Two street artists have helped celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Lake District and the launch of the Lakes Alive’s summer season of outdoor shows, by performing on top of a Cumbrian mountain.

Jem Famous, who lives in Ambleside staged the show with fellow performer Campbell Innes.

Campbell Innes and Jem Famous performing on High Street - Pic Stewart Smith

The two street artists gave the UK’s highest outdoor show earlier today, on a Lakeland mountain where a traditional summer fair took place in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The annual shepherds’ meet was held each year on High Street on the 12th July up until 1835.

People from surrounding valleys would gather on the mountain, then known as Racecourse Hill, to take part in games and wrestling.

They would also take the opportunity to return stray sheep to their owners.

High Street, which is 2,700 feet high, was also a Roman road between Ambleside and Penrith and is popular with fell walkers.

The pair performed a show called ‘Grow Your Own’ which features juggling with a sickle and Peter Rabbit’s daring escape from Mr McGregor’s sack.

Jem Famous said: “It was an extraordinary day of performing, even by our standards.  Everyone up on High Street had a big surprise and a lot of fun.  In fact it was the first show we’ve done where not one person walked past without stopping to watch.

Lakes Alive is Cumbria’s unique contribution to the Legacy Trust UK programme, which was set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The Lake District National Park was established on 13th August 1951 and is England’s largest National Park, covering 2,292 square kilometres.

Two artists, who will be following the footsteps of famous puppeteer and showman Walter Wilkinson, are looking for people who saw his performances or met him when he toured parts of Cumberland and north Lancashire in the 1930’s.

Vagabonds (credit Steve Barber)

Gary Bridgens and Phill Gregg of Headzup Theatre in Barrow will travel about 100 miles, mainly on foot, through the countryside of the Lake District and South Cumbria, performing along the way.

Their specially created show, called Vagabonding, will feature songs, stories and puppetry inspired by local history and folklore.

The performers will collect stories from the places they visit, sharing them with new audiences each day.

Walter Wilkinson – Puppeteer

Walter Wilkinson toured the UK and the USA during 1920s and 1930s.

He carried a small cart, which doubled up as a puppet booth and set up his show wherever he could find an audience.

He wrote travelogues of his experiences, which became a series of popular books.  The author DH Lawrence, said of one of Wilkinson’s books that ‘It reveals England better than twenty novels written by clever young ladies and gentlemen.’

Wilkinson visited what is now know as Cumbria in the early 1930’s, during what he described as the wettest summer for 40 years.  He battled through storms and driving rain to visit Coniston, Grange over Sands, Cartmel, Ulverston and Kendal, where he wrote   ‘There was no doubt about the audience; we have seldom met better.  They threw a good deal at us, but only in the shape of applause, and it was obvious that the people of Kendal have very good taste’.

His trip to the area was part of a tour of Lancashire and was described in his book Puppetts Through Lancashire, which was first published in 1936.  The book also describes his visit to Lancastrian towns such as  Preston and Lancaster.

Gary and Phill are hoping that they can meet some of the people who saw Walter Wilkinson’s shows all those years ago, hear some anecdotes about his visit to the area and maybe even unearth one or two photos of the performer.

Gary Bridgens says:  “As performers, we are fascinated by Walter Wilkinson.  He is a real inspiration to us.  We would have loved to have seen some of his shows and it would be fantastic for us if we could meet anyone who had seen him perform and could tell us what he was like.  Alternatively, people could just send us their memories of him.  It’s a long time ago but we’re hoping that there are one or two people who saw him and his shows.”

Gary and Phill’s tour starts at Piel Island and stops along the way will include Ulverston, Grange, Kendal, Windermere, Kirkby Stephen, Dalton and Barrow.

Vagabonds (credit Steve Barber)

As well as performing for people they meet on their travels, Gary and Phill will be doing free outdoor shows at fixed times in each place they stop.

They will also be recording their experiences on a blog, and on Facebook and Twitter so that audiences from far and wide can share in their journey.

