`The
impressive Skinburness Hotel was built, in 1887, by Edwin Hodge
Banks of Wigton where his family owned a small cotton mill. It stands
on the site of an old pub - The Dukes Head.
The hotel's original interior
Banks
also built Chichester House where he enjoyed the lifestyle of a
wealthy country gentlemen, keeping his 30-foot steam yacht, the
'Neptune', moored nearby. He was declared bankrupt in 1889 and
vanished from the area.
It
then became home to the Carter-Woods family. Their son, Joey, was a
talented artist; he was killed in World War I. Their daughter,
Florence, moved to Newlyn in Cornwall to join her brother in the
artists' colony there.
She met and married A.J. Munnings, famous for
his horse paintings. It was an unhappy marriage and Florence
committed suicide in 1914. The story is told in the novel “Summer
in February” by Jonathan Swift which was made into a movie in 2013.
During
Word War II, The Towers was requisitioned by the Air Ministry and
became a billet for airmen. It then became an hotel known as 'The
Towers' and is now an old people's home.
The
Skinburness Hotel has passed through many hands. It was run by the
government, as part of the Carlisle State Management Scheme between
1916 and 1971.
After this period, it never really regained its
original glory. The last owners were Adrian and Vanessa Moore, a
couple from the North-East. They concentrated on the coach party
trade and re-opened the ballroom. However, the venture was
unsuccessful and the Moores, like H.E. Banks before them, were
declared bankrupt. Their total debts amounted to over £1.2 million.
The hotel in September, 2014 (Picture by Gordon Akitt)
The
hotel closed in 2006. A proposal to demolish it and build a
"retirement village" on the site was rejected, after fierce
local opposition. It now stands derelict, all the fittings having
been removed.
Skinburness
lies about a mile (1.5Km) north of Silloth. The original village has
been extended by an area of modern housing and is a popular spot for
retirement.
Before
the harbours at Silloth and Port Carlisle were built, it was an
important anchorage for ships. Goods were landed there to be taken by
horse and cart to Carlisle or transferred to smaller boats for a
journey up the River Eden to the city. It
became a naval base during the time of Edward I’s campaigns against
Scotland. In 1300, Edward ordered 27 ships from the Cinque Ports, on
the south coast of England, to assemble there. They were joined by
others from Ireland, Whitehaven, Allonby and many other ports in
England. The king established English garrisons in Dumfries and
Lochmaben on the Scottish side of the Solway. All their supplies were
shipped through Skinburness.
In
1301, Edward granted a Royal Charter to the Abbot of Holm Cultram to
hold a weekly market in Skinburness with a fair to be held for
fifteen days during June. It had a very short life. The winter of
1305/6 must have been a stormy one. In March 1306, the King received
a petition from the Abbot to move the market as “a great part of
the road leading to the borough, and much of the borough itself, by
divers invasions and storms were wasted and that the inlets of the
sea were become so deep that people could not resort hither or
inhabit the place as before”. The Abbot was granted leave to move
the market to ‘Kirkby Joan’ which some writers identify as Newton
Arlosh. Local
historian, Dennis Perriham, has recently suggested that it was after
this disaster that the monks of Holm Cultram began construction of
the Sea Dyke which ran right around the coast to Dubmill. Today, the
dyke, seen below, still protects the village from high tides.
After
the excitement of the fourteenth century, Skinburness became again a
quiet fishing village although ships were still being beached there
for unloading in the mid 1800s. One
of the most interesting buildings in the village is the Longhouse
which stands directly above the shingle beach where the boats would
come ashore. It may have been built, around 1770, as a base for
fishing boats and for salting and preserving the catch.
It
was supposed to be the model for Joe Crakenthorpe’s tavern in
“Redgauntlet”by
Sir Walter Scott. In the novel, it is here that Bonnie Prince Charlie
bids farewell to his supporters before boarding the ship which will
take him into exile.
The prince's departure. From a 19th century edition of 'Redgauntlet'
The
building has had a chequered history. In the late 1700s it was home
to a pub, known as The Greyhound. By 1900, it was a private hotel.
Guests at the Longhouse hotel, 1920s
The
hotel's proprietor cashed-in on the literary connection and issued
these souvenir postcards for visitors.
The
Longhouse also seems to have been the base for a regular ferry
service over the Solway to Scotland. This was operated by a relative
of Lucy Carrick who was landlady of The Greyhound Inn.
Today
it has been converted to attractive private residences.
Greenrow
Academy was founded in 1780 by John Drape. It stood between
Bliterlees and Silloth on the site of what is now Stanwix Holiday
Village. John Drape came from the West Cumberland port of Whitehaven,
where his father, another John, ran a Mathematical School, publishing
two books on the subject during the mid 1700s.
