The River Kent which lies below High Street is reputed to be the fastest flowing river in England. The Kent provided water in the past for water power for a corn mill at Low Bridge, Kentmere, and the Saw Mill at saw Mill Cottage, though there are traces of other mill and smelting sites hereabouts.
Perhaps only a few of the thousands of the visitors who see the smooth and graceful peak of Ill Bell on its western side from Windermere see(or suspect) that rugged drop on its eastern side into Kent Dale. Kent River, the one Cumbrian river reaching the sea entirely through the county so placidly at Arnside, has its highest springs in the midst of the most lonely grandeur.
The oldest house here is Kentmere Hall dating from the 14th century...the home of the Gilpin family (in)-famous for killing the last wild boar in England in 1325. Today it is a farm with, regretfully, its 14th century tower slowly crumbling away. It has a vaulted cellar and stairway to the battlements. Here lived in total 12 generations of the remarkable Gilpin family. Little now is left of their home, but their names are woven into our history. They grew up in this remote valley to be preachers, artists, writers, and doctors, men of rare capacity, one of them at least among the choicest spirits of his day, and one of them Bernard Gilpin by name, became known as the Apostle of the North.
The ancient church stands at the head of a marsh. It has a yew which has kept sentinel in this lonely place for about 500 years. To this spot they brought St Cuthbert in his coffin on his way to Durham, here the Saxon saint lay in the church all night. But there is nothing now of those days. The church is 16th century, the painted reredos in red and blue is modern, two brightly painted angels stand guard at the altar. The tower is 19th century.
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