket Association. Coaches lead Cumbria Cricket Board Open Courses at the town's Stainburn School, which are open to Years 4/5/6, 7&8 and 9&10 students.Workington Cricket Club will also stage Valentine Rock, a 19 band charity music festival at the ground on 19 September. With all profits going to the RNLI and West Cumberland Lions, it is a further expression of the progressive nature of one of the oldest sporting clubs in the town.
Angling
Workington and District Sea Angling Club takes part in regular monthly matches . It meets every month in the Union Jack Club, Senhouse Street, Workington. It also arranges tuition for its anglers. Freshwater anglers are active on local rivers, especially the River Derwent.Athletics
Workington offers opportunities for track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
, road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, fell running
Fell running
Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty...
and orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
. All of its schools and clubs are affiliated to the Cumbria Athletics Association, except orienteering which is organised through its own national federation. Athletes tend to join clubs which concentrate on their particular discipline. Cumberland Fell Runners; Cumberland Athletics Club; Derwent and West Cumberland AC; Seaton Athletics Club; Workington Zebras AC and West Cumberland Orienteering Club are the most popular at present.
Primary schools have a well organised inter-school programme. Secondary schools focus especially on the Allerdale District School's Championships, which lead on to the Cumbria Schools Championships. The results of Cumbria's championships guide selection of the county teams to compete in the English Schools Athletic Association Championships. Over the years, Workington athletes have earned English Schools Championship honours.
Motorbike road riding
There is a Cumbria Coalition of MotorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
Clubs. The West Cumbrian motorcycle club
Motorcycle club
A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles.In the U.S. the abbreviation, MC or MCC, can have a special social meaning from the point of view of the outlaw subcultures, and is usually reserved by them for those clubs that are mutually...
, The Roadburners. was established 20 years ago and regularly attends local and national motorbike rallies, and charity road runs. It welcomes new members interested in multi cylinder machines. The National Chopper Club also has local members.
Notable people
- Freddie Cairns (1863-?) - The self-styled Duke of Workington. A good-natured rag and bone manRag and bone manRag and bone man is a British phrase for a junk dealer. Historically the phrase referred to an individual who would travel the streets of a city with a horsedrawn cart, and would collect old rags for making fabric and paper, bones for making glue, scrap iron for recycling, and assorted miscellany...
and 'constructor of paper jumping jacks and windmills', which he sold on the streets from a basket hung around his neck. Freddie featured on Victorian black and white postcards as a significant Workington character. An endearing story of his wedding day adventures made the newspaper in 1895, indicating the level of local affection for the 'Duke'. - Dale Campbell-Savours, Baron Campbell-SavoursDale Campbell-Savours, Baron Campbell-SavoursDale Norman Campbell-Savours, Baron Campbell-Savours is a British Labour Party politician. A Member of Parliament from 1979 to 2001, he now sits in the House of Lords....
(1943-) - LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Workington from 1979 to 2001. - Thomas CapeThomas CapeThomas Cape was the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Workington from 1918 to 1945.Before entering the House of Commons, Thomas Cape, son of William Cape, worked as a miner for twenty-five years. He became General Secretary of the Cumberland Miners Association, and was awarded the M.B.E. in...
M.B.E (1868–1947) - Labour politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for Workington from 1918 to 1945. - Mark CuetoMark CuetoMark John "Frank" Cueto is an English international rugby union player. He plays on the wing for Sale Sharks and England.-Biography:...
- English internationalEngland national rugby union teamThe England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player. - Scott DobieScott DobieRobert Scott Dobie is a professional footballer. He is a centre-forward.Although born in England, Dobie has played for Scotland at international level. He has previously played for Carlisle United, Clydebank, West Bromwich Albion, Millwall, Nottingham Forest, St...
- Carlisle United and Scotland internationalScotland national football teamThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
footballer - Troy DonockleyTroy DonockleyTroy Donockley is an English composer and multi-instrumentalist most known for his playing of uillean pipes.- Early life and career :...
- Renowned Workington born player of uillean pipesUilleann pipesThe uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
. - Sir Joseph Brian Donnelly (UK diplomat)Brian Donnelly (UK diplomat)Sir Joseph Brian Donnelly KCMG, KBE, CMG is a retired United Kingdom diplomat.He attended The Queen's College, Oxford from 1963–66, then received his Master's Degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Afterwards, he began an M.Phil at LSE, but left in 1970...
