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Kendal

Coordinates:54°19′34″N2°44′42″W/ 54.326°N 2.745°W/54.326; -2.745
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For other uses, seeKendal (disambiguation).

Kendal
Town
View of Kendal, with the clock tower of the Town Hall (centre)
Kendal is located in the former South Lakeland district
Kendal
Kendal
Location in the former South Lakeland district
Kendal is located in Cumbria
Kendal
Kendal
Location withinCumbria
Population29,593 (2021 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSD5192
•London223 miles (358.9 km)SSE
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKENDAL
Postcode districtLA9
Dialling code01539
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cumbria
54°19′34″N2°44′42″W/ 54.326°N 2.745°W/54.326; -2.745

Kendal,onceKirkby in KendalorKirkby Kendal,is amarket townandcivil parishin theWestmorland and Furnessdistrict ofCumbria,England. It lies within theRiver Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of theLake District National Park.

In theDomesday Bookof 1086, the area was collected underYorkshire.The area came under theHonour of Lancasterbefore the barony split. The town became theBarony of Kendal's seat, in 1226/7 this barony merged with theBarony of Westmorlandto form the historic county ofWestmorlandwithApplebyas the historiccounty town.[3]In 1889, it became the county town. Under the 1974 reforms, it became the administrative centre of theSouth Lakelanddistrict. The town became Westmorland and Furness district's administrative centre in a 2023 reform.

It is 8 miles (13 km) south-east ofWindermereand 19 miles (31 km) north ofLancaster.At the2011 census,the town had a population of 28,586,[4]making it the second largest town in Westmorland and Furness afterBarrow-in-Furness.As of the 2021 Census, its population was 29,593. It is renowned today mainly as a centre for shopping,[5]for its festivals[6]and historic sights, includingKendal Castle,and as the home ofKendal Mint Cake.The town's greylimestonebuildings have earned it the sobriquet "Auld Grey Town".[7]

Name

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Kendaltakes its name from the River Kent (the etymology of whose name is uncertain but thought to beCeltic) and theOld Norseworddalr( "valley" ). Kendal is listed in theDomesday Bookas part ofYorkshirewith the name Cherchebi (from Old Norsekirkju-bý,"church-village" ). For many centuries it was called Kirkby Kendal: "village with a church in the valley of the River Kent".[8][9]

History

[edit]

A charteredmarket town,the centre of Kendal has formed round a high street with alleyways, known locally as yards, off to either side. The main industry in those times was the manufacture ofwoollengoods, whose importance is reflected in the town'scoat of armsand in its Latin mottoPannus mihi panis(Cloth is my bread.) "Kendal Green" was a hard-wearing, wool-based fabric specific to the local manufacturing process. It was supposedly sported by the Kendalian archers instrumental in the English victory over the French at theBattle of Agincourt.Kendal Green was also worn by slaves in the Americas and appears in songs and literature from that time. Shakespeare notes it as the colour of clothing worn by foresters (Henry IV, Part 1).

Kendal Castlehas a long history as a stronghold, built on the site of several successive castles. The earliest was a Normanmotte and bailey(located on the west side of the town), when the settlement went under the name of Kirkbie Strickland.[citation needed]The most recent is from the late 12th century, as the castle of theBarony of Kendal,the part of Westmorland ruled from here. The castle is best known as the home of the Parr family, as heirs of these barons. They inherited it through marriage in the reign ofEdward III of England.Rumours still circulate that KingHenry VIII's sixth wifeCatherine Parrwas born at Kendal Castle, but the evidence available leaves this unlikely: by her time the castle was beyond repair and her father was already based in Blackfriars, London, at the court of KingHenry VIII.[10]

The site of the Roman fort at Watercrook across theRiver Kent

Roman fort

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Main article:Alavana

ARomanfort stood about 2 miles south of today's town centre, at a site later known as Watercrook.[11]It was built about AD 90, originally in timber, rebuilt with stone about 130, in the reign ofHadrian.The fort was abandoned for about 20 years during theAntonine re-occupation of Scotland.It was rebuilt in the reign ofMarcus Aureliusand occupied until about 270 – probably the last time it served military purposes.[12]What remains of the stone structure is now buried under a field. Many Roman artefacts from the site may be found in theKendal Museum.

Transport

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Early travellers to Kendal complained of eight miles of "nothing but a confused mixture of Rockes and Boggs."[13]Riding horseback was the fastest form of travel, as the road was "no better than the roughest fell tracks on high ground and spongy, miry tracks in the vallies."

