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THE EDGE VACATION & HOLIDAY GUIDE TO CUMBRIA & THE LAKE DISTRICT KIRKBY LONSDALE, CUMBRIA Town Centre, Kirkby Lonsdale. |
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Kirkby Lonsdale Location: OS ref SD610785 Sheet 97. Less than half a mile from the border with Lancashire in the far South of the county. Approximately 5mls/8km SE of Junction 36 M6 on the A65 Nearest Towns: Kendal NW on the A65 12.5mls/20km. Lancaster (Lancashire) S on the A683 16mls/25km.
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An extremely handsome and unspoilt market town in a beautiful setting. Kirkby Lonsdale reminds me a little of Paris. This may seem strange to anybody who lives or works there, but there are parallels. Both are built largely of grey stone, both are largely unspoilt and both are pleasing to the eye. The town is situated in the idyllic Lune Valley which provided inspiration to such artists as Constable and Turner; and the poet and philosopher Ruskin was so impressed that he wrote in its praise: "I do not know in all my own country, still less in France or Italy, a place more naturally divine."
Kirkby Lonsdale has retained its unique character. It has never been developed as a tourist destination and therefore has not been subject to the pressures this inevitably brings. Despite great differences in the ages of the various buildings in the town there is a pleasing uniformity about the place, again reminiscent of Paris. Here you will find no yielding to questionable stylistic and fashionable additions to the town's public face, no huge plate glass windows, no corporate identity hamburger bars or unsympathetic shopping chains, in short none of the vandalism that shopping chains impose on the facades of towns all over the world, to their eternal shame. King Henry III granted a market charter to the town in 1227, The market was originally held in the churchyard but later moved to its current position in the middle of the town. The Monument built in 1822 is at the centre of Market Square surrounded by restrained, attractive buildings, notably the Hotel and the Bank. There are a number of good walks in and around Kirkby Lonsdale, especially down the narrow streets and lanes, some with interesting names, and through the church yard to the gazebo to admire "Ruskin's view" along the Lune Valley.
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