Sacred North - a review

Sacred North by Fr John Musther, with photographs by Phil Cope. Review by Alan Cleaver

Fr John Musther is known to many as the parish priest of the Orthodox parish in Keswick. But even those not in the Orthodox church may have seen Fr John wandering around town in his distinctive blue robe, the large Orthodox cross round his neck - and his delightful long white, whispy beard!
He is as gentle as he is tall and has introduced many to his faith through his writings. In his last book, Springs of Living Waters, Fr John guided us through the Cumbrian landscape to show us the many holy wells that still survive, centuries after they were sanctified by Saint Mungo, St Begha, St Catherine and others. 
To the Orthodox church, Saints are not distant, unreachable figures high up in heaven. They are friends who walked the same paths we walk today - and still have something to tell us.
In his new book, Sacred North, Fr John - accompanied by his wife Jenny and photographer Phil Cope - have travelled further afield to show us the holy sites throughout Cumbria and beyond.
The 300-page full colour tome includes Keswick's very own St Kentigern's Church and Derwentwater's St Herbert's Isle.
St Kentigern (also known as St Mungo meaning 'my dear one') was an itinerant bishop who wandered the north in the late sixth century and  it is said he preached from a clearing (or thwaite) at Crosfeld leading eventually to the church at Crosthwaite. The size of the church is evidence of the many pilgrims who have come here throughout the centuries.
St Herbert is less well known but lived on the Derwentwater island that now bears his name making him another of Keswick's very own saints.
The sumptuous photographs and detailed text invited the reader to once again explore these sites and perhaps even wander further with Fr John to Northumberland, the Western Isles, Shetland and some of the most remote places in Great Britain. Indeed, it is fair to say that Fr John and his team have almost literally travelled to the ends of the world. Here are islands so remote they can only be reached by chartering a boat - and only then if the weather permits a landing.
This is a remarkable undertaking but the result makes all the effort worthwhile. This is a coffee-table book - but you'll need a very sturdy coffee table as it weighs in at nearly 3lbs! It is Fr John's gift to those of us who wish to learn more about our nation's spiritual history but don't have his stamina for a pilgrimage to those distant lands. And it's a book you'll read while offering up a silent prayer of thanks to Fr John and his friends.

• Sacred North is £25 from bookshops

- Alan Cleaver

Wasdale to Eskdale corpse road

Living on the edge of the world

Judith Wildwood outside her Braystones home

JUDITH Wildwood has a unique perspective on the world - which is not surprising as she lives on its edge.

She is one of a few dozen people who live on the beach at Braystones in West Cumbria  in wooden single-storey homes that started life over 150 years ago as huts for men working on the railway. Their location tucked into the side of the railway - but on the same side as the sea - makes them some of the most precarious homes in Britain. The tide will generally lash against small, fragile walls in front of the houses - and during a storm the wooden structures take the full blast.

"I am incredibly lucky to live here," says Judith - which on the calm, bright, sunny day I visited her is easy to appreciate. The blue and white home looks out on the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man and what must be jaw-dropping sunsets.

"The summers are absolutely breathtaking," Judith said but added: "In the winter though you cannot remember what the summer was like."

Some of the recent guests to Judith's home have been Barney, Clodagh, Frank, Henry and Imogen - all storms with a particularly vicious sting in the tale. And Judith has no doubt that these storms are getting worse as global warming takes hold. Warmer winters, stronger winds and higher tides are all taking their toll. On the day I visited Judith the 'beach road' - it is barely a track with a few stones in front of it - had just been put back thanks to a man with a digger.

"You can see how much has vanished in the last 50 years," said Judith who has watched bigger and higher tides claim more and more of the beach.