It became clear it was unjust and beyond the power of a thinly scattered rural population to maintain a road used for through traffic. "Whereas the road is very ruinous, and some parts thereof almost impassable and could not, by the ordinary course appointed by the Laws then in being for repairing the highways, be amended and kept in good repair, unless some further provision was made." In 1703, by Order of the Quarter Sessions of the Barony of Kendall, the surveyors of highways were to make the roads good and sufficient for the passage of coaches, carts and carriages. In 1753 theKeighley and Kendal Turnpikebrought a stage coach service fromYorkshireas far as Kendal.[14]

Mint cake

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Main article:Kendal Mint Cake
Kendal mint cake

Kendal is known for Kendal mint cake, aglucose-based confectionery reputedly discovered accidentally by Joseph Wiper during a search for a clear glacier mint.

Used on numerous expeditions to mountaintops (includingMount EverestandK2) and both poles of the Earth, its popularity is mainly due to the very astute decision of the original manufacturer's great-nephew to market it as an energy food and supply it toErnest Shackleton's 1914–1917Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

By the time the business was sold to a competitor,Romney's,in 1987 there were several rival mint-cake producers, some still in business.

Tobacco and snuff

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Snuffmanufacture in Kendal dates from 1792, when Kendalian Thomas Harrison returned from learning its production in Glasgow, Scotland. He brought with him 50 tons of second-hand equipment, all carried on horseback. Pipe tobacco and other tobacco products were added later to the firm's production. Ownership of the firm passed to a son-in-law, Samuel Gawith, whose eponymic firmSamuel Gawith & Co.remains in business. After Gawith's death in 1865, the firm passed to his two eldest sons, being administered initially by trustees, including Henry Hoggarth, and John Thomas Illingworth.

Illingworth left the firm in 1867 to start his own firm, which remained in business until the 1980s. The youngest son of Samuel Gawith subsequently teamed with Henry Hoggarth to form Gawith Hoggarth TT, Ltd. Both firms continue in business in Kendal, producing snuffs and tobacco products used around the world. Samuel Gawith and Company holds the distinction of employing the oldest piece of industrial equipment still in use in the world: a device manufactured in the 1750s.[citation needed]

The Kendal Bank

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The Maude, Wilson & Crewdsons Bank was established in "Farrers House", Stramongate in 1788. Joseph Maude,Christopher Wilsonand Thomas Crewdson were the original partners. In 1792 they moved into a specially constructed premises at No 69, Highgate. The Wilson family, who lived atAbbot Hall,withdrew in 1826 at a time of the paperpanic of 1825caused by a run on the banks. Under the style of W D Crewdson & Sons, the remaining family continued until the amalgamation in 1840 with John Wakefield & Sons founded byJohn Wakefield.The bank was eventually bought out by Barclays.[15]

Governance

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Kendal Town Hall.First stage completed in 1827,clock towerlater in the 19th century

Civic history

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Themunicipal boroughof Kendal was created in 1835; until 1894 it was also anurban sanitary district.The borough boundaries were altered in 1935 under aCounty Review Orderto include a patch ofSouth Westmorland Rural District.Thecivil parishesof Kirkland and Nether Graveship became in 1908 part of Kendal Civil Parish, whose boundaries thereafter were the same as the borough's. From 1888 to 1974, Kendal was the centre of theadministrative countyofWestmorland,althoughApplebywas the traditionalcounty town.

The borough was abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972,becoming part of theSouth Lakelanddistrict ofCumbria.Kendal as asuccessor parishkept its owntown council.

In April 2023, Kendal became the seat of the newWestmorland and Furnesscouncil area. The councils ofCumbriaandSouth Lakelandwere abolished at the same time.

Parliament

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Kendal is part of theWestmorland and Lonsdaleparliamentary constituency, of whichTim Farronis the current MP, representing theLiberal Democrats.[16]

Geography

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Kendal stands on theRiver Kent,and is mostly ringed by low hills:Scout Scarto the west,Potter Fellto the north, andBenson KnottandHelm Hillto the east. To the south the River Kent winds through rolling dairy- and sheep-farming terrain before reaching the sea atMorecambe BayaroundArnside.Although Kendal is near the Lake District National Park, formed in 1951, it does not lie within the park's boundaries.[17]Kendal's location surrounded by numerous rural villages makes it an important commercial centre for a wide area. It has been dubbed "The Gateway to the Lakes".[18]

Climate

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Kendal has a marine west-coast climate, category Cfb on the Köppen Climate Classification. It has moderately warm summers and mild winters with precipitation at all times of year. In July and August the average daily maximum and minimum are 19 and 11 °C (66 and 52 °F) respectively. The corresponding ones in January and February are 6 and 1 °C (43 and 34 °F).[19][20]

Economy

[edit]

Kendal's early prosperity was based largely on cloth manufacture. In the 19th century it became a centre for the manufacture ofsnuffand shoes – the K Shoes company remained a major employer in the town until its factory closed in 2003.[21]There are still several industries based in the town, such asGilbert Gilkes & Gordon(manufacturers of pumps and turbines), James Cropper paper makers (based inBurneside,who make, at no profit, the paper for theRemembrance poppiesfor theRoyal British Legion[22]), Mardix (switchgear),Lakeland,and Kendal Nutricare, which has a facility for making baby milk in the north of the town. Tourism is now a major employer, but there is also a significantITand design sector, enabled by increasedbroadbandavailability.

