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Workington

Like Cockermouth, Wokington suffered badly from the devastating floods of November 2009. The Northside bridge over the River Derwent collapsed completely, and a policeman who was orking on it was swept into the raging waters and drowned. The failure of the bridge left the town split in two. Although children on the northern bank could see their school across the river, they faced a 12-mile road journey to reach it. The railway bridge had survived the torrent and a temporary station was erected to help alleviate the town's transport problems. A footbridge was built by the Royal Engineers with 500 of them toiling non-stop for six days to complete the work. Within a few weeks the town centre had been restored to normal, but hundreds of householders faced months of waiting before they could return to their properties. A new £5 million road bridge is scheduled to be in place by late spring 2010.

The largest town on the Cumbrian coast, Workington stands at the mouth of the River Derwent and on the site of the Roman fort of Gabrosentum. Its prosperity was founded on the three great Cumbrian industries - coal, iron and shipping. In later years, Workington became famous for its fine quality steel, especially after Henry Bessemer developed his revolutionary steel-making process here
in 1850.

The town centre has recently enjoyed a £45 million face-lift, £3 million of which was spent on an innovative public art programme.

The seat of the Curwen family for more than 600 years, Workington Hall has an interesting history. Originally built around a 14th-century pele tower, the hall was developed over the years with extensive alterations being made in the 18th century by the then lord of the manor, John Christian Curwen. Now a stabilised ruin, it has several commemorative plaques that give a taste of the hall's histoy. The most famous visitor was Mary, Queen of Scots who sought refuge here when she fled from Scotland in 1558. She stayed for a few days during which time she wrote the famous letter to her cousin Elizabeth I bemoaning her fate,

"for I am in a pitiable condition.... having nothing
in the world but the clothes in which I escaped",

and asking the queen

"to have compasion on my great misfortunes".

The letter is now in the British Museum.

Just across the road from Workington Hall is the Helena Thompson Museum, which tells the story of Workington's coal mining, ship-building, and iron and steel industries for which the town became internationally renowned. The Georgian Room gives an insight into the variety of decorative styles that were popular between 1714 and 1830, with displays of beautiful cut-glass tableware, porcelai from China, and period pieces of furniture. Bequeathed to the town by the local philanthropist Miss Helena Thompson, the museum was opened in 1949 and contains some of her own family heirlooms. One particularly interesting exhibit is the Clifton Dish, a locally produced 18th-century piece of slipware pottery, while further displays demonstrate the links between this local industry and the famous Staffordshire pottery families. Fashionistas will be interested in the display of women's and children's dresses from the 1700s to the early 1900s, together with accessories and jewellery.

Workington's Church of St John the Evangelist is a very grand affair built at enormous expense in 1823 to give thanks for the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. It is a copy of St Paul's, Covent Garden, and its walls were built with stones from the local Schoose and Hunday quarries. The interior was splendidly restored by Sir Ninian Comper in 1931. St Michel's is the ancient parish church, restored after a fire in 1994.

Workington is at the start of the C2C (Coast to Coast) cycle route that runs to Sunderland and Newcastle. A short distance south of town is Harrington Reservoir Nature Reserve, a haven for wildlife with a rich variety of wild flowers, insects, butterflies, birds and animals.