Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the unitary authority of

Westmorland and Furness Westmorland and Furness is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Cumbria, England. The economy is mainly focused on tourism around both the Lake District and Cumbria Coast, shipbuilding and the Royal Port of Barrow, Royal ...

, England. It lies within the

River Kent The River Kent is a short river in the county of Cumbria in England. It originates in hills surrounding Kentmere, and flows for around 20 miles (32 km) into the north of Morecambe Bay. The upper reaches and the western bank of the estuary ...

's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of 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 ...

. In the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086, the area was collected under

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. The area came under the

Honour of Lancaster The Honour of Lancaster was a medieval English honour (a large estate) located primarily in the north-west of England, between 1066 and the 15th century. Details The Honour of Lancaster was established after the Norman conquest of England af ...

before the barony split. The town became the

Barony of Kendal The Barony of Kendal is a subdivision of the English historic county of Westmorland. It evolved from one of two ancient baronies that make up the county, the other being the Barony of Westmorland (also known as North Westmorland, or the Barony ...

's seat, in 1226/7 this barony merged with the

Barony of Westmorland The Barony of Westmorland (medieval Westmarieland or Westmaringaland) also known as North Westmorland, the Barony of Appleby, Appleshire or the Bottom of Westmorland, was one of two baronies making up the English historical county of Westmorlan ...

to form the historic county of

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

with Appleby as the historic

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

.F.A. Youngs, ''Guide to the Local Administrative units of England, Vol.II, Northern England'', London, 1991 In 1889, Kendal became the county town. Under the 1974 reforms, it became the administrative centre of the

South Lakeland South Lakeland was a local government district in Cumbria, England, from 1974 to 2023. Its council was based in Kendal. The district covered the southern part of the Lake District region, as well as northwestern parts of the Yorkshire Dales. A ...

district. The town became Westmorland and Furness district's administrative centre in a 2023 reform. It is south-east of

Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...

and north of

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 ...

. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 28,586, making it the second largest town in Westmorland and Furness after

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town and civil parish (as just "Barrow") in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borou ...

. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 29,593. It is renowned today mainly as a centre for shopping, for its festivals and historic sights, including

Kendal Castle Kendal Castle is a medieval fortification to the east of the town of Kendal, Cumbria, in northern England. The castle, which is atop a glacial drumlin, was built in the 13th century as the Caput baroniae for the Barony of Kendal. By the 15th centu ...

, and as the home of

Kendal Mint Cake Kendal Mint Cake is a sugar-based confection flavoured with peppermint. It originates from Kendal in Cumbria, England. Kendal Mint Cake is popular among Climbing, climbers and Mountaineering, mountaineers, especially those from the United Kingd ...

. The town's grey

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

buildings have earned it the sobriquet "Auld Grey Town".

Name

''Kendal'' takes its name from the River Kent (the etymology of whose name is uncertain but thought to be

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

) and the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

word ''dalr'' ("valley"). Kendal is listed in the

as part of

with the name Cherchebi (from Old Norse ''kirkju-bý'', "church-village"). For many centuries it was called Kirkby Kendal: "village with a church in the valley of the River Kent".

History

A chartered

, the centre of Kendal has formed round a high street with alleyways, known locally as yards, off to either side. The main industry in those times was the manufacture of

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

len goods, whose importance is reflected in the town's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

and in its Latin motto ''Pannus mihi panis'' (Cloth is my bread.) "Kendal Green" was a hard-wearing, wool-based fabric specific to the local manufacturing process. It was supposedly sported by the Kendalian archers instrumental in the English victory over the French at the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...

. Kendal Green was also worn by slaves in the Americas and appears in songs and literature from that time. Shakespeare notes it as the colour of clothing worn by foresters (''

Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the Battle of H ...