KCMG, KBE, CMG - Son of Workington steelworker, educated at Workington Grammar School and Oxford University. - James Duffield (1835–1914) and Josiah Purser (1848–1928) - Responsible for moving the entire Dronfield steelworks (opened in 1873) to Workington in 1882. Both later served as Aldermen on Workington Borough Council.
- Kathleen FerrierKathleen FerrierKathleen Mary Ferrier CBE was an English contralto who achieved an international reputation as a stage, concert and recording artist, with a repertoire extending from folksong and popular ballads to the classical works of Bach, Brahms, Mahler and Elgar...
CBECBECBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(1912–1953) - Won the prestigious Gold Cup at the 1938 Workington Musical Festival. - Ethel Fisher MBEMBEMBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
Writer and poet, particularly of humorous verse in Cumbrian dialect. - Colonel Darren Greene (1860–1941)
- Harold Goodall and Herbert Stubbs - World War 2 railwaymen notable for risking their lives to stop a burning ammunition wagon destroying a 57 vehicle train.
- Fred Peart, Baron PeartFred Peart, Baron PeartThomas Frederick "Fred" Peart, Baron Peart, PC was a British Labour politician who served in the Labour governments of the 1960s and 1970s and was a candidate for Deputy Leader of the Party....
Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Workington from 1945 to 1976. Fred was made a life peerLife peerIn the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
in 1976, and served as Leader of the House of LordsLeader of the House of LordsThe Leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The role is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, usually one of the sinecure offices of Lord President of the Council,...
and Lord Privy SealLord Privy SealThe Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
. - Gordon PrestonGordon PrestonGordon Bamford Preston is an English mathematician who is known for his work on semigroups. He received his D.Phil. in mathematics in 1954 from the University of Oxford.He was born in Workington and brought up in Carlisle...
(1925-) - Mathematician - Bishop Desmond Sibbald
- James Alexander SmithJames Alexander SmithJames Alexander Smith VC was born in Workington, Cumberland and was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
VCVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(1881–1968) - Workington born soldier of the 3rd Battalion, Border RegimentBorder RegimentThe Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th Regiment of Foot and the 55th Regiment of Foot....
during World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. - Joseph 'Joey' Thompson - English Senior Amateur BilliardsBilliardsCue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
Champion 1936, 1947 and 1948. - Workington Steelworkers of 1878 - Gold medalGold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
winners at the Exposition Universelle (1878)Exposition Universelle (1878)The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May through to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.-Construction:...
or ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
World's Fair. The exhibits for Haematite pig ironPig ironPig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
, 'Bessemer' steel ingots (produced by the Bessemer process), castings, railway tracks and plates all won gold medals. This success led to international recognition and a significant increase in exportExportThe term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
orders. - Paul DalePaul DalePaul Dale was announced in July 2010 as the first CTO to be appointed to the management board at ITV plc, biggest commercial television network in the UK. Dale regards his family home to be Rowrah...
(1970-) , the first CTO to be appointed to the management board at ITV plcITV plcITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
, biggest commercial television network in the UK.
Town centre redevelopment
In 2006, Washington Square, the new £50 million town shopping centreShopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
was opened. It replaced the run down St John's Arcade, built in the 1960s and '70s with a modern 275000 sq ft (25,548.3 m²) retail-led
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
mixed use complex. In 2007, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors named Washington Square as the 'best commercial project' in the north west of England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. Their award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
acknowledged that "The Washington Square development has radically transformed Workington town centre. The development
Redevelopment
Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses.-Description:Variations on redevelopment include:* Urban infill on vacant parcels that have no existing activity but were previously developed, especially on Brownfield land, such as the redevelopment of an industrial site...
is a massive improvement on the 1960's town centre. The transformation is impressive and the development has succeeded in one of its main objectives in making Workington a major shopping destination within the region, attracting a number of major high street retailers to the town. In short it has changed the face of Workington."
