A little bit of Cartmel history...

Cartmel’s religious history dates back to 677 when King Egfrith of Northumbria gave the village to St Cuthbert. Founded for ‘the regular canons of St. Augustine’, Cartmel Priory Church of St Mary and St Michael has been a focus for Christian worship for more than 800 years. It continues to serve as a centre for the local community and for the 60,000 pilgrims and tourists who visit each year.

At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries the inhabitants of the village were given leave to keep their church “unplucked down”. Steeped in history and tradition, it has been preserved as one of the finest ecclesiastical buildings in the north of England.
 
The impressive medieval Gatehouse (built in 1330) still dominates the square. Villagers once traded at the Market Cross and Fish Slabs situated by the water pump. Today, they are still at the heart of the village that sits on the gently meandering river Eea.

Horse racing at Cartmel dates back to 1856, but it is likely to have been a sport dating back to at least the middle of the fifteenth century when monks from the Priory would have entertained themselves by organising races on mules!

 

 

 

For more information about Cartmel and the surrounding area visit: cartmelvillage.com