On 26 February 2003 Kendal was grantedFairtrade Townstatus.

Transport

[edit]
Kendal station's buildings

Kendal railway stationlies on theWindermere Branch Line.Northern Trainsprovides direct services toWindermereto the north and toOxenholmeandLancasterto the south, which are both on theWest Coast Main Line.[23]

Local routes from the bus station serve destinations such asAmbleside,Barrow-in-Furness,Keswick,LancasterandPenrith,with most services operated byStagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire.[24]Long-distanceNational Expresscoaches run to Preston and Birmingham.[25]

Kendal is located about 8 miles (13 km) from theM6 motorway.It is bypassed on the west side by theA591 road,linking it toWindermereand Keswick, and by theA590leading toBarrow.It is also the end point of theA65 roadtoKirkby Lonsdale,SkiptonandLeeds,and a destination on theA6 roadtoPenrith.Kendal is signposted off the M6 at junctions 36 (A65, A590), 37 (A684 road), 38 (A685 road) and 39 (A6). A three-mile, £1.9m A591 bypass opened on 29 August 1971.

TheLancaster Canalwas built as far as Kendal in 1819, but the northern section was rendered unnavigable by the construction of the M6. Part of this section was drained and filled in to prevent leakage; the course of the canal through Kendal has now been built over. The canal towpath, however, remains as a footpath through the town. A campaign is underway to restore the canal as far as Kendal.

A bridge over the old course of the Lancaster Canal, now used as a footpath

Education

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TheQueen Katherine School,on Appleby Road, is a secondary school withacademystatus. The school also has a sixth form.[26]

Kirkbie Kendal School,formerly Kendal Grammar School, is a secondary schoolBusiness and Enterprise Collegeserving the area. It operates as afoundation schoolwith academy status. Its former pupils include the historianDavid Starkey.[27]

Kendal Collegeprovides further and higher education courses and the training for employers.[28]

Media

[edit]

Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC North WestandITV Border.[29]

Kendal's local radio stations areBBC Radio Cumbriaon 95.2 FM,Smooth Lake Districton 100.1 FM,Heart North Weston 103.2 FM; community on-line stations are Lake District Radio[30]and Bay Trust Radio.[31]

The town's local newspaper isThe Westmorland Gazette.

Sport

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Kendal Town Football Clubplays in theNorth West Counties Premier Division,with home games at Parkside Road Stadium.

Kendal RUFCplays in the 5th tier of theEnglish rugby union system,with home games at Mint Bridge Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,500.

Places of interest

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Holy Trinity Church, which includes the Parr Chapel and prayers written by the hand of QueenCatherine Parr
Kendal Castle

Notable people

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Literary, artistic and musical references

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  • Lydia Sigourneyincludes the poemKendalin herPleasant Memories of Pleasant Landsof 1842, recollections of her visit to Europe in 1840.[35]
  • PoetW. H. Audensays his love is "more wonderful" than "a turbine built byGilkes & Co.of Kendal "in his prose poemDichtung und Wahrheit[36]
  • Paul McCartneyreferences Kendal in the lyrics of his 1973WingssongHelen Wheels,stating: "The Kendal freeway's fast". In his 2023 bookThe Lyrics: 1956 to the Present,McCartney explains that the song was a description of the journey from his farm in Scotland to London undertaken in his Land Rover which he and wifeLindanicknamed 'Helen Wheels', and referencing key places on the route. He explains: "Kendal is in the Lake District, but the 'Kendal freeway' is meant to be a joke because Kendal is a total bottleneck, as anyone who's tried to drive through it will confirm."[37]
  • Van Morrisonreferences Kendal in the lyrics of his playful 1980 songSummertime in England,stating "We'll go riding up to Kendal in the country, in the summertime in England" and "Did you ever hear about Wordsworth and Coleridge? They were smokin' up in Kendal."

Local dialect

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Kendal speech, known as Kendalian, is an example of theCumbrian dialectspoken in the surrounding area.

