Above Derwent is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

, England, to the west of

Derwentwater Derwentwater, or Derwent Water, is a lake in the Lake District in North West England, immediately south of Keswick, Cumbria, Keswick. It is in the unitary authority of Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland within the ceremonial county of ...

and Keswick. It lies entirely within the

Lake District National Park The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

. At the 2011 Census the parish had a population of 1,198 in 514 households, ''Includes map showing parish boundary'' a small decrease from the 2001 figure of 1,207 living in 516 households. The area of the civil parish is .

History

Above Derwent CP comprised the ancient townships of Braithwaite, Coledale or Portinscale, and Thornthwaite, and the chapelry of Newlands". The population, according to the 1811 Census, was 668, "rising to 1115 in 1851 and then stable throughout the 19th Century".

Topography

The parish is bounded to the east by

, the River Derwent and

Bassenthwaite Bassenthwaite is a village and civil parish to the east of Bassenthwaite Lake in Cumbria, historically part of Cumberland, within the Lake District National Park, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 412, increasing to ...

Lake, it includes sections of both lakes. To the West and South, the parish is bounded by the summit of

Lord's Seat Lord's Seat is a fell in the English Lake District The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is fam ...

, the

Whinlatter Pass The Whinlatter Pass is a mountain pass in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. It is located on the B5292 road linking Braithwaite, to the west of Keswick, with High Lorton to the south of Cockermouth. To the north the pass is flanked ...

, the summits of

Grisedale Pike Grisedale Pike is a fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England, situated west of the town of Keswick in the north-western sector of the national park. At a height of it is the 40th-highest Wainwright in the Lake District; it also qual ...

and Crag Hill, the Newlands Pass, and the summits of

Robinson Robinson may refer to: People and names * Robinson (name) Fictional characters * Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719 Geography * Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 19 ...

and

Catbells Cat Bells is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It has a height of and is one of the most popular fells in the area. It is situated on the western shore of Derwentwater within of the busy tourist town of Keswick. ...

.The parish comprises relatively low level land alongside and between both lakes, together with the

Newlands Valley The Newlands Valley is in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque and quiet valleys in the national park, even though it is situated very close to the popular tourist town of Keswick and ...

, and large areas of the surrounding fells. It includes the settlements of

Braithwaite Braithwaite is a village in the northern Lake District, in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies just to the west of Keswick and to the east of the Grisedale Pike ridge. It forms part of the civil parish of Above Derwent. ...

, Thornthwaite,

Portinscale Portinscale is a village in Cumbria, England, close to the western shore of Derwentwater in the Lake District National Park from Keswick. For administrative purposes, Portinscale lies within the civil parish of Above Derwent, the unitary aut ...

Stair Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

and Little Town. The A66 primary route enters the CP at its most northerly point, Beck Wythop. The most southerly point of the CP is about 1 km south-south-east of the summit of

Dale Head Dale Head is a fell in the north-western sector of the Lake District, in northern England. It is above sea level and stands immediately north of Honister Pass, the road between Borrowdale and Buttermere. Topography The North-Western Fells oc ...

, at .

Governance

Above Derwent has a parish council, the lowest tier of local government in England. For

Local Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

purposes it is in the

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

unitary authority area A unitary authority is a type of local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed ...

. Above Derwent was previously in the

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

of Derwent Valley. The total population of this ward taken at the 2011 Census was 1,615. The parish is within the Penrith and Solway constituency of the

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

References

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Above Derwent
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page) *{{commons category-inline Civil parishes in Cumbria Cumberland (unitary authority)

History

Topography

Governance

See also

References

External links