Portal:Cumbria/Selected article

Any good article, featured article or featured list related to Cumbria (or the area that is now Cumbria) may be added below. Use the format-

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Selected article 1

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/1

Andrew Johnston (born 23 September 1994) is a British singer who rose to fame when he appeared as a boy soprano on the second series of the British television talent show Britain's Got Talent in 2008. Although he did not win the series, he received a contract to record on the SyCo Music label owned by the Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell. Johnston's debut album, One Voice, was released in September of the same year, and it reached number four on the British album charts. Although originally performing as a treble, Johnston's voice has since matured to tenor, and he is currently taking a year off to allow his voice to develop.

Before his success on Britain's Got Talent, Johnston was head chorister at Carlisle Cathedral. He had moved to Carlisle as an infant after his parents separated, and lived there in "poverty". Johnston was bullied at school because of his love of classical music. While some journalists have argued Britain's Got Talent producers took advantage of Johnston's background, others have hailed his story as inspirational. Johnston continues to live in Carlisle with his mother, and is now home tutored. He attends lessons at the Royal Northern College of Music. (more...)

Selected article 2

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/2

The Grayrigg derailment was a fatal railway accident that occurred at approximately 20:15 GMT on 23 February 2007, just to the south of Grayrigg, Cumbria, in North West England. The initial conclusion of the accident investigation is that the derailment was caused by a faulty set of points (number 2B), controlled from Lambrigg ground frame. The scheduled inspection on 18 February 2007 did not take place and the faults went undetected.

Train 1S83, the 17:15 Virgin West Coast Pendolino West Coast Main Line express service from London Euston to Glasgow Central was derailed by a defective set of points. The train was reported to have been travelling at up to 155 km/h (96 mph) when it was derailed. The train, consisting of unit 390 033 "City of Glasgow", which was constructed at Washwood Heath, Birmingham in 2002, had nine carriages and carried 105 passengers and four members of staff. (more...)

Selected article 3

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/3

The Herdwick is a heritage breed of domestic sheep native to the Lake District of Cumbria in North West England. Heritage sheep breeds are defined as those that are geographically concentrated in a single region, environmentally adapted to that region and genetically distinct. Importantly heritage sheep breeds are not rare, they are commercially farmed, exist in substantial numbers and play a really important role in economic and environmental sustainability of their regions. The name "Herdwick" is derived from the Old Norse herdvyck, meaning sheep pasture. Though low in lambing capacity and wool quality when compared to more common commercial breeds such as Merino sheep, Herdwicks are prized for their robust health, their ability to live solely on forage, and their tendency to be territorial and not to stray over the difficult upland terrain of the Lake District. An integral part of the cultural identity of the Lake District, 95% of all Herdwicks are found around the Coniston Fells.

Severely threatened by the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in England and Wales, the breed has survived due to the intent to preserve this unique animal as a crucial part of traditional Lakeland agriculture. Still far less in number than most commercial breeds, Herdwicks survive largely due to farming subsidies and the aid of the British National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty. (more...)

Selected article 4

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/4

HMS Cardiff (D108) was a British Type 42 destroyer and the third ship of the Royal Navy to be named in honour of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. Construction was started by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, and completed by Swan Hunter in Tyne and Wear. HMS Cardiff was launched on 22 February 1974.

During her career, Cardiff served in the Falklands War, where she shot down the last Argentine aircraft of the conflict and accepted the surrender of a 700-strong garrison in the settlement of Port Howard. During the 1991 Gulf War, her Lynx helicopter sank two Iraqi minesweepers. She later participated in the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as part of the Royal Navy's constant Armilla patrol; Cardiff thwarted attempts to smuggle oil out of the country, but was not involved in the actual invasion.

Cardiff was decommissioned in July 2005, having earned two battle honours for service in the Falklands and Gulf wars. She was sent to Turkey for scrapping despite calls by former servicemen for her to be preserved as a museum ship and local tourist attraction in Cardiff. (more...)

