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Bowness-on-Solway - Wikipedia

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Bowness-on-Solway

St. Michael's Church, Bowness-on-Solway

Bowness-on-Solway is located in the former Allerdale Borough

Bowness-on-Solway

Bowness-on-Solway

Location in Allerdale, Cumbria

Bowness-on-Solway is located in Cumbria

Bowness-on-Solway

Bowness-on-Solway

Location within Cumbria

Population1,126 (2011)
OS grid referenceNY220623
Civil parish
  • Bowness
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWIGTON
Postcode districtCA7
Dialling code01697
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cumbria
54°57′00″N 3°12′58″W / 54.950°N 3.216°W

Bowness-on-Solway is a village in Cumbria, England. It is situated to the west of Carlisle on the southern side of the Solway Firth estuary separating England and Scotland. The civil parish had a population of 1,126 at the 2011 census.[1] The western end of Hadrian's Wall is a notable tourist destination, though the Wall itself is no longer to be seen here above ground. The west end of the Hadrian's Wall Path is marked by a pavilion on the small coastal cliff at Bowness. The village is part of the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

'Bowness' means 'rounded', or 'bow-shaped headland', from either the Old English 'boga', 'bow', and 'næss', or, more probably, the Old Norse 'bogi' and 'nes'.[2]

The village is situated on the site of the Roman fort called Maia, the second largest on Hadrian's Wall.[3] There was also a small civilian settlement (vicus) outside the south gate of this fort.[3]

Bowness-on-Solway is part of the parliamentary constituency of Penrith and Solway.

For Local Government purposes it is in the Cumberland unitary authority area.

St Michael's Church

[edit]

The church sits atop what may have been the granary for the Roman fort in the 12th century. The two original bells were stolen by border raiders in 1626, accidentally dropping them in the Solway during their flight. In retaliation, the villagers raided Dornock and Middlebie in Scotland, making off with a new pair of bells. Traditionally, on inception, the vicar of Annan petitions the village's neighbours for the return of his bells.

In 1869, the Solway Junction Railway was opened, connecting the Maryport and Carlisle Railway to the Scottish railway system more directly than the existing route through Carlisle, by a 1.1 mile (2.161 km) iron girder viaduct (the remains of which can still be seen) across the Solway between Bowness-on-Solway and Annan in Scotland.[4] The construction of the viaduct prevented ships entering the upper Solway and hence destroyed the trade of Port Carlisle, which had already been largely supplanted by the construction of a wet dock at Silloth. The viaduct suffered minor frost damage in 1875; in 1881 large sections of it were destroyed by ice floes, but the viaduct was rebuilt. The railway never lived up to its promoters' expectations, and in 1914 it was restricted to carrying goods only. In 1921 the railway was closed entirely, and in 1934 the viaduct was demolished.

  • Bowness main street

    Bowness main street

  • Pavilion at the west end of the Hadrian's Wall Path

    Pavilion at the west end of the Hadrian's Wall Path

  • Remains of Solway viaduct - English side 2018

    Remains of Solway viaduct - English side 2018

  • The station building in 1961

    The station building in 1961

  • Lindow Hall, Bowness

    Lindow Hall, Bowness

  1. ^ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  2. ^ Armstrong, A. M.; Mawer, A.; Stenton, F. M.; Dickens, B. (1950). The place-names of Cumberland. English Place-Name Society, vol.xx. Vol. Part 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 123.
  3. ^ a b Maia at www.Roman-Britain.co.uk
  4. ^ "Solway Junction Railway - Visit Cumbria".