The square's designers Harrison's also won the Business Insider's Project of The Year (Retail/Leisure) award, because 'the Workington scheme has been transformational and Harrison deserves great credit for its bravery.' The judges felt that 'the challenge that was overcome in Workington was altogether greater than the other projects.'
Among the centre's main attractions are a new Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, Next, River Island
River Island
River Island is one of Britain's best known high street fashion brands and can be found in most cities across the UK. The brand also has stores in Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.-History:...
, HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
and Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
.
Public art
New pieces of public artPublic art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
have been installed in the town centre:
- The Glass Canopies by Alexander Beleschenko
- The Coastline by Simon Hitchens http://www.simonhitchens.com/sculpture7.php
- The Hub by BASE Structures and Illustrious
- The Grilles of the Central Car Park by Tom Lomax, St Patrick's Primary School and Alan Dawson.
- Central Way Public Toilets by Paul Scott and Robert Drake.
- The Lookout Clock by Andy Plant.
There are still a lot of empty shops in the new town centre. The council have been criticized for not doing more to help small local businesses out, they seem more inclined to get the big named chains into the town at the expense of losing the local businesses who have been in the town for years, many fear that with the loss of the small local businesses, that the town will become a clone town
Clone town
Clone town is a global term for a town where the High Street or other major shopping areas are significantly dominated by Chain stores. The term was coined by the New Economics Foundation , a British think tank, in their 2004 report on "Clone Town Britain".A survey conducted by NEF in 2005...
center of other shopping areas all over the country.
While successful efforts have been made to find appropriate local names for the major streets of the new shopping centre, the initial 'planning' title of Washington Square has been retained. The concern is over the use of the word Washington, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning the settlement of the people of 'Wash' for the new square in Workington, which means settlement of the people of 'Weorc'. A renaming or rebranding
Rebranding
Rebranding is the creation of a new name, term, symbol, design, or a combination of them for an established brand with the intention of developing a differentiated position in the mind of stakeholders and competitors....
of the new development may be necessary.
The Cloffocks
Early criticism of the town centre regeneration scheme, focused on the demands for a large supermarket in or near the town centre. Planning permission for the erection of a TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
Extra store on the Cloffocks has been passed by Allerdale Borough Council.
As the Cloffocks (or Cloffolks) are considered to be common recreational land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
and the venue for the annual Uppies and Downies games, the decision has met with very mixed responses from the community. ...and centuries old Uppies and Downies.'
Save Our Cloffocks campaigners have made a fourth attempt to register the area as a town green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
. The application is being assessed by the county council’s legal department, which might seek the advice of a planning inspector. Three previous applications have been rejected but since then the government’s Commons Act (2006) has become law.
The local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
reported that Uppies and Downies veterans believe that if the ancient rights
Rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
of the people of Workington are threatened:
While a Tesco spokesman said:
Locals use the words of their celebrated poet, Ethel Fisher MBE, when emphasising the staying power of this tradition:
Some locals have suggested Uppies and Downies moves to the northern bank of the River Derwent, Curwen Park and Mill field, but Workington Regeneration plans may threaten such a move.
Curwen Park
The planningUrban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
approval for the new Tesco Extra store has raised fresh fears among locals that more green spaces set aside for recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
are under threat.
Workington Regeneration
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
and Cumbria County Council, have plans to build a road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
through Workington’s historic Curwen Park to ease traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
through the town centre. As with similar plans in the 1980s and 1990s, non-violent direct action
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
was promised by those opposed to the Council plans. Workington MP Tony Cunningham vowed,
If built, the road would be an extension of the A596, connect with the proposed southern link bypass of Harrington and Salterbeck. Just like the Council's 'preferred route' in the 1980s and 1990s, the road would run under the escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
which overlooks the park, linking the roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
s at Stainburn School and Calva Brow and split Curwen Park from Millfield.
A much shorter and less controversial route is possible, which would form a loop between Workington Hall and the Ramsey Brow magistrates' court
Magistrates' Court
A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
building. Mr Cunningham said he would not rule out the shorter route. The southern, shorter route may necessitate the demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
of the Henry Curwen public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and the magistrates' court, thus allowing for the remodelling of Curwen Square area.