John
Drape died in 1795 and was succeeded as headmaster by Joseph Saul, a
member of a prominent local Quaker family. He ran the school for
almost fifty years during which time it attracted pupils from all
parts of the British Isles and some from overseas. It is said that,
by 1811, there were 135 boys on the register.
A pupil's sketch of the school's interior (Carlisle Library collection)
A
wide range of subjects were taught, these included: English, Latin,
Greek, French and Spanish as well as Drawing, Mathematics, Natural
Philosophy, Navigation, Geography, Scripture and Astronomy. The fees
were 25 guineas per year. Joseph
Saul died in 1842. His memorial, in Holm Cultram Church, says ‘he
imparted to thousands the benefits of a sound education and set
before them a constant example of equanimity, integrity and love of
truth’.
Joseph Saul from his memorial
Following Joseph Saul’s death, the school was taken over by his son, John. When John died, in 1853, Isaac Drape, a grandson of the founder, became headmaster. During
Isaac Drape’s headship, the boys were taught drawing by Matthew
Ellis Nutter (1795-1862), an artist of some note. He came from
Carlisle where, for many years, he lectured at the Academy of Art. In
later life, he suffered from ill health and had retired to the coast
on the advice of his doctor. Many of his paintings can be seen at the
Tullie House Galleries in his home town. Isaac
Drape died in December, 1870. On June 9 1871, the Carlisle Journal
contained
a large advertisement for the academy’s ‘Closing Down Sale’;
the entire contents were to be sold by auction on the premises. They
included “35 excellent feather beds, 40 wood and iron bedsteads, a
number of chemical, astronomical and other scientific apparatus,
school desks, maps, globes, kitchen requisites, a pony gig and
harness, brass stair rods, a combined washing, wringing and mangling
machine, sacks of oats and a quantity of poultry.”
The
school building then stood empty for seventeen years. In 1888, it was
being used as accommodation for the ‘Carlisle Poor Children’s
Holiday’ a venture sponsored by a number of philanthropic citizens
of that city. A market garden and nursery were established in the
grounds.
On
August 31st 1888, the buildings and land were offered for
sale by auction in The Queens Hotel, Silloth. They were purchased for
£2,190 by Joseph Wood, the proprietor of Wood’s Bazaar on Silloth
sea front who continued to live there until his death in 1932. The
house was then converted into cottages and was finally demolished in
the 1960s to make way for a car park and the Sunset Inn.
One famous graduate of the Academy was John Francis Ure (1820-1883). Ure started work, aged 15, in the Glasgow marine engineering works of Robert Napier. He later became chief assistant to Andrew Thompson, a leading civil engineer. After a spell at Glasgow University, he was appointed resident engineer to the Clyde Navigation and Harbour Corporation in 1852. Six years later, he became chief engineer on the Tyne where he carried out major improvements to the docks. Ure then became a senior partner in the Govan shipbuilders, John Elder and Co, where he oversaw the building of the Fairfield Yard.
Robley Dunglinson
Another pupil who distinguished himself was Robley Dunglinson (1798-1869). He went on to the Royal College of Surgeons, attended lectures in Edinburgh and Paris and obtained his M.D. from Erlangen in 1823. He later became Professor of Medicine at the University of Virginia.
He was both a friend and attending physician to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, and had two sons who also became doctors.
Paul Bahnsen Lorck (1790-1841) attended Greenrow Academy between 1806 and 1807. He came from Trondheim in Norway. His family had a long tradition in trade, and built a successful financial empire. His father, Christian Andersen Lorck, donated 1,000 riksdaler to the new Norwegian university in Oslo. At that time, Norway was under Danish rule, and Norwegians wanting to pursue an academic career, mostly went to Copenhagen. A businessman, Christian probably did not nurture academic ambitions for his son. Why he chose to send him to Greenrow is not known. It is possible his family traded with the West Cumbrian port of Whitehaven which had an extensive timber trade with Norway and the Baltic ports at that time. The Drape family ran a ‘mathematical school’ there in the 1770s before moving to Greenrow. In later life, Paul Lorck worked in his father's business. His descendant, Frederik Goplen, holds a collection of his manuscripts which includes these marvellous examples of school exercise books from his years at Greenrow.
William Taylor (1828-1844) attended Greenrow between 1841 and his untimely death there from consumption at the age of 18. He had spent some years at a school in Germany but returned to Greenrow when his health deteriorated. He was attended by Dr William Saul, surgeon, of Abbeytown – Joseph Saul’s son. William Taylor’s family came from Stranraer and were important people in the town where they were Inn owners, military men, and magistrates. William’s mother had 15 children between 1823 and 1849! (Thanks to Peter Robson for this information).
