Cartmel – A Picturesque Village:
Only a short drive from our holiday home in Grange-over-Sands, Cartmel is a truly idyllic village.
Formed from a huddle of properties dating from the 17-19th-Century, its name comes from Old Norse meaning ‘a sandbank by rocky ground’, the rocky ground being Hampsfell.
The village is famous for its beautiful priory church, which was founded by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, between 1190 and 1196.
The church is dedicated to St Mary and St Michael.
An unusual feature of the priory is the Bell Tower, which is in two sections, the upper section lying at an angle of 45 degrees to the lower section.
Cartmel now boasts an upmarket cheesemonger, microbrewery, and a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Unsworth’s Yard is overlooked by the 12th-century priory. Here you will come across Cartmel Cheeses, where you will discover local cheeses piled high behind a glass door.
Across the courtyard is the brewery, where you can take a tour or sit and enjoy a pint of their excellent ale.
The influence of chef-restauranteur, Simon Rogan cannot be ignored. His Michelin-starred restaurant (L’Enclume and Rogan & Co) attracts diners from across the country into the village.
The Cartmel Village Shop at the top of the square is famous for Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding started life in the small kitchen of the former post office on the square in Cartmel.
The only evidence of the birthplace of this famous Cumbrian pudding is a sign over the door.
It was in 2009 when Howard and Jean Johns started this new venture in the small Cumbrian village shop. Prior to this, for many years, the couple ran the Kings Arms pub also in the square.
As demand for the puddings grew, the business expanded and moved to much larger premises down the road in Flookburgh.
The puddings are all made from 100% natural ingredients with many sourced locally.
As well as the village shop in Cartmel, you can purchase them right across the country in shops such as Booths, Waitrose, Harvey Nichols, and Fortnum & Mason in London.
The village square is complete with a pump and fish slab (pictured above).
The village pump reminds us that only in fairly recent times did Cartmel have a piped water supply.
The stone slabs behind the pump were used to display fish on market days.
The Cartmel Institute in Devonshire Square was gifted to the people of the village more than 150 years ago for educational and recreational purposes.
The Institute served as the village’s primary community centre up until the 1936 opening of the current village hall.
The Institute opened in 1865 and classes were held to help villagers to read and write. It also helped to keep the locals out of the pub!
Village Lock-Up:
Cartmel’s village lock-up dates back to the 18th or 19th centuries.
At the time, it was equipped with a fire grate, an earth closet, and bars on the upper window. The building was erected for this purpose.
Village lock-ups date from the 18th or 19th centuries when rural communities struggled to police burglaries, drunkenness, and the stealing of livestock.
They were built as places of temporary detention until the miscreants could be brought before the area magistrate.
The building was given listed status in 1970.
New Cartmel Bridge:
A new footbridge has recently been installed in Cartmel.
The new bridge crosses the River Eea (an ancient term for ‘water’) by the side of the Kings Arms linking it with the Rogan & Co restaurant.
Conclusion:
Cartmel is a charming village with outstanding features. It is well worth a visit anytime and only 2 miles from Lothlorien.
If you are looking for a holiday cottage near Cartmel, we will be delighted to make you welcome. To make an enquiry click here
