Why is Caldbeck special?
Caldbeck is a small historic hamlet set in a sheltered location along the banks of the Cald Beck with attractive architectural and historic character. This includes:
- At the meeting point of numerous roads, bridle-tracks and footpaths (including the Cumbria Way Long Distance Footpath) linking Caldbeck to the high sheep-grazed fells to the south and west and to the patchwork of small fields and cattle pasture surrounding the village
- The main focus of settlement around two fords – across the Cald Beck and the Gill Beck, that were replaced by stone bridges as recently as 1928
- Principally built on the southern bank of the river, where the church, rectory and tithe barn are located and a large churchyard with some notable 18th-century headstones, including those of the celebrated huntsman, John Peel
- A secondary focus along the eastern and western sides of a long steep village green that descends from the north to the river crossing, with springs, watercourses, and duck pond
- Numerous barns dating from the 17th to 19th centuries and testifying to the agricultural origins of Caldbeck
- An unusually high number of 18th and 19th-century mills, representing the industrial phase of Caldbeck’s development when the hamlet was the focus of various industries including corn milling, wool spinning and carding, bobbin making, and stone quarrying and metal mining
- Working farms and grazing sheep, cattle and ducks in the centre of the village and in the fields that descend into the village
- Wide green verges and numerous tree-lined water courses, with a backdrop of woodland and rounded fells, enhancing the close relationship between Caldbeck and the surrounding landscape
- Significant long views through the conservation area to high peaks, including Caldbeck Fells to the south and the woodland of Parson’s Park to the east
- A thriving commercial hub catering to visitors with barns, workshops and mills serving as retail outlets and as workshops for the manufacture of furniture, clogs, clocks and jewellery
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