'').

has a long history as a stronghold, built on the site of several successive castles. The earliest was a Norman

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

(located on the west side of the town), when the settlement went under the name of Kirkbie Strickland. The most recent is from the late 12th century, as the castle of the

, the part of Westmorland ruled from here. The castle is best known as the home of the Parr family, as heirs of these barons. They inherited it through marriage in the reign of

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. Rumours still circulate that King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

's sixth wife

Catherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...

was born at Kendal Castle, but the evidence available leaves this unlikely: by her time the castle was beyond repair and her father was already based in Blackfriars, London, at the court of King

Roman fort

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

fort stood about 2 miles south of today's town centre, at a site later known as Watercrook. It was built about AD 90, originally in timber, rebuilt with stone about 130, in the reign of

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

. The fort was abandoned for about 20 years during the Antonine re-occupation of Scotland. It was rebuilt in the reign of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

and occupied until about 270 – probably the last time it served military purposes. What remains of the stone structure is now buried under a field. Many Roman artefacts from the site may be found in the Kendal Museum.

Transport

Early travellers to Kendal complained of eight miles of "nothing but a confused mixture of Rockes and Boggs." Riding horseback was the fastest form of travel, as the road was "no better than the roughest fell tracks on high ground and spongy, miry tracks in the vallies." It became clear it was unjust and beyond the power of a thinly scattered rural population to maintain a road used for through traffic. "Whereas the road is very ruinous, and some parts thereof almost impassable and could not, by the ordinary course appointed by the Laws then in being for repairing the highways, be amended and kept in good repair, unless some further provision was made." In 1703, by Order of the Quarter Sessions of the Barony of Kendall, the surveyors of highways were to make the roads good and sufficient for the passage of coaches, carts and carriages. In 1753 the

Keighley and Kendal Turnpike The Keighley and Kendal Turnpike was a road built in 1753 by a turnpike trust between Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire and Kendal in Westmorland, England. The primary instigators were in Settle, North Yorkshire, Settle. The road followe ...

brought a stage coach service from

as far as Kendal.Introduction To The Main Roads of Kendale
British History. Accessed 30 September 2012.

Mint cake

Kendal is known for Kendal mint cake, a

glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...

-based confectionery reputedly discovered accidentally by Joseph Wiper during a search for a clear glacier mint. Used on numerous expeditions to mountaintops (including

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

and K2) and both poles of the Earth, its popularity is mainly due to the very astute decision of the original manufacturer's great-nephew to market it as an energy food and supply it to

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarcti ...

's 1914–1917 Trans-Antarctic Expedition. By the time the business was sold to a competitor, Romney's, in 1987, there were several rival mint-cake producers; some of these businesses are still in business.

Tobacco and snuff

Snuff manufacture in Kendal dates from 1792, when Kendalian Thomas Harrison returned from learning its production in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland. He brought with him 50 tons of second-hand equipment, all carried on horseback. Pipe tobacco and other tobacco products were added later to the firm's production. Ownership of the firm passed to a son-in-law, Samuel Gawith, whose eponymic firm Samuel Gawith & Co. remains in business. After Gawith's death in 1865, the firm passed to his two eldest sons, being administered initially by trustees, including Henry Hoggarth, and John Thomas Illingworth. Illingworth left the firm in 1867 to start his own firm, which remained in business until the 1980s. The youngest son of Samuel Gawith subsequently teamed with Henry Hoggarth to form Gawith Hoggarth TT, Ltd. Both firms continue in business in Kendal, producing snuffs and tobacco products used around the world. Samuel Gawith and Company holds the distinction of employing the oldest piece of industrial equipment still in use in the world: a device manufactured in the 1750s.

The Kendal Bank

The Maude, Wilson & Crewdsons Bank was established in "Farrers House", Stramongate in 1788. Joseph Maude, Christopher Wilson and Thomas Crewdson were the original partners. In 1792 they moved into a specially constructed premises at No 69, Highgate. The Wilson family, who lived at Abbot Hall, withdrew in 1826 at a time of the paper

panic of 1825 The Panic of 1825 was a stock market crash that originated in the Bank of England, arising partly from speculative investments in Latin America, including the fictitious country of Poyais. The crisis was felt most acutely in Britain, where it led ...

caused by a run on the banks. Under the style of W D Crewdson & Sons, the remaining family continued until the amalgamation in 1840 with John Wakefield & Sons founded by John Wakefield. The bank was eventually bought out by Barclays.

Governance

Civic history

The

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of 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 ...

of Kendal was created in 1835; until 1894 it was also an

urban sanitary district Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: *Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies *Rural sanitary dis ...