So how do you survive on the edge of the world? Some of the homes do have electricity -some of them having set up generators or turbines for that purpose. Lighting is usually by gas cannisters or paraffin. Heating is by an open fire or gas. There is a telephone and some even have access to the internet. For those who want it - though it's hard to see why when you have one of the planet's greatest views out of your lounge window - there is even a TV signal or you can erect a satellite dish. And yes, they do pay council tax - though it's hard to see they get a fair deal  for the facilites on offer. There is waste collection and the postman finds his or her way up the beach (a letter simply addressed to The Blue and White House on the beach at Braystones will find its way to Judith).  Tesco will even deliver food to your door (the nearest shop is in Egremont) but the van sometimes need a hand getting off the beach. But other firms promising "national delivery" are not usually adept enough to find their way across the railway crossing and onto the beach road. After six months Judith gave up waiting for the delivery van with a new bath to find this 'lost' part of Britain. It's a stark existence and in winter some of the residents will retreat inland but for those who make it through another winter it's a reason to celebrate and be thankful. While storm and flood  coverage by the press has concentrated on the likes of Carlisle, Cockermouth and Keswick the forgotten world of Braystones has largely been overlooked. Perhaps the reporters just couldn't find it.

There is a wonderful archive of stories and pictures about the huts at Braystones at www.pastpresented.ukart.com. It's not clear who has put this wonderful resource together but it's well worth a look.

Homes at Braystones in West Cumbria

Return to St Catherine's holy well

St Catherine's Well, Eskdale

THE restoration of St Catherine's holy well in Eskdale has encouraged me to revisit the various notes on this delightful spot in Cumbria. Much of the work on the well was done in the early 20th century by Eskdale archaeologist Mary Fair. She re-found the well and arranged for it to be 'dug up' and investigated. Curiously by 1942 it had all been forgotten and people were again asking where the well was. A letter (written in 1942) in Whitehaven Archive & Local Studies Centre from Mary said:

"The well is known not only by tradition but by continuity of actual knowledge. Aaron Marshall regularly got water from it and up to about 1870 it was regularly cleared out and kept in running order. After that occasionally cleared to keep the site known."

She tells how she excavated the site in the late 1920s...

"We went under the great blocks of stone forming the basin of the well firmly then set in clay and there were as well structural remains in the form of a solidly constructed framework of mainly oak, set in clay with the boulders forming the basin upon it. There were rude steps leading down to the basin at one side and at one time there had been a roughly built stone conduit in the direction of the church."

Mary speculated in 1927 that the hill near to the well may have housed a home for a hermit. She bases this, rather unconvincingly on the two summits being called Cross Howe and Harmot Howe. She adds: "(They were) also spelt  Harmitt and Harmoth, associated with a place called Arment House, all of which words may indicate that a hermit may have once occupied a small cell at the place." As far as I can tell this is the origin of the 'legend' that a hermit did live there - a story now widely repeated on the net and in folklore books.

There is more evidence for the 'Catty fair' held in a field beside St Catherine's Church. Its first written record is in the church accounts for 1766. The fair was held close to the saint's day of November 25th. According to notes at the archives office, the fair allowed for the sale of corn, drapery, woollen yarn, sheep and pigs.

The restoration of the well in 2014

The fair is again mentioned in a government report of 1889 and around 1900, the vicar of Eskdale Rev W Sykes, wrote "Kitty Fair and Bellhill bonfires remain in memory". Historian Park in his classic work on Gosforth (1926) says the fair was Dodgskin Fair but he gives no source for this.

In the Whitehaven archives there is an undated letter (it looks as if it was written in the early 20th century) from CA Calverly:

"Old Mr Porter of Low Holme told me as a child he remembered the fair held at the church. They had a service first. Catty Fair it was called and gingerbread were made in the shape of a human being, arms outstretched, I suppose to represent St Catherine  on the wheel."

The fair was held in the field between the church and Parson's Passage (what was previously a gated path - Belle Hill Gate; the name - according to a note at the archives - originating from the fact the church bells were hung in a tree beside the gate).

There also appears to have been an annual sports event held beside the church but this died out in 1924.

I wanna tell you a story...

Richard Gibb

IN this digital age, we keep coming up with new ways to tell a story: interactive CD-Roms, flash-driven websites, computer games, ebooks, 3D films - there's no end these days to the imaginative ways to bring a tale to life. But at Keswick for the next few weeks you'll find a fully interactive 3D experience that requires no batteries. Storytree are telling stories in the good old fashioned traditional way: reading them out loud in the open air. And of course the children just love it. So do the adults. This is a family experience which is showing the young ones there is more to life than computers and rekindling a love for storytelling as it used to be in parents and grandparents.


