Description
...in which we journey deep into Newlands to tell the remarkable story of Elizabethen copper mining, and the part it played in making Keswick the birthplace of modernity.
Leaving Little Town in the company of the inimitable Mark Hatton, we ascend the flanks of Hindscarth, and rewind time to the 1560s, to when England's war footing meant a domestic supply of copper was a matter of national security.
Entering the hand-picked addit that drives through Scope End, we learn about the pioneering German miners who – in the year of Shakespeare's birth – brought their skills to a backwater Lake District valley; and we seek out one of the most audacious engineering feats of its age: a stream, diverted between valleys through the mountain to power an underground waterwheel.
Suitably wowed, we trace the copper ore's ancient route – above the marshy bottoms of Newlands into Keswick – to reflect on the social impacts of an immigrant population, and the ensuing violence... and baby boom.
Arriving by the all-but-ignored former smelter site at Brigham (below the A66 flyover), we discover old tunnels and leats that channeled water to the most important industrial site of its age.
As we digest a lost Lake District story, we consider the fate of the Germans who stayed, and the legacy of an industry that shaped national economics, politics, law... and plenty of future Keswickians.
Mark is on X at https://x.com/thehatton
...in which we take an autumnual stroll around Grasmere to explore the history of fell-running with runner, archivist and west coast lad Peter Todhunter.
Setting out from the village green – one-time site of Westmorland wrestling matches – we visit the field below Allan Bank, where the first...
Published 11/16/24
...in which we delve into a remarkable oral history archive to paint a picture of the historic Cumbrian commons as they enter a period of profound change.
In the company of local-born John Hastwell and project officer Amanda Walters, we listen to farmers past and present as they discuss the...
Published 11/01/24