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Carlisle is Cumbria's cathedral city, and a major market and industrial centre. It has enjoyed an extremely important status since the Roman occupation when it was set up as an administrative centre...back in AD 78. Originally known as Luguvalium, the then Roman town was laid out in grid squares and was considered a handsome city.
For about 250 years, the inhabitants of the civil settlement of Luguvalium experienced a high standard of comfort, hygiene, wealth and security such as not known again until the current 20th century. Carved tombstones, such as the one showing a lady in rich draped clothing, sitting in a high backed chair, a pet bird sitting on her lap, and holding a fan; are one source of the Roman way of life at that time. These artefacts are now housed in Tullie House.
Anglo-Saxon invaders were the first to settle here in the south and east of the country, and from which British Kingdoms emerged. Rheged, with its capital at Carlisle, was the most important. 'Old King Cole' of the nursery rhyme was Coel Hen, the earliest ruler of Rheged.
Towards the end of the 9th century, it was the Danes who sacked Carlisle, destroying it completely by burning it, throwing down the walls and killing every man, woman, and child. The few records that do still exist of those days show that it was impossible to distinguish Carlisle from its surrounding area, so completely had the town lost its identity.
By 1773 life had changed quite considerably in Carlisle. 'The streets are kept remarkably clean, the principal of which is spacious, and contains many modern and elegant houses'. On Sunday 20th December 1773, the Sunday stage coach service to London ran for the first time, taking then about three days. Twelve years later, the first mail coach arrived in Carlisle, and the Post Office was opened from 8am to 10pm.
Robert Burns visited Carlisle briefly in 1787 staying in the Malt Shovel Inn in Rickergate. He enjoyed the dubious distinction of being fined by a magistrate for letting his mare, Jenny Geddes, trespass on Corporation grass. As a centre of communications, Carlisle stands supreme. The canal from Carlisle to Port Carlisle was opened on the 12th march 1823, making possible cheaper transportation of goods such as cotton, salt, sugar, wines, cheese, soap, paper and coal.
Carlisle Castle, which is open to the public, has been shattered, restored and improved many times in its long history and is located nearby, north-west of the city centre. The masonry contains stone from Hadrian's Wall, together with some from the Cathedral.
The castle was founded by William Rufus in 1092. Few English castles can claim such a long history of military occupation as Carlisle. The grim and forbidding appearance as it watches over Englands frontier with Scotland lays testimony to many hundreds of years of warfare, struggles and feuds. Visitors should look especially at the prison rooms in the keep, where graffiti, names and figures have been carved in the stone walls by some of the many captives the castle has held over the centuries. In the walls will be seen the holes for the iron staples which held the prisoners in chains - on one occasion 96 in one night. Most were left to die here, others were transported.
Many famous names are associated with Carlisle and the Castle. Mary Queen of Scots for example, locked in the tower at the corner of the inner yard, and it was in Carlisle that Bonnie Prince Charlie proclaimed his father King in 1745 from the City cross.
The Castle today contains an exhibition which tells the castles own fascinating and extraordinary history, in addition one of the buildings houses the Kings Own Royal Border Regiments museum.
The Cathedral, as Cathedrals go, could be said to be relatively small, but then it did lose six bays of its nave when parliamentary forces took the stone away to repair the city's defences back in 1644. The first building was started by Augustinian Canons in the early 12th century, and in 1133 it became a Cathedral under the orders of Henry I. Sir Walter Scott was married here in the nave section (On Christmas Eve 1797). The masterpiece of the Cathedral is without question the great east window. Also not to be missed are the 15th century paintings on the back of the choir stalls...a sort of strip cartoon of the lives of the Saint Cuthbert, together with Augustine, Anthony, along with the Twelve Apostles.
Close to the Cathedral is the 17th century Tullie House. Recently receiving a £5 million refurbishment, Tullie House today is one of Britain's most innovative historic attractions, and portrays Carlisle's fascinating place in Border history. The galleries captivate and enthral visitors of all ages with the power of their images, objects, stories and hands-on displays. The original Tullie House was built for Chancellor Tullie in the 16th century, enlarging last century to make room for the library, art gallery and museum, illustrating the life and natural history of the region. Here would be stocks and pillory, which once stood near the cross marking the centre of the old city, along with the city's treasure chest with five locks. Tullie House was built over part of Roman Carlisle, and fragments of the city can be seen today within the grounds of Tullie House. Look for the inscribed stone 'Erected by Sixth Legion, Victorious, Pious, Faithfull'. The Fourth Cohort of Lingones built this'.
There are some thrilling sculptures here too..gravestones, milestones and altars, left behind along with pottery, coins and other relics by the Romans who made and manned Hadrian's Wall 1800 years ago...the great wall which passes to the north of the city. Here too is the torso of a Roman soldier, and a little lady with a fan, carved by a Roman in England not much more than a century after Christ was born in Bethlehem.
St Cuthbert's church (the saint was once given all of Carlisle as endowment for his monastery at Lindisfarne) is a quaint 18th century place with a most surprising pulpit, a massive thing which slowly slides on rails from its place by the wall and takes up its stand for the sermon in the middle of the church. The sermon over, the preacher back in his seat, the pulpit moves off again, drawn by ropes attached under the floor to a handle turned in the vestry. In a window of the church is a bright oval panel of a preacher who used no pulpit for any of his sermons...the brown-robed St Cuthbert on his hermit island of Farne, looking like a St Francis of the sea, with an otter and seabirds on the rocks.
Every summer at 8am, on the morning of the 26th August, Carlisle Great Fair is proclaimed from the steps of the Market Cross in front of the old Town Hall. This has gone on for over six hundred years but it is only since 1975 when the actual fair was revived that it has had such significance. Now it heralds a colourful week with stalls and side-shows set up in the city centre, and the trade folk in period dress.
Note the Museum Inn...named after the whim of the landlord who kept 'pickled snakes and other varied curio's on his bar counter'. Enthusiasts for Victorian architecture will enjoy visiting the railway station in mock Tudor. This station was at one time shared by no less than six railway companies in 1846. They amalgamated and became two...the LMS and the LNER in 1923.
American President Woodrow Wilson visited Carlisle in 1918 to see his mothers birthplace (83 Warwick Road) and Lowther Street Congregational Church at which his grandfather had been Minister. His grandfather incidentally had originally arrived in Carlisle from Paisley in 1820 to be the Minister. Woodrow Wilson's mother was born in the Manse next door (on December 26th 1826). The Rev Woodrow, his wife, and eight children moved to Cavendish House in Warwick Road, where they lived until they emigrated to America in November 1835.
In Carlisle, shopping is a pleasure...not a chore. The city centre today is compact and easily reached from the many car parks. Part of the centre is pedestrianised to make shopping so much easier. The major shops are located along English Street, and where English Street and Scotch Street meet, visitors will find The Lanes...Carlisle's award winning shopping centre, where will be found major stores and a variety of well known and local names blended into the Carlisle street scene. Between Scotch Street and Castle Street is the Fisher Street walks area where traders have joined together to promote a city centre area of specialist shops and local stores. In this area you will find crafts and antique shops, bookshops, gifts and local foods.
Overlooking all of Carlisle will be noticed 'Dixon's Chimney', a 270 ft high structure built in 1836 as part of the neighbouring Shaddon Cotton Mill...though it hasn't smoked in years. Once the tallest chimney in Europe, plans are hopefully afoot to turn Carlisle's landmark into a high rise tourist attraction, with lifts to take tourists to the top, an observation platform and an industrial heritage museum at its base.
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