Lakes Alive

Vagabonding has been commissioned by Lakes Alive, Cumbria’s programme of world-class outdoor arts events.  Lakes Alive is the county’s unique contribution to the Legacy Trust UK programme, which was set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The programme of events is created and directed by Kendal Arts International with Manchester International Arts.  Julie Tait, the director of Kendal Arts International, says:

“Gary and Phill’s journey will take them through many of the communities in South Cumbria giving lots of people the opportunity to see the show. I’m sure it is something that everyone will enjoy and I hope that when people see Gary and Phill passing through with their cart,  they will come out to meet them.”

For more information on Vagabonding and other Lakes Alive performances visit www.lakesalive.org.

Do you have any memories about Walter Wilkinson?

If anyone wants to contact Gary and Phill about Walter Wilkinson they should email mail@lakesalive.org, telephone 01539 720252 or write to  Lakes Alive, Kendal Arts International, 22 Riverside Business Park, Natland Road, Kendal, LA9 7SX

The Lake District National Park is celebrating it’s 60th birthday later this year and you can join in.

Lake District National Park - 60th Birthday

Photographers are being challenged to recreate historical images of special iconic national park locations to help celebrate the organisation’s birthday.

Can you provide a modern day twist on any of a series of iconic photographic locations depicting the national park through the decades.

Details of how to enter and the prizes are all available on the LDNP website.

The closing date for entries is Monday, 18 July 2011.

A busy year in the Lake District

The photographic competition is just one of a series of events planned for the year.

Guided walks and special celebrations are also being arranged  as well as a special birthday party for Sunday, 14 August at the national park visitor centre, Brockhole.

National Parks across the UK are looking forward to welcoming more visitors than ever this summer as people decide to holiday at home.

With National Parks Week coming up at the end of the month, 26 July to the 1 August 2010, and the  2010 Festival of Archaeology  also in the same week, there will be plenty to enjoy then and throughout the summer months.

Investigate Galava Roman Fort near Windermere

A full list of events taking place around the country as part of the 2010 Festival of Archaeology can be found  on the Council for British Archaeology website.

Details of National Parks week can be found on the National Parks website

The Festival of British Archaeology 2010, runs from Saturday 17th July to Sunday 1st August and thousands of budding archaeologists are expected to attend more than 750 digs, walks, talks, family fun and activity days across the UK, discovering Britain’s extraordinary past.

It is celebrating its 20th year of ‘Archaeology for All’ and is the biggest ever UK-wide extravaganza of archaeological and heritage events, which are open to everyone and are held to encourage everyone to take more of an active interest in their past.
Events to enjoy during the week  include:

• Finding Galava – Wed 28 July, 2010 14.00–16.00

A fun, family discovery walk going back in time at Galava Roman Fort, which is situated in a stunning location on the shores of Windermere, just on the outskirts of Ambleside. Families will have the chance to explore the site with the help of the local National Trust Community Learning Officer, to uncover why the fort was built, piece together what the fort would have looked like and find out what was going on here during the Roman army’s conquest of northern Britain from the 2nd to the 4th Century AD.

• Fire Breathing Dragons and Pans of Gold – from Pinkery to Chapman Barrows – Friday 23 July

This walk uncovers 5000 years of history in one of Exmoor’s most evocative landscapes. Join a National Park Archaeologist to explore aspects of the reclamation of the Royal Forest and then up on to the Chains to look at the prehistoric burial and ritual monuments and to learn about recent discoveries there.
Walkers should wear sturdy walking boots, appropriate outdoor clothing and bring a picnic. Meet at pull-in near Goat Hill Bridge SS724403 at 11am (finish approx. 3pm). Dogs are welcome, call 01398 322289 for more information.

• Roman Mosaic Making – Saturday 24 July, 11am – 3pm.

A chance for people to come along and learn about Roman mosaics and to make their own Roman style mosaic. Places are limited and pre booking is required by calling 01398 322289, cost £2 per person to cover materials.

• Timberscombe Hillfort Open Days – Friday 30th and Saturday 31 July, 10am to 3pm – everyone welcome!

Exmoor National Park Archaeologists and local volunteers will be investigating the Iron Age Hillfort near Timberscombe offering a chance to find out more about the reality of life in Exmoor’s Iron Age some 2500 years ago. On hand to bring history to life will be Iron Age re-enactors, an Iron Age blacksmith plus demonstrations of geophysical surveying, wood-turning and tours of the hillfort.   Parking available in Timberscombe or at SS955412 (field adjacent to site) access is restricted in poor weather.