I joined theatre practitioner Richard Gibb on one of the Tale Trail tours as he told classic tales from around the world in an 'auditorium' created by the shore of Derwentwater Lake with a backdrop of the Lake District hills.


Richard said: "Most of Storytree's work is reaching out to the community but the focus of all oru work is stories. Stories are a good way of connecting people with place, they are inspired by the landscape."


The walk is a short one, easily manageable by young and old. Even those with mobility problems should have little trouble as it's all on flat surfaces. The actual walk is only about 20 minutes long, beginning and ending at Keswick Theatre but with four or five stops for a short story, the whole experience lasts about an hour.


Richard had selected stories from all parts of the world but they had one thing in common: they involved mountains, lakes, woods or other aspects of the landscape. It's a perfect theme for tales told around one of the beautiful walks in Britain.


His gentle Scottish accent lends itself to telling tales and the children were quickly drawn in to stories about sea monsters, leprechauns and magical tablecloths. Joining Richard on this particular Tale Trail was Robin Lovegrove from the National Trust. The NT is working with Storytree to produce the series of Tale Trails. Richard was able to add some equally entertaining factual information about the geology of the area during the walk. 


He told me afterwards: "We want to reach out to people - young and old. We want people to appreciate their natural surroundings and engage with people out in the countryside. It's about protecting all our heritage, not just the buildings. If people appreciate what is around them they are likely to respect it."


Now that would be a happy ending for everyone.




* Tale Trails start at Keswick Theatre. They take place on Saturday July 16, Saturday, July 23, Tuesday July 26, Thursday July 28, Tuesday August 9, Thursday August 11, Saturday August 13, Tuesday August 16, Thursday August 18, Saturday August 20, Tuesday August 23, and Thursday August 25. They take place at 11am and 2pm. Prices are: Adults £6, Children £3, Family (2 adults, 2 children) £15. For more information and booking: 017687 74411.

Rushbearing delights

CAN there be anything more quaint and English than a rushbearing festival in a Lake District village? These events began when the churches had mud floors and, once a year, the parishioners would bring in new rushes to put on the floor. Today, a few Lake District villages maintain the tradition even though the floors have long since been turned to concrete or tiles. The rushes and other flower arrangements are paraded around the streets before being blessed at a church service. And in the afternoon there are sports and treats such as gingerbread for the children. The one pictured here is Ambleside which always takes place on the first Saturday in July. You can catch the Grasmere one on July 16 - it starts at 2.30pm in the centre of the village.

Lowther Castle rises from the ruins

LOWTHER Castle near Penrith was once one of the great stately homes in the UK. But over the last 70 years it has fallen into ruin. Fortunately, the castle is now being preserved and the gardens restored to their former glory. While the work is going on, you can visit the grounds - and still walk around the outside of the castle. It only costs a fiver and helps with the multi-million pound restoration project. Lesley and I popped over there last Sunday and there is something quite majestic, yet very sad, about the grounds. The ghosts of landed gentry and ladies still seem to walk in what was once of the most opulent settings Cumbria has ever seen. The Lowther name may not be associated with the best bits of Cumbria's history but it would be great to see this place preserved for future generations. Head to Penrith (junction 40 of the M6) and then head south on the A6 to the village of Askham. You will see signs pointing you in the direction of Lowther Castle and gardens.

Made in CA28

Made in Church Street?

THERE'S an interesting outfit in Peckham, London SE15 which is called Made In Peckham and recycles any old scrap found within that postcode to make 'new' arty furniture. It's a lovely idea and made me think again about promoting what is made on a very local basis. We have Made In Cumbria of course but what about a Made in Whitehaven, Made in Egremont or even Made in Church Street? It would be the chance to show hyperlocal arts, crafts or even some of our bigger industries.


Many people want to buy local but aren't sure what's on offer. And many local artists, chefs or similar produce their goods but have no 'shop window'. A one-day Made In... fair would be a chance to address that issue and perhaps even launch a regular series of local fairs. Just thinking about my home street, there are a number of independent shops: floral arrangements, picture framer, local chef and two photographers all making local goods. Then there are the individual homes and behind those front doors are undoubtedly a number of artists and craftsmen making quality work.


