Landscape Lake

Landscape Lake

Woollen Mills and Industry in the Lake District

Wool was a local raw material from the fell areas and consequently the woollen mills were widely scattered within the rural areas, for example at Caldbeck, Keswick, Coniston and Staveley as well as in the growing towns of Kendal, Ulverston and Cockermouth. Cotton, on the other hand, was imported from America into Lancaster and Whitehaven, so that Lancashire cotton spinning companies estab¬lished mills in these two towns and also on good water power sites at Ulverston, Spark Bridge, Backbarrow and Staveley. At Barley Bridge, Staveley there survives a fine example of a late eighteenth century stonebuilt cotton mill, which later became a pros¬perous woollen mill, and then a bobbin mill and today is a paper packaging factory. In the lowland rural areas locally grown flax was spun and woven into linen during the mid eighteenth century in mills at Cockermouth, Cleator, Egremont, Whitehaven, Ulverston and in the Milnthorpe area. These mills were well located to supply great quantities of sailcloth and sheeting, so essential for the coastal shipping the vital economic lifeline before the coming of the railways.

Things to do in the lake district

Although most of the towns had textile factories with many still recognisable today, it is in the rural areas that the old mills and their workers communities provide the clues to understanding this working
landscape. Many operatives were needed at the mills, so the mill terraced houses, together with the mill manager's house and possibly a workhouse, are distinct features to look for. Staveley's Barley Bridge mill, with its clock and bell tower, has nearby rows of terraced houses, Mealbank near Kendal has various mills and houses, Penny Bridge flax mill has its dozen workers houses, and Millbeck near Keswick was originally a woollen community attractively sited on the lower slopes of Skiddaw.

Waste products from the cotton, woollen and flax mills encouraged the development of paper mills in the late seventeenth century, where good water supplies powered machinery for pulping the rags. To the north of Ambleside the name Papermill Coppice dates back to the 1680s. Much largerscale paper mills developed after the mid¬eighteenth century especially near Kendal. Cowan Head mill is now closed, but it is still a prominent feature indicating what most rurally based industry would have looked like, in contrast to the urban con¬centrations. Nearby, the village of Burneside is dominated visually, economically and socially by James Cropper's paper mills.

We have seen in this chapter that the industrial landscapes are not merely a collection of relics, ruins and waste heaps, bur are features of a living landscape. Not all the various industries were in operation at anyone time, but the main period of prosperity for most rural crafts and industries was between 1750 and 1850. Through ingenuity, adap¬tation and careful management of resources some aspects of the Lake District industrial life have survived into the twentieth century.

It is therefore important that when admiring the view we must not be over¬awed by the sheer scale of the fells, lakes and valleys and forget about the smaller industrial elements (Plate 29). Scattered over the fells, clustered in the small towns and villages of the valleys, and hidden amongst the woods are significant features of our heritage. Fortu¬nately, selected sites have been preserved and made available for the public to appreciate and enjoy, so that future generations can come to the Lake District and understand that this area was once a very important landscape of industry.

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Things to do in the lake district

what is the difference between landscape fabric and geotextile fabric?

I would like to make the beach bigger along the lake in our backyard. I am hoping to do it myself for my husband for father's day. I need suggestions on the best way to do this as a one women team.

Landscape fabric is for weed control and geotextile fabric is used for retaining walls to tie them into the hill better and it is often used under paver patios and driveways to make them more stable.