Warcop is undoubtedly a pleasant little village, with the River Eden acting as its boundary. Warcop parish is situated just off the A66, some five miles south east of Appleby, and close to the Yorkshire borders. It includes the hamlets of Sandford and Bleatarn.
On the fellside a thousand feet above sea level near Howgill Fold, ancient man has left entrenchments and circles of stone much older than the Roman road close by. Higher still, are the spoil heaps of old mines where men worked for lead and barytes.
There was once a castle at Kirksteads where Haber and Lowgill Becks join to flow through the village, but little remains of the fortified tower and manor house, replaced now by an 18th century farmhouse which stands on the site above the river. Here, a narrow mediaeval bridge spans the river on three massive arches. The bridge is believed to be the oldest in use over the river Eden, and is only eleven feet wide, with recesses for pedestrians.
In the centre of the village is an old smithy now noted for wrought iron work and nearby a tall Maypole with a pheasant wind-vane stands by the roadside on the site of the old village cross.
The church dedicated to St Colomba and built of warm red sandstone stands away from the village along a road shaded by lofty beeches. Ancient yews stand in the churchyard. Part of the church is very old and at one time was a Rectory in the gift of the Cliffords of Appleby Castle who in the 14th century gave it to the Abbot, the Convent of Shap.
Traditions live long in this village. The Reading Room Society founded some 130 years ago is still very active and Warcop is one of the few places where the ancient rushbearing ceremony ceremony is still observed each year. The children parade through the village with banners and music, the girls carry gay crowns of fresh flowers and the boys hold rushes made into small crosses.
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