Photographs of Staveley, Burneside and Bowston on the River Kent in South Cumbria.
Staveley and Burneside Fells - Kentmere - Windermere - Kendal
Bowston Weir on the River Kent near Burneside in Cumbria.
The fish ladders in the weir are steps built to help the salmon and trout leap the weir to reach their spawning grounds upstream..In 1880 James Cropper bought the fulling mill at Bowston and used it to prepare rags and ropes for the Burneside and Cowan Head paper mills. In 1879 a narrow gauge tramway was built along the river bank to link all three mills.
Aerial view of Burneside in Cumbria.
The village is home to the paper mill James Cropper plc, founded in 1845.
James Cropper Paper Mill, Burneside, Cumbria.
This paper mill, established in 1845 is the only working mill left on the River Kent, although it no longer relies on the water power from the river. A steam turbine was installed in 1920 which also provided electricity to the village long before other parts of the county. The village was built around the mill and the mill owners have a long history of trying to help the community. They built the church, school and village hall, and even owned the pub, ploughing the profits back into local housing.
Burneside Hall, Burneside, Cumbria.
Burneside Hall was built in 1290 as a pele tower for protection against the Scots. Its first owner was Gilbert de Burneshead from whom the village got its name.
Burneside Hall, Burneside, Cumbria.
The 16th century gatehouse can be seen at the end of the drive.
Private property. No public access.
The Elba Monument on Monument Hill, Hollins Lane, Burneside, near Kendal, Cumbria.
The Elba Monument was erected in 1814 by James Bateman of Tolson Hall to act both as a memorial to William Pitt and to celebrate the imprisonment of Napoleon.
(On private land. No public access).
The inscription on the monument reads:
"IN HONOUR OF WILLIAM PITT
The pilot that weathered the storm. ELBA
James Bateman of Tolson Hall intended to inscribe these words on this monument when he built it in 1814.
But owing to Napoleon's escape from Elba the inscription was not engraved. A century later this tablet was placed here in 1914 by Charles Cropper of Ellergreen."
The imposing gatehouse to Tolson Hall on Hollins Lane, Strickland Ketel, Burneside, Cumbria.
The gatehouse is a folly, probably built around 1800 by James Bateman, who also commissioned the Elba Monument in the nearby field.
St. Oswald's Church, Burneside, Cumbria.
St Oswald's Church was built in 1881 and is the third church on this site. A triple headstone in the graveyard marks the grave of three girls who were killed at nearby Cowan Head when the mill chimney blew down in 1893..
St. Oswald's Church, Burneside, Cumbria.
St Oswald's Church was built in 1881 and is the third church to be built on this site. The triple headstone marks the grave of three sisters who were killed while working at nearby Cowan Head when the mill chimney blew down in 1893.
St Anne's Church at Ings in Cumbria..
There has been a church on this site since the early 17th century, but was rebuilt in 1743.
The doorway of the 1743 St. Anne's Church, Ings, Cumbria.
The coat of arms and plaque commemorate the benefactor Robert Bateman.
A man walking his dog along a snowy, tree-lined section of the Dales Way footpath at Ings near Staveley in Cumbria.
Lake District Sheepdog Trials at Ings near Staveley in Cumbria. Succesfully through the gate.
James Cropper memorial pillar in Abbot Hall Park, Kendal, Cumbria.
James Cropper (1823-1900) of the Burneside Paper Mill was a Christian philanthropist and the last MP for the ancient borough of Kendal.
The wording on the pillar reads, 'By his Christian ideal in public and private life alike and by his constant enthusiasm for all good works he won the gratitude and esteem of a whole county. Kendal is proud of him'.
Aerial view of Staveley, Reston Scar and the foot of the Kentmere valley in the Lake District, Cumbria.
Aerial view of Staveley and the Kentmere valley in the Lake District, Cumbria.
St. Margaret's Tower, Staveley, Cumbria.
Originally this tower was a chapel built in 1388. Only the tower remains now, and this has seen considerable rebuilding work over the centuries.
In 1621 the High Constable of Staveley called a meeting of Border tenants here to challenge King James 1st’s plans to reclaim the Border Estates (land given by the King for supporting the English against the Scots). The King’s plan was defeated at court in 1625.
St James’ Church, Staveley in Cumbria.
The Church of St. James was built in 1864-5 by J.S. Crowther.
Designed by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones and made by William Morris, this stunning window is in St James Church, Staveley, Cumbria.
The central panel shows the Crucifixion and Ascension, and is flanked on each side by six angels each playing a different medieval musical instrument. The window is said to be one of the finest works of William Morris & Co.
In 2009 the Royal Mail chose the angel playing the mandolin to feature on one of the Christmas postage stamps.
Barley Bridge Weir on the River Kent at Staveley in Cumbria.
A fish pass or fish ladder can be seen the far side of the weir, and the first fall of snow lays on the slopes of Brunt Knott in the distance.
Side House Waterfall, Potter Fell, Staveley in the Lake District, Cumbria.
Reflections in the River Kent under an ash tree beside the Dales Way Footpath near Staveley in Cumbria.