A busy week in the National Parks

Other events in National Parks include ‘Hands on Heritage’ in Dartmoor National Park – with activities, quizzes, dig boxes and demonstrations; an art workshop in Snowdonia National Park; a medieval fayre in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and a tour of some of the places that inspired Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’ in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Born in 1904  Josefina de Vasconcellos lived to be over 100 and left a legacy of fine artwork around the world.

The daughter of a Brazilian diplomat she married Delmar Banner in 1930.

Art seemed to be Josefinas’ passion from an early age and she was soon gaining awards and prestigious commissions.

It was during a painting expedition in the 1930′s that she first came to the Lake District. Eventually they purchased a farmhouse in the Langdale Valley called the Bield.

The Hand, placed in the grounds of St Bees School, was one of the works to be created during the 1940′s.  It is in memory of a friend who died in WWII.

In 1957 her sculpture entitled ‘Virgin and Child’ was donated to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. This marked a turning point in her career as she became the first woman to have a sculpture in the Cathedral.

Josefina was awarded an MBE in 1985 for services to the community in Cumbria.

One work, Reconciliation, first given to Bradford University in 1973 struck a chord with many and has since been versioned for many locations including Coventry Cathedral, The Berlin Wall, Hiroshima and in the grounds of Stormont Castle in Ireland.

In Cumbria, Josefinas work can be seen at St. Bees School and the Virgin Group sponsored woodland walk at St. Bees priory, Cartmel, Brougham Castle near Penrith and many other locations.

The Josefina de Vasconcellos Arts Care Trust is a fully Registered Charity, No. 1119354, set up in honour of the work and ideals of Josefina de Vasconcellos, MBE.

We will be adding to the gallery below as we come across any further examples of work by  Josefina de Vasconcellos.

Carrying the busy A66 between the M6 and Keswick is what is possibly the largest concrete span bridge in Cumbria, the Greta Bridge.

Four lanes of thundering traffic pass over this bridge everyday, however many motorists are unaware of the valley below or what an achievement it was to build it.

The structure, is said to have been designed purely by engineers with no architectural input and is renowned for its aesthetic qualities which ensure it blends well with the surrounding Lake District countryside.

Greta Bridge, Keswick

Opened in 1977 Greta Bridge spans the River Greta and is sandwiched between the edge of the town of Keswick and the fells including Latrigg.

Passing underneath the bridge is the National Cycle network route 71.

This path and the associated Keswick railway footpath uses the old track bed of the Keswick railway which closed in 1972.

Construction began on the bridge in 1974 and forms part of the Keswick Northern Bypass project.

With five spans the 220m long structure sits on very tall pillars spanning the valley below.

It was one of the longest bridges of it’s type at the time.

The bridge is said to be one of the first structures to be designed using finite element analysis.

Leading Expert

One of the major structural engineers involved in the bridge design and in particular the use of pre-stressed concrete in road building was Roy Rowe.

Greta Bridge, Keswick

He devised mathematical formulae to work out stresses and loads on concrete structures and was to become one of the leading experts in the use of concrete as a building material in civil engineering.

Roy Rowe died of heart disease on December 18, 2008, aged 79.

Proud

Writing in the NCE (New Civil Engineer) Mr. Peter Donaldson who was the structures Agent for the main contractor Tarmac Construction, says that the building of Greta Bridge was not without difficulty.

Mr Donaldson writes “In plan, the bridge follows a reverse curve which requires a constantly changing carriageway crossfall from one abutment to the other. In turn, this varying crossfall geometry is repeated in the cross sectional alignment of the deck itself, resulting in webs which, although apparently vertical, are actually at right angles to the deck soffit and upper slab”.

Mr Donalson was writing to the letters section of the New Civil Engineer in response to the announcement that the Great Bridge had been nominated as Britain’s best civil engineering structure of the century (NCE 4 November 1999).

Mr Donaldson adds ”  I think I can speak for all of us involved in its construction when I say that we remain immensely proud of what we achieved”

Award winning

Best Civil Engineering Structure of the Century, Greta Bridge

In 1977 the bridge was awarded a Highly Commendation by the Concrete Society.

Readers of Concrete magazine however voted it Best Civil Engineering Structure of the Century in 1999.