But a Made In Church Street might be too small so how about a Made in CA28 - a postcode covering Whitehaven and surrounding places?

A must-see gallery

Kerry Wright sets up the display

I POPPED in to Lowes Court Gallery, Egremont yesterday. It has to be one of the most delightful galleries in Cumbria and there's always something new on display. This time, it was the launch of the Cockermouth Artists' exhibition with a range of high quality work including water colours, acrylics, sculptures and more. The Independent Cockermouth Artists (I'm not sure what they're independent from!) include the likes of Trevor Green, Phil Cram, Fliss Watts and Jenifer Moore. The exhibition runs at Lowes Court until August 9 and admission is free. You'll find the gallery (it doubles as the Tourist Information Centre) in the Main Street. Check their website for opening times. You'll find hundreds of local arts and crafts on display - and a friendly welcome!

Snuggling up with O'Hooley & Tidow

Review of O'Hooley & Tidow at Kirkgate Centre, Cockermouth on Sunday June 12. 


AFTER  a drizzly, cold Sunday in June the mellow sounds of two Yorkshire folk singers accompanied by the soft and melodious playing of a violin  is just what was needed.


And that was what Belinda O'Hooley, Heidi Tidow and violinist Anna Esslemont provided when they paid a visit to Cumbria to perform at Cockermouth's Kirkgate Centre.


Of course folk music traditionally means depressing songs about famine and death. Belinda and Heidi joked about the selection  of numbers they included in their set about the Holocaust, nursing homes and dead babies but even these were served on a plate of soothing melodies and delicious harmonies. 


It was a curious but welcome mix of songs ranging from traditional folk tunes such as Annie Laurie to their own compositions and even a very pleasant Christmas number which strangely didn't seem too out of place on this unseasonably cold summer's evening.


The more upbeat numbers were the ones that seemed to work best in the acoustically-challenged Kirkgate Centre. The girls' voices, electronic keyboard, violin and a bit of foot-stomping combining to create a sound that seemed to belie the three performers and two instruments.


This was a delicious performance by three striking musicans - a chance to snuggle up in the romantic music and keep warm as temperatures sank to a mere 11 degrees centigrade.


Anna Esslemont returns to the Kirkgate in September with her band Uiscedwr.


* The Kirkgate switches from the sublime to the almost ridiculous when Irish band Dead Cat Bounce appear at the Kirkgate next Saturday (June 18) as a curtain raiser on the Cockermouth Festival. Phone 01900 826448 for tickets or visit www.thekirkgate.com.

Laughs all the way with Hayfever

Ben Ingles, Kate Layden and Olivia Mace in Hayfever

Review: Hayfever at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick until November 7. Box office: 017687 74411. 


IF you have ever been invited to someone's house for the weekend and realised within a few hours that you've made a terrible mistake then you'll enjoy Hay Fever. 


Four guests are invited to a weekend with the family from hell in this Noel Coward comedy set in the 1920s. The last remnants of the upper classes are living out their weird and dysfunctional lives in the country pile at Cookham and having got bored with the adverb game, charades and other trivial pursuits, decide to have fun at the expense of their guests.


This is a play from another time and another culture which could easily have been lost on a 21st century audience but director Ian Forrest and a top-notch Keswick cast manage to keep the play relevant and funny.


The set alone (designed by Martin Johns) was worth a round of applause - Keswick audiences are used to sets with a wow factor but this looked as if it had just stepped out of the pages of Ideal Home magazine. Costume as well was used to great effect and showed off the swinging twenties in great style. 


The family are introduced first with Kate Layden (playing the mother Judith Bliss) taking centre stage and playing the retired actress in a wonderfully affected and effective manner. Olivia Mace and Benjamin Askew play son and daughter Sorel and Simon, somehow managing to make these two rude and silly creatures likeable. Even the 'hard-working' father David (Peter Macqueen) slowly reveals himself to be as ghastly as the others.


