Beckfoot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beckfoot |
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 North end of Beckfoot. |
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 Beckfoot
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| OS grid reference | NY0949 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WIGTON |
| Postcode district | CA7 |
| Dialling code | 016973 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Beckfoot is a small village, also called a hamlet, located in Cumbria, England. It's right on the B5300 coast road, which means it's very close to the sea! You can find it about three miles south of Silloth and two miles north of the village of Mawbray. The city of Carlisle is about twenty-five miles to the east.
Contents
History of Beckfoot
What's in a Name?
The name "Beckfoot" comes from an old language called Old Norse. It means "the mouth of a stream." In the local Cumbrian dialect, a "beck" is a stream. There's a stream that flows into the Solway Firth at the south end of Beckfoot. This stream is how the hamlet got its name! In the past, people sometimes spelled it "Beck" or "Beckfoote."
Roman Times in Beckfoot
Long ago, when the Romans were in Britain, they built forts along the coast near Beckfoot. These were called "milefortlets." They helped guard the area beyond the western end of Hadrian's Wall. You can still find the remains of Milefortlet 14 and Milefortlet 15 nearby. In 2010, an archaeologist found a broken pot with 308 Roman coins in it! This was a very exciting discovery.
Castles and Coastal Watch
In the 1300s, a castle was built at Wolsty, about one and a half miles north of Beckfoot. This castle protected Holmcultram Abbey from attacks coming across the Solway Firth. By the 1700s, the castle was gone, but archaeologists studied the site in 2013.
During the 1500s, big storms and shifting sands damaged many houses in Beckfoot. Many people lost their homes. Because of this, a new town called Newtown was built further inland. Also, during this time, people from Scotland would often raid the coast. A system called the "seawake" was created. This was a night watch along the coast, and people from places like Beckfoot helped guard against these raids.
Later History
A Quaker meeting house was built in Beckfoot in 1745. This was 100 years before the local church was built! Later, a mill and a dam were built to help with wool production. However, the mill didn't make much money and closed after a few years. In 1925, Beckfoot got its first two council houses. These were the only council houses in the whole area at the time.
Beckfoot Today
Beckfoot is a lovely place with some fun attractions nearby. You can visit Bank Mill Nursery and Visitor Centre. It has a garden, a nature reserve, a play area, and a restaurant. There's also the Gincase near Newtown, which is a farm park with a gift shop and a tea room.
If you want to travel, a bus service runs between Silloth and Maryport. It stops in Beckfoot about every two hours.
Beckfoot is part of the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This means it's a special place with beautiful scenery. The sand dunes in Beckfoot, along with those at Mawbray and Wolsty, are also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This means they are important for their natural wildlife and plants.
