Monday 12 September 2016

Parton Beach and finds.

We went for a short walk along Parton beach yesterday - lots of sea-washed glass, much of which still retains the lettering from old bottles. Not surprising when you read about Parton's industrial heritage:  


Parton Bay has shaped Parton’s history. The bay was used by the Romans when they occupied Moresby Fort which sits above the village on Hadrian’s Wall. The port continued to be used through the Middle Ages, and Elizabethan times but it wasn’t until in 17th century that the port underwent significant development to cater for the local coal trade. During the early seventeenth century the port flourished and Parton prospered and new industries developed. For a time Parton was a busier port than Whitehaven, however in 1795 a storm destroyed the harbour breakwaters, and the port never recovered, reverting back to a small fishing haven. The village industries, which included a brewery, had enough local custom to survive and some new industries developed including an engineering company, a tannery and glassworks which shipped glass bottles to London. With the loss of the port, coal now had to be transported to Whitehaven and a horse-drawn tramway was built along the foot of the cliffs which is known as the Wagon Way. Locomotives made at Lowca Engineering works, had to be transported from Parton by seagoing barge as it was not until late in the nineteenth century the railway extension to Whitehaven via Parton was built. The railway brought new opportunities for Parton's industries. The colliery, the engineering works and the brewery all thrived, an iron-foundry opened next to the new railway station, and in the 1870s an ironworks was established on the shore near the Lowca works. ( http://www.copeland.gov.uk/content/parton-%E2%80%93-industry-education)


Part of Percy Kelly's Parton painting (http://www.percykelly.co.uk/percy-kelly-trails/parton-trail/)

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