Temple Sowerby is a village between Penrith and Appleby, close to the A66, rejoicing in the name 'Queen of the Westmorland Villages'.
It is a village set around a village green, and gets its name from the Knights Templar who once owned Sowerby Manor, though later the Knights Hospitallers were Lords of the Manor until the middle of the 16th century when the Dalston family gained possession...in fact their heraldry can still be seen inside Temple Sowerby House (also known as Acorn Bank). A carved stone on the north wing has the initials of John and Lucy Dalston, along with the date 1656.
Acorn Bank today, though owned by the National Trust, is occupied by the Sue Ryder Foundation...the grounds and herb garden contain the largest collection of some 250 species of culinary and medicinal plants in the North of England.
To the south of town is the small and delightfully preserved hamlet of Morland. Its church has the only Anglo-Saxon tower in the County.
Near Acorn Bank stands ancient Millrigg, now a farmhouse, it is dated 1597 and stands close to Crowdundle Beck which here forms the original county boundary. Close to its confluence with the Eden one of the largest bridges in the valley spans the river on four arches of red-sandstone. It replaces a structure which was washed away in a great flood around 180 years ago.
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