Silloth, Cumberland
Historical Description
Silloth, a seaport town and two ecclesiastical parishes in Holme Cultram parish, Cumberland. The town stands on the Solway Frith, at the terminus of the Carlisle and Silloth railway, 22½ miles W by S of Carlisle, was only a small hamlet prior to 1853, rose to importance by the opening of the railway to it in 1856, and by the construction of a harbour, dock, and pier in 1857-59. It was much improved by the levelling of adjacent sandhills into fine spacious lawns and promenades, enjoys a salubrious climate remarkable for abundance of ozone, commands a fine view across the frith to Criffel Mountain and the estuary of the Nith, came soon into favour as a sea-bathing resort, and has a post, money order, and telegraph office (R.S.O.), a railway station, five good hotels, many first-class houses, two churches, several chapels, a bath-house, golf links, tennis courts, a police station, and the convalescent institution for Cumberland and Westmorland. Steamers run daily to Liverpool, and twice a week to Dublin. The ecclesiastical parishes of St. Paul and Christchurch were constituted in 1850 and 1872. Population of St. Paul, 581; of Christchurch, 1941. The livings are vicarages in the diocese of Carlisle; gross value, £201 and £88, both with residence. Patron of St. Paul's, the Vicar of holme Cultram; of Christchurch, trustees. St. Paul's Church, at Low holme, erected in 1845, and restored in 1890, is in the Early English style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, and turret; the burial-ground was enlarged in 1892. Christchurch, built in 1871, is in the Early Decorated style, and consists of chancel, nave, aisles, and tower with spire. There are Primitive Methodist, Congregational, Wesleyan, and English Presbyterian chapels.
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Cumberland is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Silloth are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)