Distington () is a large village and
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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
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. Cumb ...
, England, south of
Workington
Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207.
Loca ...
and north of
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle and to the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is th ...
. Historically a part of
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
, the civil parish includes the nearby settlements of
Common End, Gilgarran and
Pica. The parish had a population of 2,247 in the 2001 census, increasing slightly to 2,256 at the 2011 census.
South of the village by the
Lowca Beck
Lowca Beck is a beck in the county of Cumbria, England.
The beck rises (as Distington Beck) in the vicinity of Gilgarran and flows by Distington and the remains of Hayes Castle before flowing between Lowca and Howgate, emptying into the Solway ...
are the fragmentary remains of Hayes Castle, a manor house fortified by Robert de Leyburn in 1322.
Governance
Distington is in the
parliamentary constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
of
Copeland,
Trudy Harrison
Trudy Lynne Harrison (born 19 April 1976) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Copeland since the February 2017 by-election. It was the first time Copeland had elected a Conservative MP sinc ...
is the
Member of parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
.
For
Local Government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
purposes it is in the ''Distington, Lowca & Parton Ward'' of
Borough of Copeland
The Borough of Copeland is a local government district with borough status in western Cumbria, England. Its council is based in Whitehaven. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Borough of Whitehaven, Ennerdale Rural District ...
and the ''Howgate Ward'' of
Cumbria County Council
Cumbria County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Cumbria in the North West of England. Established in April 1974, following its first elections held the previous year, it is an elected local government body respon ...
.
The village also has its own
Parish Council; ''Distington Parish Council''. The parish council ward stretches beyond the confines of Distington parish with at total population taken at the Census 2011 of 4,058.
Transport

The main road through Distington is the
A595
The A595 is a primary route in Cumbria, in Northern England that starts in Carlisle, passes through Whitehaven and goes close to Workington, Cockermouth and Wigton. It passes Sellafield and Ravenglass before ending at the Dalton-in-Furness by ...
. There was once a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
at Distington on the
Cleator and Workington Junction Railway
The Cleator & Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) was located in West Cumberland in Northern England, serving the towns of Cleator Moor and Workington and intermediate villages. It was mainly used for coal, limestone and iron ore traffic for the ...
which was an important junction.
Today
Harrington railway station
Harrington is a railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between and . The station, situated south-west of Carlisle, serves the villages of Harrington and Salterbeck in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Nort ...
, on the
Cumbria Coast Line
The Cumbrian Coast line is a rail route in North West England, running from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Workington and Whitehaven. The line forms part of Network Rail route NW 4033, which continues (as the Furness line) via Ulverston and ...
, is the nearest operational station.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Distington
Distington is a civil parish in the Borough of Copeland, Cumbria, England. It contains six listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the listed buildings are designated at Grade II, the lowest of th ...
*
Distington railway station
Distington railway station was opened jointly by the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) and the LNWR and Furness Joint Railway (The Joint Line) on 1 October 1879. It was situated on the northern edge of the village of Distington, ...
References
External links
Cumbria County History Trust: Distington(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)
Villages in Cumbria
Civil parishes in Cumbria
Borough of Copeland
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