. The borough boundaries were altered in 1935 under a

County Review Order The Local Government Act 1929 ( 19 & 20 Geo. 5. c. 17) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales. The act abolished the system of poor law unions in England ...

to include a patch of South Westmorland Rural District. The civil parishes of Kirkland and Nether Graveship became in 1908 part of Kendal Civil Parish, whose boundaries thereafter were the same as the borough's. From 1888 to 1974, Kendal was the centre of the Administrative counties of England, administrative county of

, although Appleby was the traditional

. The borough was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, becoming part of the

district of Cumbria. Kendal as a successor parish kept its own town council. In April 2023, Kendal became the seat of the new

council area. The councils of Cumbria and

were abolished at the same time.

Parliament

Kendal is part of the Westmorland and Lonsdale parliamentary constituency, of which Tim Farron is the current MP, representing the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats.

Geography

Kendal stands on the

, and is mostly ringed by low hills: Scout Scar to the west, Potter Fell to the north, and Benson Knott and Helm Hill to the east. To the south the River Kent winds through rolling dairy- and sheep-farming terrain before reaching the sea at Morecambe Bay around Arnside. Although Kendal is near the Lake District National Park, formed in 1951, it does not lie within the park's boundaries. Kendal's location surrounded by numerous rural villages makes it an important commercial centre for a wide area. It has been dubbed "The Gateway to the Lakes".

Climate

Kendal has a marine west-coast climate, category Cfb on the Köppen Climate Classification. It has moderately warm summers and mild winters with precipitation at all times of year. In July and August the average daily maximum and minimum are respectively. The corresponding ones in January and February are .

Economy

Kendal's early prosperity was based largely on cloth manufacture. In the 19th century it became a centre for the manufacture of Snuff (tobacco), snuff and shoes – the K Shoes company remained a major employer in the town until its factory closed in 2003. There are still several industries based in the town, such as Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon (manufacturers of pumps and turbines), James Cropper paper makers (based in Burneside, who make, at no profit, the paper for the Remembrance poppy, Remembrance poppies for the Royal British Legion), Mardix (switchgear), Lakeland (company), Lakeland, and Kendal Nutricare, which has a facility for making baby milk in the north of the town. Tourism is now a major employer, but there is also a significant Information technology, IT and design sector, enabled by increased broadband availability. On 26 February 2003, Kendal was granted Fairtrade Town status.

Transport

Kendal railway station lies on the Windermere Branch Line. Northern Trains provides direct services to Windermere railway station, Windermere to the north and to Oxenholme Lake District railway station, Oxenholme and Lancaster railway station, Lancaster to the south, which are both on the West Coast Main Line. Local routes from the bus station serve destinations such as Ambleside,

, Keswick, Cumbria, Keswick,

and Penrith, Cumbria, Penrith, with most services operated by Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire. Long-distance National Express Coaches, National Express coaches run to Preston and Birmingham. Kendal is located about from the M6 motorway. It is bypassed on the west side by the A591 road, linking it to

and Keswick, and by the A590 road, A590 leading to Barrow-in-Furness, Barrow. It is also the end point of the A65 road (Great Britain), A65 road to Kirkby Lonsdale, Skipton and Leeds, and a destination on the A6 road (England), A6 road to Penrith, Cumbria, Penrith. Kendal is signposted off the M6 at junctions 36 (A65, A590), 37 (A684 road), 38 (A685 road) and 39 (A6). A three-mile, £1.9m A591 bypass opened on 29 August 1971. The Lancaster Canal was built as far as Kendal in 1819, but the northern section was rendered unnavigable by the construction of the M6. Part of this section was drained and filled in to prevent leakage; the course of the canal through Kendal has now been built over. The canal towpath, however, remains as a footpath through the town. A campaign is underway to restore the canal as far as Kendal. Turning bridge Kendal

Education

The Queen Katherine School, on Appleby Road, is a secondary school with academy (English school), academy status. The school also has a sixth form. Kirkbie Kendal School, formerly Kendal Grammar School, is a secondary school Business and Enterprise College serving the area. It operates as a foundation school with academy status. Its former pupils include the historian David Starkey. Kendal College provides further and higher education courses and the training for employers.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Border. Kendal's local radio stations are BBC Radio Cumbria on 95.2 FM, Smooth Lake District on 100.1 FM, Heart North West on 103.2 FM; community on-line stations are Lake District Radio and Bay Trust Radio. The town's local newspaper is The Westmorland Gazette.