One of the aims of Workington Regeneration is to connect the new commercial heart with the old town around Portland Square and the Cumbria County Council consultants’ report said:
Burrow Walls
Concern has been raised that the local council has paid no attention to Burrow Walls, the site of at least one Roman fort and a Norman hall. The first Norman Lords of the manor of Workington lived at Burrow Walls, before moving to the present site south of the river in the 13th century. Archaeologist Professor 'Indiana' Jones, was reported as very angry at the neglect of the site even though it is less than 3 kilometres from Allerdale Borough Council headquarters:The occupation of the site is believed to have begun some time after King William II (Rufus) moved north and the lands were given to Ketel. An early 12th century manuscript records how:
Professor Jones' words echo the thoughts of many locals, who believe that West Cumbria can benefit socially and economically from learning more about Burrow Walls:
Causes and effects of flooding
The River Derwent is one of Cumbria's largest rivers and collects water from many smaller rivers.The Derwent rises in the heart of the 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...
, at , Sprinkling Tarn below Great End and runs into Styhead Tarn
Styhead Tarn
Styhead Tarn is a tarn in the English Lake District, near the top of the Sty Head pass, at the head of Borrowdale. It is on the route from Wasdale to Borrowdale, and is therefore a well visited point in the Lake District. It is also passed by walkers ascending Scafell Pike from Borrowdale via the...
beneath Scafell Pike
Scafell Pike
Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England at . It is located in Lake District National Park sometimes confused with the neighbouring Sca Fell, to which it is connected by the col of Mickledore...
, and flows through the valley of Borrowdale
Borrowdale
Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England.Borrowdale lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland, and is sometimes referred to as Cumberland Borrowdale in order to distinguish it from another Borrowdale in the...
before continuing through Derwentwater, giving the lake its name. The Derwent then continues into 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 ....
, picking up the waters of the River Greta just outside Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
. The River Cocker joins the Derwent at Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
. The River Marron joins the Derwent near Bridgefoot, Clifton. The waters all flow into the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
at Workington.
During the twenty-four hours before Friday 20 November 2009, rainfall of over 300 mm was recorded in Cumbria. Flooding along the Borrowdale and Derwent Valley meant that some areas were up to 8 feet (2.44 m) deep in water.
The surge of water off the fells of the Lake District which flowed into Workington down the River Derwent
River Derwent, Cumbria
The Derwent is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria in the north of England. The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees"....
washed away a road bridge and a footbridge . PC Bill Barker was killed when Northside Bridge collapsed.
The community of Barepot on the north side of the Derwent was badly affected.
Most of the damage on the south side of the river affected buildings and property on the Cloffocks. For many centuries, the Cloffocks have been utilised by the townspeople for recreation and they form part of the natural flood plain for the River Derwent during heavy rainfall.
In recent years, civic landscaping and new buildings have significantly altered the character of the Cloffocks and this may have affected its role as part of the town's flood protection system.
The cemetery at Camerton
Camerton, Cumbria
Camerton is a small village and civil parish dating back at least to Medieval times situated about north-east of Seaton in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria. The village is linked by road to Seaton, Great Broughton and Flimby, and there was a small footbridge over the river to Great Clifton...
, historically the burial ground for the community of Seaton, was badly damaged with many gravestones being damaged or upturned.
Workington or Calva Bridge
The oldest bridge in Workington was built in 1840 to replace an earlier bridge. Historically it was called Workington Bridge, as it was the main road bridge into the town until the late 1800s. It is also known as Calva Bridge, because it is at the bottom of Calva Brow which goes up to Seaton. The water backing up at this bridge overflowed into Mill Field and Curwen Park. The central arch was left unsound and ready to collapse: officially, "in a process of failure." As a Grade II listed structure, the bridge was analysed by structural experts after the floods, with the aim of being able to repair and reopen the bridge. Calva Bridge reopened to pedestrians on 11 February 2011, Now the bridge is open to vehicles.Navvies Bridge
Workington Borough Council's decision to name the new bridge NavvyNavvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
Bridge was supported by the majority of the town as a tribute to the men who built the local railway system. By the 1960s Navvy Bridge had become Navvies. After Dr Beeching
Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
closed the line, its sandstone pillars carried a steel foot and cycle way connecting the Northside community with the heart of Workington's town centre. Navvy Bridge collapsed on 20 November 2009. Work on a redesigned replacement bridge began in May 2011, and the bridge was officially opened to the public 4 months later on September 10th.