And while the weekend visitors may also have their personality defects this simply add to the comic effect of the show. Fiona Drummond gives a terrific performance as nervous and never-wracked Jackie while Ben Ingles is the bemused and befuddled Sandy. Polly Lister is strident as Myra Arundel but even her confidence is lost in a social game where only the family know the rules. And 'diplomatic' Richard Greatham (played by Jack Power) is soon out of his depth.


Maid Clara (Heather Phoenix) provides a grounding in this maelstrom - and she does it in style, getting laughs galore out of her brief scenes. 


The social class structure may have eroded to some degree over the last 90 years but the games people play remain as acute, embarrassing and as suitable a platform for comedy as ever. The cast, set and costumes all combine to make this a wonderful night out. But add in the still razor-sharp script of Noel Coward and you'll be relishing this performance long after the curtain comes down.

The fairies are back

Lesley at the 'high-rise' fairy home!

I WAS near Gelt Wood, Brampton, (that's in Cumbria, UK for my international readership) at the weekend and was delighted to see that the fairies have returned. The fairy houses have mysteriously appeared each summer for the last three years. No one knows who leaves them there. Perhaps they really are fairies, lodging at Gelt Wood for their summer holidays. There are - so far- nine tiny doors to the fairy houses. And for the first time this year there appears to be a "high-rise flat" as well with one door fairly high up in the tree! The doors are numbered or have names such as Ivy Cottage, and there are often small boots or a tiny wheelbarrow close by. Despite them being left in the open for many weeks there does not appear to be any theft or vandalism. Indeed any parts that break off in a frost are usually placed carefully back. And bits of fruit have sometimes been left as gifts for the visiting fairy folk. The precise location is kept reasonably secret as the human neighbours aren't too keen on thousands descending on their quiet bit of countryside. However, a detailed map is now included in our booklet, On the Hunt of Fairies available online for a mere £2.50. Now that's a bit of clever marketing!


* I should point out however that it is not me or Lesley who makes the fairy doors. That would be taking marketing a bit too far!

Lake District crafts

Ralf Bidder in his workshop

I BUMPED into bodger Ralf Bidder at Eskdale Open Art Fair last weekend. The fair at St Bega's School, Eskdale, was a wonderful display of some of the best arts and crafts in the Lake District including some of Ralf's bodging. For those who don't know, bodgers are folk who work with wood. And if you want to see some of Ralf's work head over to his Silent Forest Creations website. It was my picture of Ralf that won me a Barbour coat in the Great In Britain photo competition so I'm working out some sort of time share deal with Ralf and the coat!

Review of The Blue Room at Keswick Theatre

LOVE, sex and infidelity are just some of the themes explored in Keswick's sizzling production of The Blue Room. It's not a production for the faint-hearted or easily shocked but this performance demonstrates how this play written more than a century ago can still ask pertinent questions of the audience.


The Blue Room is author David Hare's adoption of Arthur Schnitzler's controversial work, Der Reigen. More commonly known today by its film title, La Ronde.


Originally written in 1900, it was privately printed for a handful of friends and was never intended by Schnitzler to be staged. When it was performed in public in 1920, Schnitzler was charged with obscenity (but acquitted).


Just the list of scenes will give you a flavour of why it's proved so controversial: The student and the married woman, the married woman and the politician, the politician and the model... You get  the idea. The play follows daisychain-like, the series of sexual encounters with the words bringing the couple's views - and society's views - on sex into sharp focus.


The play is already over 111 years old but since it deals with the eternal themes of love, sex, monogamy, affairs and so forth there's no reason to suppose it won't still be performed for another 111 years or 1,111 years. The play enables each age to think more about its morals and attitudes. 


Perhaps The Blue Room tells us that our age, our society, no longer finders many of these relationships so shocking (a politican having a stable relationship with his wife is perhaps more surprisingthan him having an affair with a model). Hare wrote The Blue Room in 1998 so it's perhaps surprising he didn't extend the sexual melting pot (as others have done) to include gay sex, underage sex or other taboos.


The power in this production comes from the performances by just three actors: Matt Addis, Polly Lister and Olivia Mace. It's hard at times to believe there are only three actors as they take on the variety of roles demanded by the play. I'm sure more than one member of the cast glanced again and again at the programme to double-check just how many actors were involved.