Sport

Kendal Town F.C., Kendal Town Football Club plays in the North West Counties Football League, North West Counties Premier Division, with home games at Parkside Road Stadium. Kendal Rugby Union Football Club, Kendal RUFC plays in the 5th tier of the English rugby union system, with home games at Mint Bridge Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,500.

Places of interest

* Kendal Museum, one of the oldest in the country, includes exhibits on area history, culture, archaeology, geology, local and world natural history, Roman Britain, and Ancient Egypt. *Abbot Hall Art Gallery (housed in a Georgian villa) mounts nationally important exhibitions, such as ''David Bomberg: Spirit in the Mass'' (17 July – 28 October 2006). The permanent collection covers George Romney (painter), George Romney, J. M. W. Turner, John Ruskin, Ben Nicholson, Paula Rego, Lucian Freud, Stanley Spencer and Barbara Hepworth. *The Museum of Lakeland Life in the original stables of Abbot Hall contains exhibits on farming life in the Lake District and a permanent collection of author Arthur Ransome's books and belongings. *Castle Howe, Kendal's first castle. *

, to the east of the earthworks, was probably built while Castle Howe was still in use. *The Religious Society of Friends, Friends' Meeting House is home to the Quaker Tapestry. *The Brewery Arts Centre offers theatre, dance, exhibitions, cinema, music, workshops, youth drama, dance, and food and drink. *The Queen Katherine Street drill hall, Kendal, Queen Katherine Street drill hall was used to mobilize troops in the World War I, First World War. *The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is held in Kendal every year in October. *Other places of interest are Kendal Leisure Centre, Kendal Parish Church, Kendal Parish Church (Holy Trinity), Lakeland Radio Stadium official football ground of Kendal Town F.C., and *Netherfield Cricket Club Ground, the home ground of Netherfield Cricket Club and Cumberland County Cricket Club.

Notable people

*Dave Allen (English musician), Dave Allen (1955-2025), bass player for post-punk band Gang of Four *Neil Ashton (actor), Neil Ashton (born 1969), actor, appeared in Channel 4's It's a Sin (TV series), ''It's a Sin'' and Sky Group, Sky's ''Brassic'' *Desmond Bagley (1923–1983), thriller writer *Matt Bigland (born 1985), guitarist and lead singer for alternative rock band Dinosaur Pile-Up *Jonathan Dodgson Carr (died 1884), founder of Carr's bread makers and social reform campaigner *Ephraim Chambers (c. 1680–1740), encyclopedian *Isaac Crewdson (1780–1844), Quaker minister born in Kendal *John Cunliffe (author), John Cunliffe (1933–2018), children's author, creator of Postman Pat *John Dalton (1766–1844), chemist and physicist *Arthur Stanley Eddington, Sir Arthur Eddington (1882–1944), astrophysicist *Tim Farron (born 1970), current Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale (UK Parliament constituency), Westmorland and Lonsdale and former leader of the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats *Myles Fenton, Sir Myles Fenton (1830–1918), railway knight *Nicholas Freeston (1907–1978), award-winning Lancashire poet, born in Kendal *Daniel Gardner (1750–1805), portrait painter *Britain's Got Talent (series 5), Steven Hall, ''Britain's Got Talent (series 5), Britain's Got Talent'' finalist 2011 as a comedy dancer *Paul Hogarth (1917–2001), artist and book illustrator, who collaborated with such authors as Graham Greene and Sir John Betjeman and provided covers for Penguin Books, Penguin Books' editions of Shakespeare *Steve Hogarth (born 1959), vocalist of rock band Marillion *Geoffrey Kendal (1909–1998), Shakespearean actor and father of Felicity Kendal *Francis Nigel Lee (1934–2011), theologian *Isabella Lickbarrow (1784–1847), poet *Shirley O'Loughlin (living) photographer, member of punk/post-punk band The Raincoats *Ken Major (1928–2009), architect, author and molinology, molinologist, attended Kendal School *Caroline Moir (living), author *Eric Pringle (1935–2017), writer for TV and radio, including ''Doctor Who'', lived in the town for 30 years *George Romney (painter), George Romney (1734–1802), portrait painter *David R. Russell (1935–2018), antique woodworking tool collector *Keith Stainton (1921–2001), politician and Second World War hero in France *David Starkey (born 1945), constitutional historian *Alfred Wainwright (1907–1991), guidebook author and walker *Mary Augusta Wakefield (1853–1910) composer and festival organizer *Wild Beasts, indie-rock band *Keith Wilkinson (reporter), Keith Wilkinson (living), ITV television news reporter *John Wilson (mathematician), John Wilson (1741–1793), mathematician and astronomer *Mark Wilson (rugby union), Mark Wilson (born 1989), Newcastle Falcons and England Rugby Union player *Philip Whitwell Wilson (1875–1956), Liberal politician and journalist

