The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Volume I Part 13

The great store of antiquarian treasure lies, however, at a short walk from Maryport, where the Romans have left abundant proofs of their long sojourn on the banks of the Solway. The character of the present work, however, does not permit our enlarging on this subject; but to all those who visit Allonby or Maryport during the summer, and have a taste for antiquarian lore, the scene thus briefly adverted to will furnish a source of many cla.s.sical reminiscences.

[15] Netherhall, the seat of Humphry Senhouse, Esq., contains a fine collection of Roman antiquities, found at Ellenborough. It was visited, so far back as 1599, by Sir Robert Cotton and his friend Camden.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MARY-PORT PIER.

Dedicated to the Rev. Humphrey Archer Hervey, Vicar of Bridekirk.]

MARYPORT PIER.

The subject of our engraving is a scene but too often visible on our coasts, and by no means peculiar to Maryport. The storm is evidently exhausting its fury upon the Pier and Lighthouse in vain, they are destined to sustain the shock of many such rude a.s.saults, and to afford that shelter and warning to mariners so requisite in the hour of Ocean's rage. The coast of c.u.mberland is at all times of the year rough and inhospitable to the sailor; but at the equinoxes, especially the autumnal one, its dangers are more imminent; and the trading vessels in the Solway Frith and Irish Channel, are exposed to serious risk. Owing to the numerous shoals and sand-banks lying at various points, the navigation is at all times intricate; and even to those best acquainted with its peculiarities, the pa.s.sage from Ireland is frequently attended with greater hazard than many longer voyages.

The Town of Maryport is the subject of another view, and in the notice accompanying it will be found such particulars as we could glean in connection with this small but bustling port. The Pier itself, though well adapted for the purposes of ill.u.s.tration, is not a subject upon which we can profitably occupy the reader's attention; we shall, therefore, avail ourselves of the opportunity thus afforded us to say a few words upon one of the finest of the English lakes, situated within a few miles of Maryport, and a visit to which is a favourite excursion with its inhabitants and visitors. It is to the far-famed Derwent Water that we allude. It occupies a beautiful valley, surrounded by romantic mountains; its sh.o.r.es and islands, covered with luxurious wood, and towards Keswick its northern extremity opening to a s.p.a.cious and fertile plain. The mountains on the eastern side of the lake are finely broken, in some places presenting precipices mingled with copse-wood and verdure; the chasms of the rocks discharging a great many streams in beautiful falls. The mountains on the western side of Derwent Water are more regular in their forms, generally verdant, and adorned with a profusion of wood near the water's edge. At the southern extremity of the lake, three miles from the town, is Lowdore waterfall, the height of which is said to be not less than 200 feet. It is a very considerable stream, rus.h.i.+ng through an immense chasm, and bounding over huge blocks of stone, with which the channel is filled. Near the fall is Gowdar Crag and Shepherd's Crag, const.i.tuting one of the finest scenes amongst the lakes.

The manor of Derwent.w.a.ter belonged to a family which derived their name from it. In the reign of Henry VI., the heiress of Sir John de Derwent.w.a.ter married Sir Nicholas Radcliffe, of Dilston, in Northumberland, whose descendant, Sir Francis Radcliffe, was created by King James II. Earl of Derwent.w.a.ter, &c. James, the second earl, having been engaged in the rebellion of 1715, was beheaded on Tower-hill; and the Derwent.w.a.ter estates, becoming forfeited to the Crown, were granted to Greenwich Hospital, by Act of Parliament. Lords' Island, in the lake, was the residence of the earls.

The beautiful scenery of Derwent Water, said to be about ten miles in circ.u.mference, has often been described. St. Herbert's Island is named from a hermitage dedicated to that saint. Vicar's Island formerly belonged to Fountain's Abbey. Rampsholm, a small island, is covered with wood. The fish in greatest estimation in the lake is a sort of salmon trout. The celebrated mountain Skiddaw, in this vicinity, said to be about 3036 feet in height, extends to several towns.h.i.+ps; that part which is in Crossthwaite parish is within the towns.h.i.+ps of Under Skiddaw and Crossthwaite, and comprises the manor of Brundholm. The mountain is easy of access; and, standing in some measure detached, the view from the summit, particularly to the north and west, is not intercepted by other mountains: it comprehends the princ.i.p.al part of the county, including the coast from St. Bees Head to the head of Solway Frith, with its several bays and promontories, the Isle of Man, and a considerable portion of the southern part of Scotland. The summit of Ingleborough-hill, in Yorks.h.i.+re, may be seen over the range of hills bounding the head of Ullswater; and a glimpse of the sea near Lancaster is obtained through the gap of Dunmel Raise. Derwent Water and Ba.s.senthwaite lake are the only lakes seen, and but one of these from the summit. The views from the neighbouring mountains may exceed in grandeur the view from the summit of this, but in no other ascent are the prospects equalled, which unfold themselves when overlooking the lake and vale of Keswick, with Borrowdale and Newlands mountains.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WORKINGTON.

