Allithwaite is a small village in
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. ...
, England, located roughly west of
Grange-over-Sands
Grange-over-Sands is a town and civil parish located on the north side of Morecambe Bay in Cumbria, England, a few miles south of the Lake District National Park. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,042, increasing at the 2 ...
. Most of its residents commute to local areas of
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the 2011 census to 11,678. Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few mi ...
,
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 202 ...
,
Kendal or
Lancaster Lancaster may refer to:
Lands and titles
*The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire
*Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies
*Duke of Lancaster
*Earl of Lancaster
*House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty
...
to work.
Historically
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
, Allithwaite, and the village of
Cartmel
Cartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, northwest of Grange-over-Sands close to the River Eea. The village takes its name from the Cartmel Peninsula, and was historically known as Kirkby in Cartmel. The village is the location of the 12t ...
situated to the north, are part of the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
of
Lower Allithwaite. At the
2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,758, increasing to 1,831 at the 2011 Census. There is also a civil parish previously known as Upper Allithwaite which was renamed in 2018 as
Lindale and Newton-in-Cartmel, and includes
Lindale,
Low Newton and
High Newton
High Newton is a village in the South Lakeland district, in the county of Cumbria, England.
By-pass
Formerly, the village was bisected by the A590 road until a bypass of the village and its neighbour Low Newton was completed. It opened on ...
. The population of this parish at the 2011 Census was 843.
The Anglican
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...
is
St. Mary's Church, built in 1864–65 and designed by the
Lancaster Lancaster may refer to:
Lands and titles
*The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire
*Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies
*Duke of Lancaster
*Earl of Lancaster
*House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty
...
architect
E. G. Paley.
There is a small primary school, Allithwaite Primary C of E School located next to the church. Both church and school were built by a legacy left to the village. The village also has a pub, a post office, a children's playground and a reasonably sized playing field with a tennis court and a
bowling green
A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls.
Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
.
Wraysholme Tower

A mile to the south, Wraysholme Tower is a 15th-century
pele tower
Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-stan ...
, used as a barn and cow-house, adjoining a 19th-century farmhouse. The tower was built by the Harrington family of
Aldingham. A Michael Harrington acquired a grant of
free warren
A free warren—often simply warren—is a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in medieval England to an English subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, u ...
in Allingham in 1315. The tower is by . It has axes north and south and is built of local limestone rubble, with angle
quoin
Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th century encyclopedia ...
s. The walls are thick at their base. There is a projecting
garderobe
Garderobe is a historic term for a room in a medieval castle. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' gives as its first meaning a store-room for valuables, but also acknowledges "by extension, a private room, a bed-chamber; also a privy".
The word der ...
, about square, at the south-west corner, where there is a spiral staircase. There was originally an entrance at the north-west corner.
The building is roofed with slate.
Boarbank Hall

Boarbank Hall, to the west of the village, is a convent, nursing home and guest house, with a community of twelve
Augustinian sisters and two
Benedictine sisters.
There has been a house on the site since at least 1592, but the present house, in an Italian style, was built in 1870 after a fire had destroyed the previous frontage. The Augustinian Cannonesses acquired the house in 1921.
The Oratory, built in 1986, was the subject of an episode of BBC television's ''
Building Sights'', featuring architect
Richard MacCormac
Sir Richard Cornelius MacCormac CBE, PPRIBA, FRSA, RA (3 September 1938 – 26 July 2014), was a modernist English architect and the founder of MJP Architects.
Early life and background
Richard Cornelius MacCormac was born in Marylebon ...
, in 1991.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Lower Allithwaite
References
External links
*
Cumbria County History Trust: Allithwaite, Lower(nb: provisional research only - see Talk page)
Cumbria County History Trust: Allithwaite, Upper(nb: provisional research only - see Talk page)
Allithwaite C of E Primary School
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Villages in Cumbria
South Lakeland District