Michael Coupland (1788 – 1860) came from Kendal. He painted this charming view of the academy during his time as a pupil there. He left in August, 1816 and Joseph Saul provided him with a testimonial in his own hand. The headmaster said he was “sober, well-disposed man” and that he “conducted himself with great propriety and made very considerable progress in the different branches of his education”. (Information and pictures from Vicki Harding in New Zealand)
At
the start of the century, in the Edwardian era, Silloth was still
being promoted as a health resort for the well-to-do.
Criffel Street in the very early 1900s
Martin’s
guide book for the period proudly claimed “the amount of Ozone
found in the atmosphere is much greater than at any other place in
the British Isles. . . this, combined with the almost complete
absence of fog, renders Silloth a particularly desirable place for
invalids.”
Fresh
air, long walks and sea bathing were the town’s main attractions.
Already, Silloth may have seemed a little old-fashioned. Blackpool
tower had opened 1894. Despite its limited range of facilities, the
town could attract large crowds at times during ‘the season’. At
other times, the streets were pretty deserted.
A
notable feature of photographs from these years is just how
well-dressed the visitors are. There isn't a working man in sight!
Formal dress was even worn on the beach.
The
main entertainment for visitors to the town was provided by a troop
of Pierrots who performed, on the green, in an area known as 'Happy
Valley'. This
view of the Pierrots on stage is taken from a glass negative and must
date from around 1910.
David Fuller with his 'Merry Men and Maids'
The
First World War took a heavy toll in the lives of local men; many
more were injured. The conflict, however, had little real effect on
local life. Visitors arrived in large numbers and the Pierrots
continued to perform every summer.
After
the war, the character of the town and its visitors changed
completely. The middle classes deserted Silloth for more fashionable
resorts in the South of England and on the continent. Silloth
was forced to re-invent itself. It started to do what it still does
today - providing a great day out or a cheap holiday for the working
man and his family.
At
Bank Holiday weekends and during Carlisle Race Week, vast numbers of
day-trippers arrived by rail. Visitors who stayed longer mostly
boarded with local families many of whom let rooms in their homes.
Boating
trips were very popular with these trippers. The local fishermen
hired out their boats for trips on The Solway. In the picture, the
three boats (left to right) are the 'Venettia', the 'Trip' and the
'Foam'. All three belonged to the Baxter family who also built the
landing stage.
Click on Play in the video frame below to enjoy a trip over the Solway to Annan, filmed in 1939.
Bathing
was always popular and dress on the beach became much less formal. It
was in these years that Silloth's most fondly remembered attraction
first appeared - the donkeys!
This picture was taken in 1934. 'Donkey' Gray, the proprietor,
is standing on the right.
During
the 1920s, the area of the green known as Happy Valley, where the
Pierrots used to perform, was converted into a theatre - The Silloth
Pavilion. The
natural hillside was covered with tiered seating.
Charles
Beanland and his 'Silloth Follies' (above) took to the stage every
night during the summer season with extra matinees at 11am and 3pm,
if wet! The
Pavilion was demolished in the early 1950s.
By
the 1930s, the cheap day-trips on the railway had become even more
popular. The scene above shows Carlisle Station on Whit
Monday, 1933. The crowds are waiting for the Silloth train! Click
on 'Play' in the video frame below to watch them arriving at Silloth
and taking a trip to the docks where they watch the hydraulic coal
hoist in operation and see the 'Asseroe' setting sail for the Isle of
Man and Dublin.
In
1938, work began on building a large RAF airfield just outside the
town. Throughout the Second World War it was used as a training base
for bomber crews. A large Maintenance Unit (22MU) was also located
there. Here a civilian work-force fitted armaments, radios and
navigation equipment to planes which were then flown south to the
operational bases.
After
the war, the airfield was sold-off and became the site for many new
industries and the Lido holiday village. Lack
of any maintenance during the war years had left Silloth's sea
defences in a dangerous state. Many of the pine trees and been washed
away and the green was frequently flooded.
In
late 1949, work began on a new sea wall and promenade which was
completed in late 1950 and officially opened in June 1951.
August 1949
May 1950
June 1950
September 1950
Silloth
baths had closed shortly after the First World War. In the 1920s, the
building was converted into a tea room. By the 1950s, it had become
what is still the town's most popular all-weather attraction - The
Amusements.
The
West Beach, with its refreshments huts, remained the most popular
place for families and picnics. A new attraction was the paddling
pool on the green.
