Eamont Bridge is a village one mile south of Penrith at the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther.
The area around Eamont Bridge has been inhabited since very early days, and the remains of two ancient fortifications can still be seen.'Mayburgh' dating back to around 2500 BC is a huge circular embankment of stones 385 feet from crest to crest with a standing stone nine feet two inches hight in the centre. It is believed to have been a Roman amphitheatre with the standing stone used for criminals to hide behind when wild beasts were pursuing them. King Arthur's Table dating from about 1800 BC is to the south. The 'Round Table' is like a big cockpit and was formerly used for games which went on in the middle on the raised platform, whilst spectactors sat on the banks around. The village is typical of many northern villages, with many of the houses being joined together regardless of style or size. The practice apparently dates back to the time of the Border raids when their animals could be driven into the main street and the street blocked off and defended at each end. Many of the houses were built following the demolition of their homes in the nearby village of Brougham. Less than a mile away stands Yanwath Hall which is a gracious place with the charm of 300 years in its walls and rooms. It has a fine courtyard, two huge buttresses, lovely windows and a handsome doorway. The battlemented 14th century tower, with its turrets is a noble structure over 50 feet high with foundations six feet thick and a base with a vaulted roof. In what is now a farmhouse are magnificent oak beams. One of the rooms known as the Lord's Chamber has the arms of Queen Elizabeth I in plaster over the fireplace, and a delightful oriel, and a smaller room said to have sheltered Mary Queen of Scots, has a stone fireplace with a low oak kerb at which the Queen may have warmed her feet.
In the middle of the village is a large building once the local mansion house,but later the workhouse. Today, it is business premises. It's the large pink building on the right just before the bridge on the A6. This 16th century bridge over the River Eamont once marked the old county boundary between Cumberland and Westmorland.
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