This performance is in the studio at Keswick Theatre and that adds to the voyeuristic nature the audience feels at watching close-up these sexual trysts. Subtle lighting adds to the intimacy while director Ian Forrest ensures the characters and what they have to say remain centre stage.


The Blue Room is being staged at Keswick's Theater by the Lake until November 9. Phone box office:  017687 74411  or visit www.theatrebythelake.co.uk. Please note this production includes strong language, adult themes, nudity and scenes of a sexual nature.

Review of Noises Off at Keswick Theatre

Wicked fun from the cast of Noises Off

KESWICK'S Theatre by the Lake lifted the curtain on their summer season in fine style with a performance of the classic farce, Noises Off.


In some ways this classic of English theatre should be a safe bet but the obituaries of many an am dram company have been underscored by an attempt at farce. It's tempting to think that perfoming a play where everything goes wrong is going to be easy. After all, if anything goes wrong the cast can just pretend it's part of the show! The truth, of course, is that it's one of the hardest genres of theatre. Getting a laugh during a play is an art, getting an audience laughing all the way through is a devil's own job. 


Fortunately this production was in the safe hands of some Keswick stalwarts and laugh all the way through is precisely what the audience did. Noises Off is a play within a play - telling of a theatre troupe's performance of "Nothing On". The drama on stage is nothing compared with the drama going on behind the scenes and in Act II the stage revolves to reveal in all its horror the politics, bitchiness and confusion of what is happening back stage. Author Michael Frayn doffs his cap to the grand English tradition of farce by including lots of opening and shutting doors, dropping of trousers, mistaken identity and a tray or two of sardines. The audience can join in the jokes from the start but it's only when the director, Lloyd Dallas (Matthew Vaughan who appeared in Keswick's succesful run of Arsenic and Old Lace) chirps up from the audience stalls that they realise there's more to this farce than they might first think. Frayn says in the programme notes that "comedy is always funnier if you play it seriously" and as an oh-so-important director, Vaughan underlines the pomposity of a wannabe theatrical company which does indeed take itself seriously. There will no doubt be many members of drama groups chuckling away in the Keswick audience at the hissy-fits, mis-timed entrances and other in-jokes.


It's another Keswick faithful, Ben Ingles, playing the central role of Garry Lejeune who acts as the eye of the storm in the antics of Noises Off. Ingles brings his dancing skills to the fore as he runs, prances and falls around the stage - including a superb fall down a flight of stairs. The audience shares his exhaustion in the frantic scenes as much as they share his bewilderment at the play falling apart around him. Ingles portrays with delightful subtlety an actor facing the ultimate horror of actors going missing, others forgetting their lines and finally the whole script going out of the window.


Another welcome return to Keswick is actor Peter Macqueen (Scrooge of a previous Christmas production) who demonstrates his super comic talents. He has the audience laughing from the moment he walks on stage - indeed the manner of him getting on stage, or trying to get on stage, is usually enough to reduce the audience to tears of laughter. If any actors need a master class in how to make an entrance, just watch Macqueen at work in this production.


If Macqueen demonstrates how to walk on to stage and Ingles how to move around it, then Heather Saunders, playing blonde bombshell Brooke Ashton, shows how to teeter around the stage. Just a high-heeled shuffled across the boards was enough to get the audience giggling and frantic searches for lost contact lenses were enough to keep the laughs coming thick and fast.


Kate Layden as Dotty Otley, Fiona Drummond as Poppy, Jack Power as Frederick Fellowes, Benjamin Askew as Tim Allgood and Heather Phoenix as Belinda Blair complete the cast of this delightful production that will prove a memorable night out for every member of the family. This is a slick, fast-paced comedy where the laughs come fast and furious. 


Director Stefan Escreet and designer Martin Johns manage to work out the entrances, exits and who's-who in this maelstrom without a missed note. It is the first in the canon of Keswick's Summer Season and is Keswick theatre at its best. It bodes well for the other shows opening over the next few weeks.


Please note there is, unusually, two intervals during this show - more than one member of the audience were wrong-footed by the 'ending' at the end of Act II!