New, Northside, Cloffocks or County Bridge
Commissioned and built in 1903-4 by Workington Borough Council as a major road from the Low Cloffocks to the north side of the river.New Bridge collapsed on the morning of 20 November 2009. PC Bill Barker was directing traffic away from the bridge when it fell into the river. The red sandstone bridge was officially named New Bridge, as it was constructed over 40 years after Workington or Calva bridge.
In 1903, the bridge was the subject of a Local Government Board Inquiry, which raised issues relating to its construction.
Work on a permanent replacement bridge began on 15th August 2011, and is expected to take around 50 weeks to complete.
Misers Bridge (AKA Camerton Bridge)
In a bizarre incident captured on video, a road bridge over a disused railway line in the village of CamertonCamerton, Cumbria
Camerton is a small village and civil parish dating back at least to Medieval times situated about north-east of Seaton in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria. The village is linked by road to Seaton, Great Broughton and Flimby, and there was a small footbridge over the river to Great Clifton...
was washed away. As the level of the river Derwent rose it flooded along the railway line with such force that it washed away the road bridge over the line. This bridge was the only vehicular access to the church yard of St Peter's Church in Camerton, customarily used as the burial ground for Seaton.
Since this bridge has been washed away, the gap has been filled and levelled up, and now has a new roadway/pathway along to the St Peter's church once more.
Dock or Harbour Bridge
Dock Bridge carries a single track railway linking the steelworks and the docks. It also carries a very narrow footbridge. It has two sections with one span over the South Gut from the South Quay to the Merchant's Quay and the other from Merchant's Quay over the River Derwent to the north side of the river. The end of Merchant's Quay, built of sandstone blocks, was swept away by the floods. The free-standing bridge, although severely damaged and closed, now spans the whole breadth of the river. The bridge has now been demolished.Barker Crossing
Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
from 3 Armoured Squadron and 170 Infrastructure Support Group, Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
installed a footbridge (200 m) upstream of Calva Bridge. The bridge from the Mill Field to the north of the river was scheduled to open on 5 December 2009. Seventeen pre-fabricated bridge sections were assembled and dropped into place on the newly established foundations. The 170 ft (52m) bridge across the River Derwent took a week to build. Schoolchildren were the first to use the new crossing, as heavy rain again fell across the county.
On 7 December 2009 Barker Crossing
Barker Crossing
Barker Crossing was a pedestrian footbridge in Workington, England which was named after police officer Bill Barker, who died when the Northside Bridge in Workington collapsed below him...
was opened. It is 170 feet (52 m) long, and is named after Bill Barker who was drowned when the flood washed the old bridge away.
Maj Nigel Hindmarsh, of the Royal Engineers, said the new bridge had been constructed to withstand a one in 100-year flood. Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Aman Khan is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Tooting since 2005, succeeding Tom Cox as the Labour MP for the seat...
, the Transport Minister, said: "The installation of this footbridge is a vital step in reuniting the local community and helping them to recover from the devastating flooding.”
Gillian Spokes, deputy headmistress of Victoria Junior School, spoke of her relief at the opening of Barker Crossing, saying: "It was taking some of our kids two hours to get home, in what was normally a five-minute car journey. We're hoping that the new bridge will restore everything back to normal." She also commended the efforts of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. "The Army have been brilliant in the last month. Jerry Lafferty (Squadron Sergeant Major of 3 Armoured Engineer Squadron) has taken the children down to the bridge site and told them how it will be strong enough for a tank to pass over, which obviously delighted them. He's also came in today to do a Q&A session at assembly. The new bridge has actually helped to build bridges in the community."
The crossing was taken down in February 2011, shortly after nearby Calva bridge was repaired and reopened to pedestrians.
Railway bridge
The railway bridge carries railway traffic north to Carlisle from Workington, Barrow and the south. It is sound and open; rail services are running.Shortly after the town was divided, Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
announced the construction of a new railway station, Workington North
Workington North railway station
Workington North railway station was a temporary railway station in Cumbria, United Kingdom, constructed following floods which cut all road access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent...
, to be completed within a week on land owned by the local council, to enable access across the river for residents.