(c.u.mberland.)]

WORKINGTON,

c.u.mBERLAND.

When MARY lost the Scottish throne And saw the Stuarts' sceptre fall, She fled--but found in Workington A friend and hospitable hall.

The town and harbour of Workington is situated on the south bank of the Derwent, near its entrance to the Irish sea; it is about seven miles north of Whitehaven, and thirty-four south of Carlisle. It is divided into the upper and lower towns. Leland, in his venerable _Itinerary_, describes "Wyrkenton" as "a lytle prety fyssher-town;" and in his day, indeed, most of the maritime stations on this coast, which have subsequently risen into importance, were nothing more than "pretty little fisher-towns." It is also noticed by Camden as distinguished for its salmon-fishery, owing to its favourable position at the mouth of the river Derwent, whose scenery holds so distinguished a place in the poetry of the Lakes.

The public buildings of Workington are chiefly of modern date, and the houses disposed into two cl.u.s.ters in that called the Upper town. In the area of the new square is the corn-market, and at a short distance are the a.s.sembly rooms and theatre, both of which, though small, are by no means dest.i.tute of taste and elegance. It has a weekly market on Wednesday for corn, and on Wednesday and Sat.u.r.day for butchers' meat.

The church of St. Michael, forming a prominent object in the centre of the Engraving, is a rectory in the patronage of the Curwen family, and contains a monument of Sir Patrick Curwen, Bart., who died in 1661. The chief source of industry here, as at Whitehaven and other towns of the coast, is the coal-mines, which, in the vicinity of Workington, amount to sixteen or upwards, with a depth of from forty to ninety fathoms. The coal lies in bands or seams, divided from each other by intermediate strata. Of these the uppermost is generally three feet thick, the second four, and the third, or lowest, from ten to twelve feet. The extraneous matter that separates the former varies considerably; but the covering of the main coal is of the finest white freestone, about twenty yards thick. When the "new seam," as it was then called, was first discovered at Chapel-bank, the event was celebrated by the late proprietor, Mr.

Curwen, by a splendid festival, and a vast concourse of the inhabitants and neighbours a.s.sembled to drink success to the "black diamond."

The quant.i.ty of coal s.h.i.+pped from this port, per week, amounted latterly to two thousand tons or upwards, and the raising of which, with the aid of several steam-engines, afford employment to between six and seven hundred workmen. The agricultural society of Workington has contributed much to the improvement of the county, and owes its origin to the spirited and indefatigable example of the late proprietor of these mines. A staith or loading stage for collier vessels is seen on the right hand of the ill.u.s.tration. It is an object more valuable for its utility than for any beauty in an artistic point of view; but it is a distinguis.h.i.+ng characteristic of all the ports engaged in the coal-trade, and, wherever it can be rendered available, reduces the expenses of the coal-owner, by obviating the necessity for keels or lighters.

The mansion of the Curwen family--or hall, as it is more generally designated--was formerly a castle of great strength; and, notwithstanding the numerous alterations it has undergone since the feudal epoch, still presents a n.o.ble and imposing feature in the landscape. In this hospitable fortalice Queen Mary was received and entertained by its generous owner, the ancestor of the present Mr.

Curwen, till the royal pleasure of Elizabeth could be ascertained as to her future disposal. The chamber in which she slept is still a recording testimony of the fact, and retains the name of the "Queen's chamber,"

where we may well believe--

"Uneasy lay the head that wore a crown."

The mountains of c.u.mberland--some of which form the background in the present view--are exceedingly numerous, lofty, and of striking conformation. Around the lakes they are often finely grouped, generally clothed with copse-wood: here pastoral, and dotted with flocks; and there rugged, precipitous, and hewn into deep ravines by those thundering torrents which convey their foaming tribute to the lakes.