Noises Off runs until November 9 at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick. Box office: 017687 74411 or visit www.theatrebythelake.co.uk.

Paramedics of yesteryear

THIS blog is mainly devoted to extolling the beauties of the Lake District but I had no other place to post up this wonderful account of ambulance men of old which, I'm sure you will agree, deserves wider circulation. It's an angry letter from a Whitehaven resident to the editor of the Whitehaven News ranting about the drunken stretcher carriers transporting fever victims from Mount Pleasant (the poorest part of town) to the local hospital. Not only were the men drunk but they attempted to put two women on the same stretcher to save themselves a trip! And on a previous occasion set their patient down on the street while they popped into the pub for another drink! Wonderful stuff. My grateful thanks to Anne Cook of The Beacon museum for passing this on to me.


Whitehaven News, September 15th 1870


DISGRACEFUL SCENE IN WHITEHAVEN


To the editor of the Whitehaven News


Sir,-As an interested townsman, I write to expose and protest against one of the most disgraceful and revolting scenes that it has been my misfortune to witness for many years; and I trust that such exposure will have the effect of arousing to immediate action all who may read it, and who may have any sympathy with the cause it advocates. I refer to the system of conveying to the infirmary the unfortunate victims of the fever epidemic, which is now assuming such alarming proportions in many parts of the town. Last Saturday evening, about half-past seven o'clock, while returning in company with two or three friends, from a visit to the wonderful ventilating fan at the top of Mount Pleasant, which may, perhaps not inaptly be termed the life-preserver of the Wellington Coal Pit,  I was perfectly horrified to behold a poor unfortunate female, who had been seized with the dangerous malady, and who was placed in the so-called sick bed, for the purpose of being taken to the hospital, committed to the care of two men who were so drunk as scarcely to be able to walk themselves, much less to bear the unhappy invalid carefully and safely to her destination. The consequence was the men went reeling and staggering from one side to the other as they descended the hill; and had it not been for the timely assistance rendered by two women who saw the perilous position of the helpless sufferer, she must inevitably have rudely fallen from their hands to the ground, or have been capsized and thrown out of the bed altogether. 


This is not all, however. To save themselves a journey, or to use the common adage, to "kill two birds with one stone," the men attempted to cram into the narrow portable bed another patient, who had been smitten with the disease; in doing which they dragged her into the open air, and after making several abortive, but shameful, efforts to squeeze her in beside her sister victim, relinquished their inhuman cruelty; and the girl, after having been thus exposed to the cold atmosphere for a considerable time, was conveyed back to her sick chamber, there to await the return of the besotted carriers.


Now, sir, I ask is not such an exhibition as the one I have described a disgrace to the authorities who permit it? However they may regard these remarks, the scene in question called forth a universal burst of indignation from the crowd who quickly collected together as they approached the principal thoroughfare, so that I am but expressing the feelings of all who witnessed the affair. I have been informed that the above is only one out of many similar sights. Only a few days ago, indeed, the men set their patient down on the street, while they coolly stepped into a public house close by for the purpose of regaling themselves once more with the "invigorating draught!"


Now, sir, with these facts before you, I ask, why allow men, in this drunken state to perform such important duties? Is it because the authorities cannot get anybody else? I think not. I am quite sure that the friends of the patients would a thousand times over prefer to take them to the hospital themselves, than give them in charge of men who are more like pitching them into the street than anything else. Or is it because the men need to be rendered stupid by intoxicating stimulants to avoid catching the contagion? Surely our medical advisers can administer some safer  and equally non-infecting prescription, or the query will arise, how do they themselves escape the various maladies with which they are brought in contact? Evidently these are the chief difficulties in the way, and both seem capable of easy solution; then, sir, for what other reason can such a state of things be tolerated in our midst? Can it be attributable to the fact that the subjects of the fever belong mainly to the poorest and lowest classes, and therefore unworthy of any better treatment? I would fain hope that such an imputation may be groundless, but it must certainly be obvious to every thoughtful and candid person that there is something seriously defective in this department of so useful an institution as the Whitehaven infirmary; and I feel assured that the attention of the governors is only required to be called to the matter to ensure an effectual remedy. 


