Until 1857 Silloth was a tiny fishing hamlet. It was then that work commenced on building a port, to be served by a branch railway from Carlisle...the port being planned originally to rival Whitehaven.
No difficulty in finding financial backers in those days..one of the foremost being J D Carr, a major bakery owner of the region...and now of course a household name. Today the dock covers six acres and the expanse of water roughly measures 600 feet by 400 feet. Visitors will normally find one or two ships tied up here.
When the rail link with Carlisle opened in the 1850's a competition was held to design a new town, which was won by a Liverpool firm of architects.
Consequently, Silloth retains its Victorian 'spa' style atmosphere with an attractive sea-front and purpose built docks.
Many parts of Silloth are as attractive as any Cumbrian town...the street with the fish dealers...all the buildings red brick and Victorian...the fine parish church. It is an attractive district overlooking the Solway and Scotland in the distance with a great expanse of beach.
Silloth is much favoured by the Cumbrians on fine summer weekends. It never became another Blackpool, but it does have what the more popular resorts lack...a fine green between the buildings and the promenade.
The 18 hole golf course beside the shore here was the home course of Miss Cecil Leitch (1891-1978) the most celebrated woman golfer of all time. Other famous players were the late Duke of Kent, and Kathleen Ferrier, the great contralto. A plaque on the wall of the National Westminster Bank in Eden Street, marks the place where her short married life in the town was spent.
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