Search and rescue

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Kendal has long maintained a locally active, voluntarymountain search and rescueteam based at Busher Walk. Along with nearby teams, it helped at theGrayrigg derailmentin February 2007. Kendal Mountain Rescue Team is one of ten current teams that joined with Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs and Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit to form a Cumbrian umbrella organization, the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association.[38][39]

Twin towns

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Kendal istwinnedwith:[40]

Freedom

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The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Townof Kendal:

Individuals

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Military units

[edit]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^"Kendal".City population.Retrieved25 October2022.
  2. ^"Kendal Village Council – Home – Old Market Village, Lake District – Kendal, Cumbria, UK".Kendal Town Council.Archivedfrom the original on 13 April 2018.Retrieved24 April2018.
  3. ^F.A. Youngs,Guide to the Local Administrative units of England, Vol.II, Northern England,London, 1991
  4. ^UK Census(2011)."Local Area Report – Kendal Parish (E04002617)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved7 May2021.
  5. ^"Shop".Kendal Town.
  6. ^"Events and Festivals - Visit Kendal | Kendal | Cumbria".Kendal Town.
  7. ^Cumbria Tourist Guides. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  8. ^A. D. Mills,Dictionary of English Place Names,Oxford: OUP, 1998.
  9. ^The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society,ed. by Victor Watts, Cambridge: CUP, (2004), underRiver KENTandKENDAL.
  10. ^Linda Porter.Katherine, the Queen,MacMillan, 2010. p. 21.
  11. ^Esmonde Cleary, A., R. Warner, R. Talbert, T. Elliott, S. Gillies."Places: 89102 (Alone?/Alauna?)".Pleiades.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2014.Retrieved12 February2013.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^David Shotter."The Roman fort at Watercrook (Kendal)"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 23 September 2015.
  13. ^Being a Relation of a Short Survey of 26 Counties, briefly describing the Citties and their Scytuations, and the Corporate Towns and Castles Herein. By a Captaine, a Lieuten[a]nt. and an Ancient, All three of the Military Company at Norwich.British Museum MSS. 34754, pp. 19–20.
  14. ^Introduction To The Main Roads of KendaleArchived7 February 2013 at theWayback MachineBritish History. Accessed 30 September 2012.
  15. ^"Banking History: Kendal Bank".
  16. ^"Tim Farron".theyworkforyou.com.Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2013.
  17. ^"Lake District National Park area map and South extension area"(PDF).Lake District National Park Authority. 2016. p. 2.Archived(PDF)from the original on 13 January 2017.Retrieved11 January2017.
  18. ^"Kendal - A Gateway to the English Lakes".London & North Western Railway. 1910.
  19. ^"marine west coast climate – climatology".Encyclopædia Britannica.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2013.
  20. ^"Kendal Climate Guide".worldclimateguide.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 21 February 2013.
  21. ^"Industries of Cumbria – Footwear".Cumbria-industries.org.uk. 2 May 2003.Archivedfrom the original on 14 October 2013.Retrieved31 May2013.
  22. ^White, Anna (24 May 2014)."Meet the company behind our Remembrance poppies".The Daily Telegraph.London.ISSN0307-1235.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved17 August2018.
  23. ^"Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern".Northern Railway.May 2023.Retrieved22 September2023.
  24. ^"Kendal Bus Services".Bus Times.2023.Retrieved22 September2023.
  25. ^"Where to Catch Your Bus"(PDF).cumbria.gov.uk/.Retrieved10 September2020.
  26. ^"Meet the Head".Queen Katherine School. Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2014.Retrieved10 March2014.
  27. ^"David Starkey: Laughing all the way to the library".8 March 2002.Retrieved17 August2018.
  28. ^"New principal appointed at Kendal College".The Westmorland Gazette.Retrieved4 June2018.
  29. ^"Freeview Light on the Kendal Fell".UK Free TV.2023.Retrieved23 September2023.
  30. ^"Real Radio, Real People and Really Local!".Lake District Radio.2023.Retrieved23 September2023.
  31. ^"Welcome to Bay Trust Radio".Bay Trust Radio Radio.2023.Retrieved23 September2023.
  32. ^"Kendal – Castle Howe – Visit Cumbria".visitcumbria.com.Archivedfrom the original on 15 March 2012.Retrieved24 April2018.
  33. ^"Kendal".The Drill Hall Project.Archivedfrom the original on 2 September 2017.Retrieved1 September2017.
  34. ^"Sir Myles Fenton" inLeading Men of London(London: British Biographical Company, 1895),p. 153
  35. ^Sigourney, Lydia (1842)."Pleasant Memories of Pleasant Lands".James Munroe and Company.
  36. ^Auden, W. H. (14 June 2022).The Complete Works of W. H. Auden: Poems, Volume II: 1940–1973.Princeton University Press.ISBN978-0-691-21930-1.
  37. ^McCartney, Paul; Muldoon, Paul (7 November 2023).The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present.Liveright Publishing.ISBN978-1-324-09468-5.
  38. ^https://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/assets/files/downloads/MREWAnnualReview2018.pdf.[dead link]
  39. ^"LDSAMRA - Home page".ldsamra.org.uk.Retrieved17 August2018.
  40. ^"Town Twinning".Kendal Town Council.Retrieved11 March2022.
  41. ^"Freedom Parade in Honour of The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment".Kendal Town Council.Archived fromthe originalon 29 May 2019.
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