A parish between Skiddaw and the lake of Bassenthwaite in existence since the 8th century when marauding Vikings came to the valley....and stayed.
The village is in a pefect setting, nestled as it is at the foot of Skiddaw, and just a mile from the four mile long lake, and six miles north of Keswick.
The village green is flanked by attractive terraced houses, and nearby is a stream (Halls beck) complete with ducks.
It was here in August of 1780 that the first Lake District regatta was held. In those days one of the main 'spectacles' involved several horses which were towed out into thelake on rafts which were then sunk, forcing the poor animals to swim for the shore...wagers being placed on the first horse home.
At the Ireby/Robin Hood crossroads lies Cobblers Hollow, where wood was collected for soleing clogs. Here, sheep stealers were hanged, and gives rise to the 'Ghost of Cobblers Hollow' which is said to haunt the area.
The village is served by two churches, the Norman St Bega by the lakeshore is the better known of the two probably because it is considered the most romantically situated church in Cumbria.
Here will be seen a Norman chancel arch...a south aisle with broad arcading, and a handsome monument to Walter Vane, poignantly inscribed 'Mortally wounded at the Battle of Bayonne 14th April 1814, died on the 19th of the same month in the 19th year of his age'
It is believed that in 1794 William and Dorothy Wordsworth visited the church of St Bega, and which later featured in Wordsworth's 'A guide to the English lakes'
In 1835, Alfred Tennyson paid his first visit to the church which is probably the setting of the opening of Morte d'Arthur...Sir Bedivere carries King Arthur.
A story locals enjoy telling of St Bega church is the one aabout the arrival of the Irish Saint Bega who arrived here with her nuns looking for a place for her settlement. The then Lord of the Manor said that they might have as much ground as the snow covered on Midsummer's Day....and on Midsummer's Day...Lo and behold....Snow! Saint Bega was the daughter of a seventh century Irish Chieftain. At an early age, she resolved to devote herself to the service of God, and renouncing worldly pursuits, she 'wedded herself' to the cause of Jesus Christ. She fled from Ireland to avoid marriage to a Norse Prince, selected by her father. Having crossed the Irish Sea, she landed at St Bees Head. She possessed a bracelet bearing an image of the Cross which is recorded as having had a miraculous healing property.This bracelet was kept and held in veneration at St Bees Priory until the twelth century.
Close by is Bassenfell Manor built around 1842 by William Rathbone of shipbuilding fame, and which today is a christian holiday centre. To the north stands Armathwaite Hall, former home of the Spedding and Vane families. Armathwaite Hall (now a luxury hotel) in itself has had a long and varied history over its (known) 450 years of life, having been owned by Sir Adam de Bassenthwaite originally, and then Sir Wilfred Lawson, together with three generations of the Spedding family and 150 years of the Fletcher-Vane family.
Situated close to St Bega's church is Mirehouse, built in 1666. It was a literary centre entertaining many writers including Carlyle, Tennyson, Wordsworth and Southey. In fact, it was here in 1835 that Tennyson wrote his Morte d'Arthur, which tells of the sword Excalibur being cast into the water. The house even without its literary connections is well worth visiting. The central part of the house was built by the 8th Earl of Derby, originally as a lodge. The Spedding family, the current owners, have had the property in their family since 1802. The house is open to the public on Sundays and Wednesdays. The gardens too are a delight, especially 'Lovers Lane', Catstocks Woods and the Lakeside View.
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