- I am, &c., AN EYE WITNESS.

Old Flo is back

WHAT better way to spend your birthday than painting and decorating! But it was all in a good cause as I was helping the other volunteers at the Old Florence Mine, Egremont which is being converted into an arts centre. There are some exciting plans but I won't steal the thunder of the organisers. The mine used to extract iron ore so there was red dust absolutely everywhere - no matter how hard you tried to clean it up. I don't think I'm giving too much away to say that the new arts centre hopes to incorporate some aspect of the iron ore in its new plans.

In the evening, it was the preview evening of the Eskdale Art Fair which takes place all bank holiday weekend at St Bega's School, Eskdale Green. The quality of the work is stunning, with mostly local artists and many local views. The fair raises money for the school which has just 41 pupils. What a shame there aren't more events like this to show off the great talents of local artists.

Exploring Eskdale

ESKDALE is gearing up for the Eskdale Open Art event this weekend (Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday). It takes place at St Bega's School and they're normally very good at marshalling cars into the car park. But can I suggest a more pleasant way of getting there is via The Ratty steam engine. Either park at Eskdale and take the train to Eskdale Green (it's then a short walk to the school), or park at Dalegarth near Boot and it's a short hop on the Ratty to Eskdale Green. You could even walk from Dalegarth, calling in at the Japanese Garden above Giggle Alley. While in Eskdale, there are plenty of other places to explore. Top of my list would be a trip to the Woodland tea rooms at Santon Bridge for tea and cake. Next door to it is the gift shop which is crammed full with super gift ideas and local arts & crafts. Further down the valley is the village of Boot and the wondrous Eskdale Mill. Miller Dave King will give you a guided tour for the sake of a few pence and you can then wander round the mill garden - perhaps even meeting Stanley the mill cat. There's so much to see and do in Eskdale, you'll never tire of this idyllic valley.

Bank Holiday bonanza

Herons wait for feeding time at Muncaster Castle

THERE'S plenty going on in and around the Lake District this weekend - here are just a couple to give you a taste of what's available.


If you're looking for family fun then you'll do no better than to head to Muncaster Castle and join in the fun as they chose their new Tom Fool. The castle is home to the original 'Tom Fool' - Tom Skelton - but each year a new jester is selected. The tournament begins on Saturday (May 28)  and continues until the final being on Wednesday, June 1. That means five days of tomfoolery! In addition to the magnificent castle there are the superb grounds, the World Owl Trust is based there and at 4pm each day is the feeding of the herons - a most weird sight! (see picture)


And just up the road from Muncaster, you'll find the Eskdale Open Art weekend taking place at the tiny St Bega's School at Eskdale Green. This is the school's major fund-raising event for the year and attracts some of the best art, photography and crafts in the region. Some of my work will also be there! Lesley and I will be launching our latest booklet, Strange Eskdale, detailing the folklore and ghost stories from the valley. We'll also have a few photographs on display. The exhibition is open all day Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. And there will also be tea and cakes available.

• Check out GoLakes for other Cumbria events including the start of the summer season at Keswick's Theatre by the Lake, 3D films at Rheged and the chance to meet real owls at The Ratty steam train (Ravenglass).

Something of a rum do

ONE of my favourite haunts - perhaps because it is haunted! - is Whitehaven's Rum Story. The tiny entrance on Lowther Street, Whitehaven, belies the huge museum inside. The building was once the warehouse for Jeffersons' rum and it is now used to tell the story of the rum trade - and the less pleasant slave trade. But it's not the museum I visit week in and week out. It's the coffee shop and gift shop. You can sit and drink your latte while watching the famed Rum Story clock strike the hour and half hour (it tells the story of rum while 'chiming') in the pleasant courtyard. But the gift shop is the real treasure trove, crammed full with some of the best arts and crafts from West Cumbria. If you're ever short of an unusual birthday gift, just pop in here and you'll be sure to find something. What's more The Rum Story is open seven days a week. If you haven't visited recently, do pop in. Oh, and the ghost - that's Henry. You can some times join a ghost hunt at the Rum Story to watch out for him. See their website for details.