The "Local Government Act, 1858" (21 & 22 Vict. c. 98), was adopted by the district, 18 Oct. 1864; the district was extended by 43 & 44 Vict. c. 86, and under the provisions of the "Local Government Act, 1894," is now governed by an Urban District Council of 12 members. The town is situated in a vale of great extent, sheltered on the north by lofty hills; it is lighted with gas from works now the property of the Urban District Council, having been purchased from the Gas Co. in 1892, and supplied with water from the mountains in the immediate vicinity.
The Public Offices and Market Hall were erected by the Local Board in 1879, at a cost of £3,500; the Market Hall is sometimes used for public entertainments, and will seat 1,000 persons; the market is held on Saturdays. The Conservative Club, High street, is a fine building of stone, erected in 1883 by John Stirling esq. J.P. of Fairburn, Ross-shire, N.B. at a cost of £2,500, from designs by Mr. T. L. Banks, architect; it includes reading and other rooms.
There is also a Liberal Club, with reading rooms. There are branches here of the Bank of Whitehaven Limited and the Whitehaven Joint Stock Banking Co. Limited, both in High street. The Cleator Moor Cooperative Society has extensive premises, and now (1896) consists of 4,500 members, and its turnover amounts to £150,000 a year. The Free Library, established in 1894. has at present over 2,000 volumes; attached is a free reading room, supplied regularly with all the local papers; Mr. Rowland Baxter, librarian. In the valley, traversed by the river Ehen and various tributary becks, are a number of valuable mines of iron ore, to the discovery and working of which this district chiefly owes its advancement and prosperity.
The "Montreal" mine, belonging to John Stirling esq. J.P. was sunk in 1862; the "Crowgarth" is the property of Lord Leconfield, and there is another belonging to the Whitehaven Haematite Iron Co, established about 1840, and having four blast furnaces worked in connection with the mine; the depth of the mine varies from 10 to 100 fathoms.
Petty Sessions are held every Monday & Thursday at Whitehaven at 11 a.m. & on alternate Fridays at Cleator Moor at 10.15 a.m. (for parishes of Cleator, Arlecdon, Salter & Eskett only).
The following places are included in the petty sessional division: Arlecdon, Cleator, Drigg, Distington, Egremont, Gosforth, Haile, Harrington, Irton with Santon, Lamplugh, Moresby, Ponsonby, Saint Bridgets, Saint John’s, Salter & Eskett, Ennerdale & Kinniside, Hensingham, Lowside Quarter, Netherwasdale, Preston Quarter, Parton, Rottington, Saint Bees, Sandwith, Wedicar & Whitehaven.
Schools
Montreal, Church of England schools, erected by John Stirling esq. J.P. in 1865 & enlarged by the same benefactor in 1875, at a total cost of nearly £10,000; the building is of native freestone, & has a fine tower 98 feet high, containing a clock & bell; it was again enlarged in 1890, at a cost of £1,200; these schools form one of the most striking features of the town, & will hold 1,045 children; 275 senior boys, 260 senior girls, 275 infants, 90 junior boys & 145 junior girls. Average attendance, 229 senior boys, 176 senior girls, 182 infants, 45 junior boys & 81 junior girls; the full staff of teachers numbers 26.
Catholic, erected in 1873, for 400 boys, 250 girls & 260 infants; average attendance, 210 boys, 180 girls & 180 infants.
Hello
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask about the haematite mines if I may. I believe that the Crowgarth mine was the last mine to close around Cleator Moor in 1958.
The mine had 3 pits. I would like to know in which year the following pits closed.
York pit
No 4 pit
St Johns pit
Thank you for your help
Best regards
Mark Redmond
The pits were sunk between 1870 and 1882. They closed in the 1920s.
ReplyDelete