Great Musgrave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great Musgrave |
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 Stone-built cottages in the main village street |
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 Great Musgrave
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| OS grid reference | NY767135 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KIRKBY STEPHEN |
| Postcode district | CA17 |
| Dialling code | 017683 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Great Musgrave is a small village in Cumbria, England. It's now part of the Musgrave parish, located in the Eden area. The village is about one mile west of Brough. In 1891, about 175 people lived here.
Great Musgrave sits on top of a hill, close to the River Eden. From this spot, you can see amazing views of the Eden Valley and the northern Pennines mountains. The village got its name from the Musgrave family, who used to live here a long time ago.
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St. Theobald's Church
Jul2006.jpg)
St. Theobald's Church is a stone church built in 1845-1846. It's on the edge of the village. Before this church, two older churches stood nearby, with the first one built in the 12th century. Sadly, these earlier churches were too close to the river and often flooded. In 1822, floodwaters inside the church were almost a meter deep!
A row of horse chestnut trees leads up to the current church, which has a slate roof. The church has a square tower with two bells. Inside, you'll find a small stained glass window, a coffin lid from the 1200s, and a brass plaque of a priest from the year 1500. There are also carved heads on the roof beams above the windows.
Rush Bearing Ceremony
The church holds a special event every year called the rush bearing ceremony. It happens on the first Saturday in July. Girls wear beautiful garlands of flowers, and boys carry crosses made of rushes. They all walk in a procession through the village and to the church. Once inside, they have a service to sing praises and give thanks.
Village History
On December 30, 1894, the parish of Great Musgrave was joined with "Little Musgrave" to create the new parish of "Musgrave."
The village once had its own train station, called Musgrave railway station. It opened in 1862 but closed down in 1952.
The Railway Bridge Infilling
In May and June 2021, something big happened at the B6259 road bridge in Great Musgrave. This bridge is just north of the old railway station. National Highways (which used to be called Highways England) filled the space under the bridge with 1,600 tonnes of gravel and concrete.
This bridge was part of a five-mile stretch of old railway track. Local train fans hoped to fix up this track. Their plan was to connect the Eden Valley and Stainmore railways. This would create an 11-mile tourist train line between Appleby and Kirkby Stephen. National Highways said they talked to both railway groups before doing the work. However, the railway groups said this wasn't true and sent a letter of complaint.
National Highways filled the bridge using special emergency powers. They said the work was needed "to prevent the failure of the bridge and avert a collapse." This happened even after officers from Eden District Council asked them to pause the work.
However, in May 2022, a company called Bill Harvey Associates looked closely at the bridge's engineering reports. They found that there was no proof the bridge was about to collapse. They also said there was no sign of an emergency. In fact, their report said the bridge was "in fair condition."
Public Outcry and Reversal
The decision to fill the Great Musgrave bridge caused a lot of anger across the country. The government even stepped in. They paused similar plans to fill or demolish dozens of other railway bridges. Many civil engineers felt ashamed because of the negative impact on their profession.
National Highways had to ask for permission for the work they had already done. Eden District Council received 911 objections and only two messages of support for the infilling. The council's planning committee decided to reject the permission on June 16, 2022. It could cost about £431,000 to remove the concrete and fix the bridge. This is on top of the £124,000 already spent on filling it.
National Highways has agreed to remove the concrete and fix the bridge. This work must be finished within 12 months of October 11, 2022. In July 2023, locals were worried because the plans meant closing the bridge for three months. This would cause long detours for people using the B6259 road. Work to remove the infill began in August 2023.
After the strong reaction to the Great Musgrave bridge, National Highways changed how it plans major work on old railway structures. Now, experts from groups focused on history, environment, planning, and travel review the proposals. They work together in a group called the Stakeholder Advisory Forum.
Images for kids
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Stone-built cottages in the main village street
