Whinfell Forest

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18th-century quarry and drystone wall in Whinfell Forest Whinfellquarry.jpg
18th-century quarry and drystone wall in Whinfell Forest

Whinfell Forest is a small area of woodland in the parish of Brougham, Cumbria, south east of Penrith in Cumbria and just off the A66 road leading to Appleby-in-Westmorland. The forest is a short distance from the Lake District national park and is surrounded by a large number of woodlands west of the Pennines. It is notable today for the presence of Center Parcs and a red squirrel reserve. It was notable historically for its associations with Lady Anne Clifford, Brougham Castle and Inglewood Forest.

Brougham, Cumbria village in the United Kingdom

Brougham is a small village and civil parish on the outskirts of Penrith in the Eden District of Cumbria, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 279, falling marginally to 277 at the 2011 Census.

Cumbria Ceremonial (geographic) county of England, UK

Cumbria is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's county town is Carlisle, in the north of the county, and the only other major urban area is Barrow-in-Furness on the southwestern tip of the county.

Penrith, Cumbria town in Cumbria, England

Penrith is a market town and civil parish in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies less than 3 miles (5 km) outside the bounds of the Lake District National Park. Historically in Cumberland, Penrith's local authority is currently Eden District Council, which is based in the town. Penrith was formerly the seat of Penrith Urban and Rural District Councils. From 1974 to 2015, it was an unparished area with no town council of its own, but a civil parish was recreated in 2015, as Penrith Town Council. The first elections to it took place on 7 May 2015.

Contents

History

Whinfell Forest has existed since at least 1203 when it "formed part of King John's grant of the Barony of Westmorland to Robert de Veteripont". [1] In 1283 it was divided between Isabella and Idonea, daughters of Robert II de Vieuxpont. [2] It is frequently mentioned in the diaries of Lady Anne Clifford (1590–1676) as she travelled in the area visiting Brougham Castle and Appleby-in-Westmorland.

Royal forest Type of formally designated woodland in Great Britain

A royal forest, occasionally "Kingswood", is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, and Scotland. The term forest in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the original medieval sense was closer to the modern idea of a "preserve" – i.e. land legally set aside for specific purposes such as royal hunting – with less emphasis on its composition. There are also differing and contextual interpretations in Continental Europe derived from the Carolingian and Merovingian legal systems.

The Barony of Westmorland, originally often written as Westmarieland or Westmaringaland, was one of two baronies making up the English county of Westmorland, the other being the Barony of Kendal. Geographically, the barony covered the northern part of the county of the same name, and was divided into two wards — East ward and West ward. It covered an area similar to that of the Eden District of Cumbria, although it did not include Penrith, which is now the administrative capital of the district.

Robert de Vieuxpont English High Sheriff

Robert de Vieuxpont was an Anglo-Norman landowner and administrator in the north of England.

Whinfell Park was at the core of the forest. Its proximity to Inglewood Forest meant that it was mentioned in court documents relating to disputes between the two areas. The park contained two frequently mentioned landmark trees: the Harthorn Tree and the Three Brother Tree. [3] The Harthorn Tree had a hart's horn embedded in it. The Three Brother Tree was the sole survivor of three unusually large oaks called the Three Brethren. The site of the Harthorn Tree is marked on old maps. The name "Three Oaks" is used within the Center Parcs site. By 1779, the park had been divided into farms by enclosure. [1] [4]

Inglewood Forest

Inglewood Forest is a large tract of mainly arable and dairy farm land with a few small woodland areas between Carlisle and Penrith in the English non-metropolitan county of Cumbria or ancient county of Cumberland.

Deer A family of mammals belonging to even-toed ungulates

Deer are the hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the fallow deer, and the chital; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer (caribou), the roe deer, and the moose. Female reindeer, and male deer of all species except the Chinese water deer, grow and shed new antlers each year. In this they differ from permanently horned antelope, which are part of a different family (Bovidae) within the same order of even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla).

Enclosure was the legal process in England of consolidating (enclosing) small landholdings into larger farms since the 13th century. Once enclosed, use of the land became restricted and available only to the owner, and it ceased to be common land for communal use. In England and Wales the term is also used for the process that ended the ancient system of arable farming in open fields. Under enclosure, such land is fenced (enclosed) and deeded or entitled to one or more owners. The process of enclosure began to be a widespread feature of the English agricultural landscape during the 16th century. By the 19th century, unenclosed commons had become largely restricted to rough pasture in mountainous areas and to relatively small parts of the lowlands.

Today, the forest forms part of the Lowther estates. A large part of it is designated by Natural England as Ancient Replanted Woodland.

Earl of Lonsdale

Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784, and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowther family.

Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved. It also has a responsibility to help people enjoy, understand and access the natural environment.

Ancient woodland term used in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 1600 is likely to have developed naturally.