Selected article 5

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/5 The Lady in the Lake trial was a 2005 murder case in which Gordon Park (25 January 1944 – 25 January 2010) a retired teacher from Leece, near Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was jailed for life for the murder of his first wife, Carol Ann Park, in 1976.

Carol Park went missing on 17 July 1976, and was never seen alive again by her family. In 1997, her body was discovered at the bottom of Coniston Water and Gordon was arrested on suspicion of murder. The charges were subsequently dropped but in 2004 Gordon was arrested again and found guilty of his wife's murder. The trial judge sentenced him to life imprisonment and recommended that he should serve a minimum of 15 years before being considered for parole. He was held at Garth prison, Leyland, Preston. In December 2007 he lodged an appeal against his conviction which was dismissed in November 2008. On 25 January 2010, he was found hanged in his cell, and pronounced dead at the scene.

The details of the murder are sketchy. Carol was killed by her face being smashed by a blunt object of some sort, alleged in court to have been an ice axe. She was then bound with rope, using complex knots, weighed down with rocks and lead piping and thrown overboard from a boat on Coniston Water. The body landed on an underwater ledge where it was later found by amateur divers. Had it landed a few metres further from the shore, it would probably never have been discovered.

There was a great deal of controversy surrounding the case. Gordon received much support from his family and friends and maintained his innocence. There was a large amount of local interest in the trial as shown by the sales of the local paper, the North-West Evening Mail. Some claimed that much of the evidence against him could be discounted and there were vigils and petitions in attempts to free Gordon from prison and clear his name. The case featured prominently in the book No Smoke – The Shocking Truth About British Justice which outlined seven cases the author believed to be examples of innocent people being convicted of murder. (more...)

Selected article 6

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/6

Nethermost Pike is a fell in Cumbria, England, and a part of the Lake District. At 891 metres (2,923 ft) it is the second highest Wainwright in the Helvellyn range, the tallest of which is Helvellyn itself. It is located close to the southern end of the ridge, with Helvellyn to the north, and High Crag and Dollywaggon Pike to the south. Nethermost Pike, along with many of the Eastern Fells, lies between Thirlmere in the west and the Ullswater catchment in the east. The closest villages are Glenridding and Patterdale on the shores of Ullswater, over 8 kilometres (5 mi) away.

Like most fells in the Helvellyn range, Nethermost Pike has grassy western slopes and rocky outcrops on the eastern side. Geologically, Nethermost Pike belongs to the Borrowdale Volcanic Group. Lead was once mined on its eastern slopes, resulting in open workings and underground mines. The eastern slopes are protected as part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the Pike's geological and biological features, which include some of England's best arctic-alpine and tall-herb vegetation. (more...)

Selected article 7

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/7

William Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett, PC (6 September 1883 – 10 February 1962), was a British barrister, judge, politician and preacher who served as the deputy British judge during the Nuremberg Trials.

Birkett received his education at Barrow-in-Furness Higher Grade School. He was a Methodist preacher and a draper before attending Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1907, to study theology, history and law. Upon graduating in 1910 he worked as a secretary and was called to the Bar in 1913.

Declared medically unfit for military service during World War I, Birkett used the time to make up for his late entry into the legal profession and was appointed a King's Counsel in 1924. He became a criminal defence lawyer and acted as counsel in a number of famous cases including the second of the Brighton trunk murders. A member of the Liberal Party, he sat in Parliament for Nottingham East twice, first in 1923 and again in 1929.

Despite refusing appointment to the High Court of Justice in 1928, he was offered the position again in 1941 and accepted, joining the King's Bench Division. In 1945 he served as the alternate British judge at the Nuremberg trials, and he was made a privy counsellor in 1947. He joined the Court of Appeal in 1950 but retired in 1956 when he had served for long enough to draw a pension. From 1958 he served in the House of Lords, and his speech against a private bill in 1962 (the Bill sought to convert the Cumbrian lake Ullswater into a reservoir) saw it defeated by 70 votes to 36, two days before he died on 10 February 1962.

