Kirkby Lonsdale, United Kingdom
Kirkby Lonsdale is a town of 1,843 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Kirkby Lonsdale
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 20 places to eat, 9 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Devil's Bridge, Ruskin's View, Sellet Hall and Casterton Golf Course.
Weather in Kirkby Lonsdale
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Kirkby Lonsdale
Kirkby Lonsdale () is a town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically in Westmorland, it lies 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Kendal on the A65. The parish recorded a population of 1,771 in the 2001 census, increasing to 1,843 at the 2011 Census.
From the Wikipedia article Kirkby Lonsdale (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Kirkby Lonsdale on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do2
Ruskin's View
Scenic view
View of landscape. Painted by JMW Turner, later commented on by John Ruskin.
Museums and landmarks2
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes20
Number Fourty Four
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Sandwich
44 Main Street, Kirkby Lonsdale
Mo-Su 10:00-16:00
The Royal Barn
Bar and pub
New Road, Kirkby Lonsdale
Mo-We 10:00-21:30; Th-Sa 10:00-23:00; Su 11:00-22:00
8 more on the map.
History
Early signs of occupation include a Neolithic stone circle on Casterton Fell and remains of Celtic settlements at Barbon, Middleton and Hutton Roof.
During the Roman period, a Roman road followed the River Lune, linking forts at Low Borrow Bridge near Tebay and Over Burrow, south of Kirkby Lonsdale. A Roman milestone unearthed in 1836 and described as "the best in the country" was re-erected on a hill near Hawkin Hall (SD 623 859), close to where it was found.
Kirkby Lonsdale developed at a crossing over the River Lune, where drovers' and pack-horse routes converged. It is one of few Cumbrian towns mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book, where it is called Cherchibi (village with a church). An earlier church was rebuilt by the Normans, who erected an artificial mound or motte on nearby glebe land. A wooden tower or keep is thought to have surmounted the stronghold as a base for controlling the surrounding area.
In later years, the mound was used for cockfighting, hence the current name of Cockpit Hill. In 1093, Ivo de Taillebois (Baron of Kendal) granted the church at Kirkby Lonsdale to St Mary's Abbey in York, which held it until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Thereafter the abbey and its possessions, including St Mary's Church, passed to Trinity College, Cambridge, which retains the patronage to this day.
Read more of the history
In 1227, the town gained a market charter and the right to hold an annual fair every September. Each week stallholders gathered in Market Street to sell their wares, as did horse traders in the Horsemarket and pig sellers in Swinemarket. Thursday was as now the scene of great activity. Kirkby has an annual festival called the Victorian Fair.
The weekly market and daily throughput of drovers and pack-horse carriers created a bustling town, with a total of 29 inns and alehouses, of which eight remain. By the early 19th century, the old market area was becoming too congested and a new market place was built in 1822.
The steep incline of Mill Brow with its fast-flowing, now culverted stream was the industrial heart of Kirkby Lonsdale, with several mills using water power for grinding corn, bark and bone, carding wool, manufacturing snuff, making bobbins and fulling cloth, and sawing timber.
Today Kirkby Lonsdale remains a busy town with a market. The centre has a mixture of elegant 18th-century buildings and stone cottages huddled round cobbled courtyards and narrow alleyways, with names such as Salt Pie Lane and Jingling Lane.
St Mary's Church is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of six local churches to form the Kirkby Lonsdale Team Ministry. It contains Norman architecture and is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.
Kirkby Lonsdale's Queen Elizabeth School on Biggins Road is a secondary school specialising in the performing arts, sports and languages.
A two-day Victorian fair used to be hosted in the town each September. The streets were closed to traffic and filled with traders' stalls, craft demonstrations and entertainment, while visitors were encouraged to wear Victorian dress.
From the History section of Kirkby Lonsdale on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Kirkby Lonsdale
Fiona Cracklesengland field hockey playerPhoto: Natasha Iles, CC BY-SA 4.0
Arthur Llewelyn DaviesBritish lawyerPhoto: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Herbert Richmond PalmerEnglish barrister and colonial supervisor (1877–1958)Photo: Huguº, CC BY-SA 3.0
Edward BickerstethEnglish priest, died 1850Photo: Thomas Anthony Dean, Public domain
Alec Taylor, Sr.British horse trainer (1825–1895)Photo: Unknown engraver, Public domain- Henry Bickersteth, 1st Baron LangdaleBritish lawyer
- James BaynesEnglish painter and drawing master (1766-1837)
- Robert BattyEnglish physician
- Humphrey Procter-GreggBritish composer and musicologist (1895-1980)
- Percy Pease(1876-1940) merchant and politician
- Jimmy DoddEnglish rugby union footballer
Born in Kirkby Lonsdale, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay9
Churches and places of worship13
Shopping12
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries6
Healthcare1
Map of Kirkby Lonsdale
70 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Walney Aerodrome (BWF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 27 miles away.
- Silverdale 9 mi west, about 15 min by car
- Kendal 10 mi northwest, about 17 min by car
- Burneside 12 mi northwest, about 20 min by car
- Lancaster 14 mi southwest, about 22 min by car
- Morecambe 14 mi southwest, about 23 min by car
- Staveley 15 mi northwest, about 24 min by car
- Heysham 16 mi southwest, about 26 min by car
- Overton 17 mi southwest, about 27 min by car
- Ulverston 20 mi west, about 32 min by car
- Barrow in Furness 26 mi west, about 42 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Kirkby Lonsdale
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Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Kirkby Lonsdale Library, Peter James, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3 Beck Head, Kirkby Lonsdale, Peter James, CC BY-SA 4.0
- All Saints Church, Lupton, Richard Webb, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St Bartholomew's Church in Barbon, User:James@hopgrove, Public domain
- St Peter's Church, Mansergh, John Illingworth, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Holy Trinity Church, Casterton, Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0
- CS p4.320 - Underley Hall, Westmorland - Morris's County Seats, 1879, Unknown author, Public domain
- Queen Elizabeth School, Kirkby Lonsdale, SamH29, CC0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
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