Following a recent walk around the town of Wigton, in north Cumbria, we were curious to learn more about some carved stonework we spotted with the letters C and C 1905.

The former Martins Bank in Wigton, north Cumbria

The carving was above a window in what is currently the local Barclays bank for the town.

Also visible was the quite strong outline of the word Martins, all in capital letters.

The building in question is on Kings Street in the town.

Web research points towards the C and C being The Carlisle and Cumberland banking Company Limited.

The prospectus for the Carlisle and Cumberland Banking Company was issued in 1836.

C and C Bank - 1905 - Better known as the Carlisle and Cumberland Bank

The Martins banking empire took over the branch with the acquisition of Carlisle and Cumberland Banking Company.

Martins, at the height of its success, merged with Barclays in 1969.

Can you add any more to the story of this building and it’s history?  Let us know in the comments area below.

Further information

Cumberland and Carlisle £5 note – The British Museum

Just outside Pooley Bridge and on the junction between Penrith and Tirrel is this unusual fingerpost with a crown on top.

Fingerpost sign just outside of Pooley Bridge in North Cumbria

Often to be found at junctions of old country lanes, the fingerpost  sign has become one of those things to have near any rural community along with the traditional red telephone box.

It is thought that the earliest known example of a fingerpost, is a post from 1699 near Chipping Campden in the  Cotswolds.  A replica of Joseph Izod’s fingerpost is located on the A44 at the junction with the B4081.

Fingerpost history

The General Turnpike Act 1773 required trustees to erect signs informing travellers of the distance to the nearest town.

Many of the earliest signs were erected by the Automobile Association (AA) and the Royal Automobile Club (RAC).

The Motor Car Act 1903  passed responsibility for the provision of all traffic signs to local authorities.

In 1921 the Ministry of Transport produced a manual for direction signs.

It recommended: -

• Standard 2.5 or 3-inch black upper case lettering on a white background,
• That the name of the authority responsible for maintenance should be included in the design,
• The supporting posts were to be white.

These requirements were set down in regulations in 1933 however with a slightly modified character set and paint scheme. This saw the introduction of black and white posts.

Crown on top of fingerpost road sign

Some local variations have taken place over the years to the official regulations.

In Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall the posts are red with white lettering.

Many posts also carry finials in the form of discs, rings, balls and pyramids marked with county names and sometimes map grid references.

The reason for the crown on top the sign near Pooley Bridge however is unclear.

Do you know the reason for a crown on this fingerpost?  Let us know via the comments area below.

Memories of two conflicts are to be found on the salt marshes near to a small village called Burgh by Sands in North Cumbria.

Edward 1 Monument. In the background can be seen the observation post.

King Edward I is remembered in the monument most people associate with this area however a few hundred meters to the north is a monument to more recent conflict, World War II.

The concrete bunker with it’s roof covered with soil and grass was an observation post for a firing range used by the RAF based at RAF Crosby-on-Eden.

Observation Post overlooking Burgh Marshes

This range stretched from Glasson in the west, through Drumburgh, and over to Burgh-by-Sands in the east

No 9 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit, were based at the airport now known as Carlisle Airport.

The airfield to the north east of Carlisle was, during WWII, the home to a number of training units and from late 1944 transport command, who flew Dakota aircraft.

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Can you add to the history of this building, where you stationed at it? Let us know via the comments box below or get intouch via the contact us tab above.

More information about No 9 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit,
based at Crosby-on-Eden in Cumbria

Dover War Memorial Project – Former trainees at the unit

Details about the former RAF Crosby on Eden site

• No 59 Operational Training Unit (20 Feb 1941 – 10 Aug 1942)
  
• No 1383 (Transport) Conversion Unit (1 Aug 1945 – 6 Aug 1946)
  
• Sub-site, No 14 Maintenance Unit (1 Apr 1952 – xxx xxxx)
  

Control Towers Website:-

• 03/41 to 08/42, 59 OTU training day fighter pilots on Hurricanes, moved to Milfield.
• 08/42 to 08/44, 9 OTU, 17 Group Coastal Command, training long-range fighter crews. Beaufort and Beaufighter Conversion Sqns also air firing and night flying Sqns.
• 08/44 to 05/46, 109 OTU, Transport Command with Dakotas. Renamed 1383 TCU 01/08/45.
• /1946 to /1947, British European Airways flights to Ronaldsway and Belfast.
• Purchased by Carlisle Council 1960 and reopened as Carlisle airport.

Royal Air Force (Volunteer Reserve) (RAF(VR)) Officers 1939-1945

• Leonard Hugh Bone – 9 Operational Training Unit RAF, Crosby on Eden (on Beaufighters) More details

214 (Federated Malay States) Squadron Royal Air Force

• Stationed at Crosby on Eden – Sgt Gerhard ‘Harry’ Heilig

All about one of the Dakota aircraft that passed through the air training unit

• Dakota G-AMHJ – KG651

The relation between the Douglas C47 Dakota and the Belgian military aviation can be traced back to october 1944 when a group of Belgian pilots were detached to the Royal Air Force training squadrons based at Welford and Crosby-on-Eden for flight training.

Situated just outside of Penrith in North Cumbria is the now derelict castle at Lowther.

Lowther castle

The 120 acre, Grade II listed site contains the remnants of at least three significant buildings and much of its 17th century gardens remains intact, although very overgrown and neglected.

The grounds were once opened to visitors in 1938 but after being used to test a secret tank weapon during the Second World War, the area has become a relic of its former glory.

The Castle and its Gardens have been closed for 70 years and now stand inaccessible and buried in vegetation.

The Trustees of the Lowther Castle and Gardens Trust plan to transform the imposing remains of the Gothic Castle, its massive stables and over 20 hidden gardens into a destination that will return some of the grandeur and pride to the fallen Cumbrian gem.

Stonework stored in a now leaking shed

The history of the site, its occupants and the notable names that have worked at Lowther is minutely recorded in an archive of over 2,700 steel trunks.

The Castle ruin will be stabilised but it will not be re-built. The ruin will tell the story of the houses that have occupied the site, the surrounding landscape and the stories of the people who have lived and worked at Lowther.

The record of the 130 acre gardens is extensive. The layout dates from the 17th Century but the present gardens are Edwardian and all lie buried under spruce and sycamore planted in the 1960′s.

There are over 20 different gardens at Lowther including a Japanese Garden, a Scented Garden, and an Iris Garden. Some gardens will be restored but visitors will also be able to see the remains of the Edwardian structures, lying derelict, covered in moss and lichen.

An Energy Centre will power the 130 acre site using woodchip fuel derived from the management woodlands on the Lowther Estate. The Energy Centre will house a viewing gallery and education space.

The £15m project will be carbon neutral and will be implemented over four years. The first phase is planned to open to visitors in Summer 2009.

Gallery

More information