Blencow | |
---|---|
Blencow Hall | |
OS grid reference | NY451305 |
Civil parish | |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | PENRITH |
Postcode district | CA11 |
Dialling code | 01768 |
Police | Cumbria |
Fire | Cumbria |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Blencow or Blencowe is a small village near Penrith, Cumbria, England. It is divided by the River Petteril into Great Blencow to the south and Little Blencow to the north. Great Blencow is in the civil parish of Dacre while Little Blencow is within Greystoke parish.
The village shares its name with the Blencowe family. The "cow" part of the name is compared with the "gow" in Glasgow. [1]
Adam de Blencowe was awarded land by Edward III in 1358 [2] and the original family home was built in Great Blencow. Now little remains. Subsequently, in the 15th or 16th century the family built a new home, the current Blencowe Hall, just to the west of Little Blencow. It consists of two fortified pele towers joined by connecting buildings. It sustained substantial damage during the English Civil War, now evident externally as a deep gash on the front of the western tower. This was imaginatively restored in the late 20th century. [3] The family continued to own the hall until 1802, when it was sold to the Duke of Norfolk. There is an active Blencowe Families Association [4] who celebrate their connections with this village.
Blencow at one time had a very well known grammar school founded by Thomas Burbank in 1577. [5] It was the first free grammar school in the north of England. Among its pupils were Lord Ellenborough, Lord Chief Justice and George Whitehead, a prominent Quaker. The original school was rebuilt in 1795 and continued to provide an education for boys (although no longer free) until 1911, when it closed. For a time it was used as a meeting place for the village, but was converted to a private residence, Burbank House, in 1917. [6]
The post office and village pub were situated in Little Blencow, but both are now closed. Another pub called the Clickham Inn to the south of the village towards Newbiggin. Also at Newbiggin is the Hanson plc Blencowe Limestone Quarry and Blockworks, and the former Blencow railway station on the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway. [7]
The mansion of Ennim just south of the village was the home for many years of the Blencow family. From 1956, Conservative politician and cabinet minister William (Willie) later Viscount Whitelaw lived at Ennim until his death in 1999. During his residence, a substantial police presence was maintained at the house even after Whitelaw's retirement, owing to his time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [8]
William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, was a British Conservative Party politician who served in a wide number of Cabinet positions, most notably as Home Secretary from 1979 to 1983 and as de facto Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1988. He was Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1991.
Appleby-in-Westmorland is a market town and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, with a population of 3,048 at the 2011 Census. Crossed by the River Eden, Appleby is the county town of the historic county of Westmorland. It was known just as Appleby until 1974–1976, when the council of the successor parish to the borough changed it to retain the name Westmorland, which was abolished as an administrative area under the Local Government Act 1972, before being revived as Westmorland and Furness in 2023. It lies 14 miles (23 km) south-east of Penrith, 32 miles (51 km) south-east of Carlisle, 27 miles (43 km) north-east of Kendal and 45 miles (72 km) west of Darlington.
Penrith is a market town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. It is less than 3 miles (5 km) outside the Lake District National Park and about 17 miles (27 km) south of Carlisle. It is between the Rivers Petteril and Eamont and just north of the River Lowther. The town had a population of 15,181 at the 2011 census. It is part of historic Cumberland.
Kirkoswald is a village, civil parish, and former market town located in Westmorland and Furness, England, about 9 miles (14 km) from Penrith. The village is in the historic county of Cumberland. The village, referred to colloquially as KO, had a population of 870 at the 2001 census, which rose to 901 at the 2011 Census.
Dacre is a small village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Lake District National Park in the Eden District of Cumbria, England, and historically in Cumberland. In the 2001 census, the parish, which includes Newbiggin and Stainton, had a population of 1,326, increasing to 1,438 at the 2011 Census.
Hutton is a small civil parish about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Penrith in the English county of Cumbria. The parish contains the small mansion and former pele tower of Hutton John, the seat of the Hudleston family.
Newbiggin is a small village in Cumbria, North West England. It is in the Dacre civil parish about 3 mi (4.8 km) west of Penrith. It lies at 750 ft (230 m) sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly wind by Flusco Pike, 150 ft (46 m) higher. It is described as a "non-nucleated village," lying for a mile along either side of the C3019 between the A66 and the B5288. There are at least six other villages in Cumbria with the same name, which is derived from the Old English ‘new biggin', or new house. Locally this village is referred to as the "Stainton Newbiggin," to distinguish it from the others.
Temple Sowerby is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, northern England. It is close to the main east–west A66 road about 8 miles (13 km) east of Penrith in the Eden Valley. At the 2011 census Temple Sowerby was grouped with Newbiggin giving a total population of 528.
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) is a coeducational selective grammar school in Penrith, Cumbria, England. The school currently has approximately 830 pupils. The current headteacher is David Marchant, who took over in September 2022. The headteacher from September 2004 to August 2015 was Chris Kirkup who was seceded by Paul Buckland from September 2016.
Blencow railway station was situated on the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway between Penrith and Cockermouth in Cumberland, England. The station served the villages of Blencow and Newbiggin. The station opened to passenger traffic on 2 January 1865, and closed on 3 March 1952. It reopened temporarily on 2 July 1956 before closing permanently on 6 March 1972.
Blencowe can refer to
Newbiggin-on-Lune is a village in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. Historically in Westmorland it is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of Kirkby Stephen, and lies on the main A685 route from Brough to Tebay. Nearby to the north is located the Smardale Gill Viaduct on the dismantled former South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway between Tebay and Kirkby Stephen East railway station. To the south lies the Howgill Fells including Green Bell 1,985 feet.
Calthwaite is a small village in rural Cumbria, England, situated between the small market town of Penrith and the larger city of Carlisle. It is within of the civil parish of Hesket and the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, but historically part of the traditional county of Cumberland. It has a population of around 100 people. In 1870-72 the township had a population of 269 and a railway station.
Johnby is a hamlet in the Eden District, in the English county of Cumbria. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) from the large town of Penrith and about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the village of Greystoke. The B5305 road, the B5288 road, the A66 road and the M6 motorway are all nearby. Circa 1870, it had a population of 92 as recorded in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales.
Stainton is a village near the A66, in the parish of Dacre, in the Eden district, in the English county of Cumbria. It is a few miles away from the market town of Penrith. It is in the parish of Dacre, although it is larger than Dacre. It has a Methodist church and a primary school. In 2019 the built-up area had an estimated population of 758. In 1870-72 the township had a population of 330.
St Andrew's Church is in the village of Dacre, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Penrith, the archdeaconry of Penrith, and the diocese of Carlisle. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The church stands near Dacre Castle.
Braithwaite is a village in the northern Lake District, in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies just to the west of Keswick and to the east of the Grisedale Pike ridge. It forms part of the civil parish of Above Derwent.
Greystoke is a civil parish in the Eden District, Cumbria, England. It contains 49 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, five are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish contains the villages of Greystoke, Little Blencow, Johnby, and Motherby, and the surrounding countryside. Three of the listed buildings originated as fortified tower houses that were later converted into country houses. Most of the listed buildings are houses and associated structures, farmhouses and farm buildings. The other listed buildings include a church and items in the churchyard, a village cross, a public house, a school, a chapel, and a bridge.