Holiday village

Footpath along outer edge of Center Parcs boundary fence Lowtheroasispath.jpg
Footpath along outer edge of Center Parcs boundary fence
Recording the 1998 visit of Elizabeth II to the Oasis Lakeland Forest Village Whinfell Forest Commemorative Plaque.jpg
Recording the 1998 visit of Elizabeth II to the Oasis Lakeland Forest Village

In 1993 a leisure resort was planned for the site under the proposed name "Lakewoods Holiday Village". [5] The Rank Group constructed this as "Oasis Lakeland Holiday Village" which featured commercial restaurants and businesses such as Burger King and a Hard Rock Cafe. It was sold to Center Parcs in 2001 [6] who removed the commercial ventures and now operate it as "Whinfell Forest Village".

The Rank Group Gambling company

The Rank Group is a gambling company based in the United Kingdom. Rank was involved in the cinema and motion picture industry until 2006, and continues to use the Gongman logo originally used by the Rank Organisation's film distribution subsidiary General Film Distributors. Its brands now include Mecca Bingo, and Grosvenor Casinos, the UK's largest casino operator.

Burger King Global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in Florida

Burger King (BK) is an American multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in the unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant chain. After Insta-Burger King ran into financial difficulties in 1954, its two Miami-based franchisees David Edgerton and James McLamore purchased the company and renamed it "Burger King". Over the next half-century, the company would change hands four times, with its third set of owners, a partnership of TPG Capital, Bain Capital, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, taking it public in 2002. In late 2010, 3G Capital of Brazil acquired a majority stake in the company, in a deal valued at US$3.26 billion. The new owners promptly initiated a restructuring of the company to reverse its fortunes. 3G, along with partner Berkshire Hathaway, eventually merged the company with the Canadian-based doughnut chain Tim Hortons, under the auspices of a new Canadian-based parent company named Restaurant Brands International.

Hard Rock Cafe chain of restaurants

Hard Rock Cafe Inc. is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2007, Hard Rock Cafe International (USA), Inc. was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida and was headquartered in Orlando, Florida, until April 2018 when the corporate offices were relocated to Davie, Florida. As of July 2018, Hard Rock International has venues in 74 countries, including 185 cafes, 25 hotels, and 12 casinos.

Whinfell Forest is the largest of Center Parcs' five UK holiday villages, with accommodation for 4,668 people in 861 units.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Appleby-in-Westmorland village in Cumbria, England

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High Head Castle

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Brougham Castle Medieval castle near Penrith in Cumbria, England

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Appleby Castle Grade I listed English country house in Appleby-in-Westmorland, United Kingdom

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Center Parcs UK and Ireland holiday village operator in the UK

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Vieuxpont

Vipont is the name of a prominent family in the history of Westmorland. According to Thomas the name originated in France before 1066 as Vieuxpont, Latinized to de Vetere Ponte, with alternative spellings Vezpont, Veepon, Vexpont, Vypont, Vispont, Vypunt, Vespont, Vipond, Vypond, Voypond, Veepond, Vippond, Vipon, Vipan, Vipen, etc. The Vipont family bore arms: Gules, six annulets or 3:2:1, later quartered by Baron Clifford.

Hutton in the Forest Grade I listed chateau in Eden, United Kingdom

Hutton in the Forest is a Grade I listed country house near the village of Skelton in the historic county of Cumberland, which now forms part of the modern county of Cumbria, England. It has belonged to the Fletcher-Vane family, latterly the Barons Inglewood, since 1605.

Cliburn, Cumbria farm village in the United Kingdom

Cliburn is a village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Town Head. In 2001 the population was 204, increasing to 274 at the 2011 Census.

Flakebridge human settlement in United Kingdom

Flakebridge is a woodland and small hamlet in the Eden District, Cumbria, England, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south-west from the village of Dufton and 1.95 kilometres (1.21 mi) east from the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland.

Keisley human settlement in United Kingdom

Keisley is a small hamlet in the English county of Cumbria. It is located in the Dufton civil parish and the Eden district.

Lady Annes Way

Lady Anne's Way is a 100-mile (160 km) hiking route between Skipton and Penrith in Northern England. The trail is punctuated by houses and towers once owned by the clifford family, but is named after Lady Anne Clifford who renovated and repaired the buildings in the 17th century. The route goes through Grassington, Buckden, Askrigg, Garsdale Head, Kirkby Stephen, Great Ormside Appleby-in-Westmorland and Penrith.

References

  1. 1 2 Tyson, B. (1985). "Oak for the Navy: a case study". Transactions CWAAS. 85: 117–126.
  2. Summerson, H.R.T.; et al. (1988). Brougham Castle, Cumbria. English Heritage.
  3. Cox, Thomas (1731). Magna Britannica et Hibernia. 6: Westmorland.
  4. Whyte, I. (2003). Transforming Fell and Valley. Lancaster: Centre for North West Regional Studies.
  5. Lakewoods Holiday Village Environmental Statement. Abingdon: Cobham Research Consultants. 1993.
  6. "Center Parcs Whinfell Forest £30 Million Invested And A New Name". Center Parcs Press Office. 2 January 2006. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2010.

Coordinates: 54°38′23″N2°39′34″W / 54.6397°N 2.6595°W / 54.6397; -2.6595

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.