Every mountain in c.u.mberland has its name celebrated in poetry--every lake has been the subject of some inspired lyric; and such was the favour in which the charming scenery of this county was held by several of the master-spirits of the age, that the lakes of c.u.mberland and the adjoining county were adopted as their residence, and from their banks the strains of Wordsworth and Southey were welcomed as the genuine emanations of inspired minds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WHITEHAVEN,

(with St. Bees-head.)]

WHITEHAVEN,

c.u.mBERLAND.

"The town beneath, the sea before thee; Fruitful groves and flow'ry dells; Rocks and headlands tow'ring o'er thee, All behind thee--lakes and fells!

"Look around thee, gentle stranger, On harvest fields and pastures green;-- In lands where thou hast been a ranger, Fairer hast thou ever seen!"

The town of Whitehaven may be considered as a national monument to the creative influence of trade. Favoured by the geological character of its soil, and fostered by native industry, it has risen in the comparatively brief interval of a hundred and eighty years, to a position of eminence among the minor ports and harbours of Great Britain. What in the middle of the seventeenth century consisted, according to written testimony, of only six fishermen's huts and one small bark, is now a flouris.h.i.+ng town, enlivened by trade and commerce, with a commodious harbour, extensive s.h.i.+pping, and enterprising merchants.

The bay on which the town of Whitehaven is erected is so deeply seated, that the adjacent sh.o.r.e, rising like the grades of a magnificent amphitheatre, appears to enclose it on every side. In approaching it from the north, the stranger is uniformly struck with its sheltered position, and from the heights looks down upon it as on a map spread at his feet. From the south the view is particularly beautiful. The town is well built, the streets wide and enlivened with well-furnished shops, and inhabited by a cheerful and thriving population. Like Longtown, on the Border, Whitehaven is built after a correct plan; the streets cross each other at right angles, presenting much architectural regularity, and combining with the air of internal comfort the outward signs of taste and elegance. The public improvements continue to advance in proportion to the extent of commercial intercourse, and to this, apparently, every succeeding year throws open some new channel. The introduction of steam-navigation between all the adjacent as well as opposite coasts, has powerfully contributed to stimulate the native industry of the place, by increasing the demand for coal--its staple produce--to which we shall more particularly advert in our notice of the harbour.

The situation of Whitehaven in a narrow valley, extending to the village of St. Bees--a distance of several miles--unites with the appearance of seclusion much of that picturesque beauty for which the inland districts of the county are so justly celebrated. St. Bees'-head is a bold and striking feature, and contrasts admirably with the softer scenes from which it projects, as the most imposing landmark on this part of the Channel.

The population of Whitehaven has greatly increased within the last ten years. The neighbouring villages, farms, and pastures, all indicate progressive advancement in the several branches of domestic industry.

The land is highly cultivated, and in many instances fertile and productive; while the orchards and gardens, by the nature and abundance of their produce, bear friendly testimony to the mildness of the climate.

To the Lowther family, who have a handsome castle here, Whitehaven owes its foundation as a borough, and much of its prosperity as a trading port. To the munificence of its patrons--and especially to the Earl of Lonsdale, who has spared neither personal expense nor political influence to facilitate every object which held out the promise of permanent advantage to the inhabitants, it is eminently indebted. And in return, it may be justly observed, that whatever the patron has expended in improving the town and harbour, the people have repaid by increased attachment to the interests of their benefactor. The inhabitants of Whitehaven are noted for their public spirit, honourable conduct in trade, and for that indefatigable attention to business which has so happily distinguished them through a long series of years. It has several schools, two weekly papers, and the study of literature and science is much cultivated and encouraged by the families of affluence and respectability who reside in the town and vicinity. Social and hospitable intercourse, with b.a.l.l.s, a.s.semblies, and public fetes, render the stranger's residence at Whitehaven extremely agreeable. It offers, in general, all the luxuries of a country town, with few or none of its disadvantages; and presents at all times the means of prompt intercourse with the great commercial emporium of Liverpool, the coasts of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Isle of Man. Independently of its immediate vicinity to the Lakes, it would be difficult to point out any situation in the northern counties which enjoys so many attractions in regard to situation, scenery, and society, as the picturesque and prosperous town of Whitehaven.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WHITEHAVEN HARBOUR.]

WHITEHAVEN HARBOUR.