Beverley Hughes MP, Minister for the Environment, unveiled a plaque, which is positioned beneath the bridge.

The Plaque reads:- ‘GRETA BRIDGE Voted Best Concrete Engineering Structure Of The Century September 1999 / Consulting Engineer : Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners / Contractor : Tarmac Construction / Maintained by The Highways Agency.

Other links

The urban morphology of Keswick

Location details from Google Maps      54.605880, -3.114635 +54° 36′ 21.17″, -3° 6′ 52.69″ Link:

Great Britain in the 15th and 16th Centuries was a place of many small parishes, some very rural and isolated.  Most of these villages did have their own church or chapel but they were linked to Mother churches or Minsters, which at this time were the only churches to have burial rights.

Increasing pressure for autonomy from outlying villages led officials at these Mother churches to be concerened over loss of control and income. Corpse roads were instituted, connecting outlying locations and their mother churches.

These corpse roads, death or Ley roads, usually went in straight lines from the parish to the mother church, which would seem to harken back to an age of pagan belief that a spirit can only travel in straight lines.

Corpses were transported long distances, often over difficult terrain, usually the coffin would be carried but sometimes the deceased would have the luxury of horseback.

Coffin stones at Frank's Bridge, Kirkby Stephen

Distinguishing features of a corpse road, would be that it went in more or less a straight line with resting places or coffin stones along its way (shown above at Frank’s Bridge in Kirkby Stephen).  Sometimes markers such as crosses or stones marking the distance would be present and can exist to this day.  Many seem only to be a footpath now with little or no evidence to support their previous purpose.

Boundary marker on corpse road at Whinlatter

This boundary marker (we presume for the forest) is situated on a corpse road which passes over Whinlatter in the Lake District.

Fields crossed by corpse roads often had names like “Church-way” or “Kirk-way Field”, which can give a clue to the location of the old corpse road. These paths through fields were never ploughed.

According to the Encyclopaedia of Superstitions (E &,V M Radford, Hutchinson, 1948: edited and revised by Christina Dole, 1961). ”A very widespread belief, still far from extinct, is that if a corpse is carried over private land, its passage establishes a right of way for ever… but this has no actual foundation in English law”.

A great number of superstitions and Ghostly tales are linked to these roads… If you know of any, then send the details to us via the comments link below.

There is no official record of these roads but an interesting website belonging to The Society of Ley Hunters has compiled data from around the UK and further afield.

Historical Geographer, Paul Hindle, lectures on the subject of old maps, roads and tracks, and the Lake District. Limestone landscapes & caves, and towns & roads in medieval England.

For those interested in reading more; the following books may be of interest.

On the eastern banks of Windermere and set in acres of gardens is the Lake District National Park property called Brockhole.

Brockhole

Brockhole is approximately half way between Windermere and Ambleside.

For over 40 years Brockhole was the home of the Gaddum family.

Beatrix Potters cousin Edith, married merchant William Gaddum, a wealthy silk merchant from Manchester who built the house.

 In the 1940s it became a convalescent home, and since 1965 it has been the main Visitor Centre for the Lake District National Park.

The gardens

The ten acres of formal gardens were designed by Thomas Mawson over 100 years ago.  

Although the house is protected from development the gardens are Grade II-registered. 

Thomas Mawson died in November 1933 at Applegarth, Lancaster and is buried in Bowness Cemetery. He also designed gardens at nearby Holker Hall and those at Langdale Chase.

Stunning views

The temperate climate at Brockhole allows for many unusual or slightly tender plants to flourish alongside the shrub roses, herbaceous borders and the scented and wildflower gardens.

Art around the gardens

Twenty acres of informal grounds surround the house which, set high overlooking the gardens, offers commanding views out to the fells and mountains of the Lake District.

A number of pieces of art also scatter the grounds.  Some are in the form of free standing stone carvings and others are integral to the fabric of the grounds.

The Future

The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) is considering the options for the site, including demolishing the house and building a “genuine 21st century world class visitor attraction.”

According to the LDNPA the development will cost in the region of nearly £30m, and attract around 170,000 visitors a year bringing in around £100,000 in rents and profits share.

The Victorian Society is now hoping the historic and architectural importance of Brockhole will be enough to earn it listed status and protect the house from plans to knock it down.