Sports

*James Ellison (motorcycle racer), James Ellison (born 1980) and Dean Ellison (born 1977), motorcycle racers *Maurice Flitcroft (1929–2007) British golfer, immortalised in the film ''The Phantom of the Open'', was evacuated to the town during the Second World War and was a pupil at Kendal Grammar School *Peter McDonnell (footballer), Peter McDonnell: Footballer *James Rogers (cricketer), James Rogers (born 1958) first-class cricketer *Philip Snow (cricketer, born 1907), Philip Snow (1907–1985), first-class cricketer *William Wakefield (cricketer), William Wakefield (1870–1922), cricketer * Raphael Weatherall (born 2004), first-class cricketer for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, Northamptonshire * Jack White (cricketer, born 1992), Jack White (born 1992), first-class cricketer for Northamptonshire

Literary, artistic and musical references

* Lydia Sigourney includes the poem ''Kendal'' in her ''Pleasant Memories of Pleasant Lands'' of 1842, recollections of her visit to Europe in 1840. *Poet W. H. Auden says his love is "more wonderful" than "a turbine built by Gilkes & Co. of Kendal" in his prose poem ''Dichtung und Wahrheit'' *Paul McCartney references Kendal in the lyrics of his 1973 Wings song Helen Wheels, stating: "The Kendal freeway's fast". In his 2023 book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, McCartney explains that the song was a description of the journey from his farm in Scotland to London undertaken in his Land Rover which he and wife Linda McCartney, Linda nicknamed 'Helen Wheels', and referencing key places on the route. He explains: "Kendal is in the Lake District, but the 'Kendal freeway' is meant to be a joke because Kendal is a total bottleneck, as anyone who's tried to drive through it will confirm." *Van Morrison references Kendal in the lyrics of his playful 1980 song "Summertime in England", stating "We'll go riding up to Kendal in the country, in the summertime in England" and "Did you ever hear about Wordsworth and Coleridge? They were smokin' up in Kendal."

Local dialect

Kendal speech, known as Kendalian, is an example of the Cumbrian dialect spoken in the surrounding area.

Search and rescue

Kendal has long maintained a locally active, voluntary Mountain rescue in England and Wales, mountain search and rescue team based at Busher Walk. Along with nearby teams, it helped at the Grayrigg derailment in February 2007. Kendal Mountain Rescue Team is one of ten current teams that joined with Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs and Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit to form a Cumbrian umbrella organization, the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association.

Twin towns

Kendal is Sister city, twinned with: * Killarney, Ireland * Rinteln, Germany

Freedom

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the City, Freedom of the Town of Kendal:

Individuals

*Arthur Eddington, Sir Arthur Eddington: 1930

Military units

*The Border Regiment: 25 October 1947 *The King's Own Royal Border Regiment: 1 October 1959 *The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment: 1 July 2006

References

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Kendal (formerly Kirkby Kendal)
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)
Kendal Town CouncilKendal Museum
{{authority control Kendal, Towns in Cumbria Civil parishes in Cumbria Westmorland and Furness

Name

History

Roman fort

Transport

Mint cake

Tobacco and snuff

The Kendal Bank

Governance

Civic history

Parliament

Geography

Climate

Economy

Transport

Education

Media

Sport

Places of interest

Notable people

Sports

Literary, artistic and musical references

Local dialect

Search and rescue

Twin towns

Freedom

Individuals

Military units

See also

References

External links