Described as "one of the most prominent Liberal barristers in the first half of the 20th century" and "the Lord Chancellor that never was", Birkett was noted for his skill as a speaker, which helped him defend clients with almost watertight cases against them. As an alternate judge, Birkett was not allowed a vote at the Nuremberg Trials, but his opinion helped shape the final judgment. During his tenure in the Court of Appeal he oversaw some of the most significant cases of the era, particularly in contract law, despite his avowed dislike of judicial work. (Full article...) (more...)

Selected article 8

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/8

Askam and Ireleth is a civil parish in the county of Cumbria, in North West England. It originally consisted of two separate coastal villages with different origins and histories which, in recent times, have merged together to become one continuous settlement.

Ireleth has its origins as a mediaeval farming village clustered on the hillside overlooking the flat sands of the Duddon Estuary. Askam was established following the discovery of large quantities of iron ore near the village in the middle of the 18th century.

The pair originally fell within the boundaries of the Hundred of Lonsdale 'north of the sands' in the historic county of Lancashire, but following local government reforms in 1974 became part of the county of Cumbria, along with the rest of Furness.

The nearby River Duddon estuary and surrounding countryside have made the area well known for its wildlife, while the villages' exposed position on the eastern bank facing the Irish Sea have encouraged the establishment of wind energy generation, amid local controversy. (more...)

Selected article 9

Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/9

Brougham Castle is a historical building located about 2 miles (3.2 km) to the south-east of Penrith, Cumbria, England. Founded by Roger de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century on the site of a Roman fort, it sits near the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther. In its earliest form, the castle consisted of a stone keep, with an enclosure protected by a timber bank and a wooden palisade. When the castle was built, Roger de Vieuxpont was one of only a few lords loyal to the king in the region. The Vieuxpont's were a powerful land-owning family in North West England and also owned the castles of Appleby and Brough. In 1264 Roger de Vieuxpont's grandson, also called Roger, was considered a traitor and his property was confiscated by Henry III. Brougham Castle, and the other estates, were eventually returned to the Vieuxpont family, and stayed in their possession until 1269 when it passed to the Clifford family through marriage.

With the outbreak of the Anglo-Scottish Wars in 1296, Brougham became an important base from which Robert Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, could take part in the conflict. At this point, he began refortifying the castle: the wooden outer defences were replaced with stronger, more impressive stone walls, and the large stone gatehouse was added. The importance of Brougham and Roger Clifford was such that in 1300 he hosted Edward I at the castle. The second Roger Clifford was executed as a traitor in 1322 and the Clifford estates passed into the possession of Edward II, although they were returned to the family once Edward III became king. The region was often at risk from the Scots, and in 1388 the castle was captured and sacked.

Following this, the Cliffords began spending more time at their other castles, particularly that of Skipton Castle in Yorkshire. Brougham descended through several generations of Cliffords, intermittently being used as a residence. However, by 1592 it was in a state of disrepair as George Clifford spent more time in southern England due to his role as Queen's Champion. The castle briefly recovered in the early 17th century to such a condition that James I visited in 1617. In 1643, Lady Anne Clifford inherited the castle and set about restoring it. She also undertook the restoration of the castles at Appleby and Brough. The castle was kept in good condition for a short time after Lady Anne's death in 1676; however, the Earl of Thanet, who had inherited the Clifford estates, sold the furnishings of Brougham Castle in 1714. The empty shell was left to decay as it was too costly to maintain.

As a ruin, Brougham Castle inspired a painting by J. M. W. Turner and was mentioned at the start of William Wordsworth's poem The Prelude. The castle was left to the Ministry of Works in the 1930s and is today maintained by its successor, English Heritage. The castle ruins are open to the public. The stone keep is the castle's oldest surviving structure and dates from its foundation. (more...)