Longtown, Cumbria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Longtown |
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| Town | |
 Longtown, bridge over the River Esk |
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 Longtown
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| Population | 3,000 |
| OS grid reference | NY380686 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority |
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| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Carlisle |
| Postcode district | CA6 |
| Dialling code | 01228 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Longtown is a town in Cumbria, England. It is located very close to the border with Scotland.
Longtown is known for its large sheep market. This market played a big role during the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Just southwest of Longtown, you can find Arthuret Church. It is a historic church dedicated to Saint Michael and All Angels.
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Where is Longtown?
Longtown is part of the Arthuret parish. It sits right by the River Esk.
The town is about 11+3⁄4 miles (19 kilometres) north of Carlisle. It is also about 27+1⁄2 miles (44 kilometres) east of Dumfries.
Longtown's Past
Longtown has always been part of Cumberland. Two important battles happened nearby a long time ago. The Battle of Arfderydd took place in 573. Later, the Battle of Solway Moss was fought close by in 1542.
The 2001 Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak
Longtown has one of the biggest sheep markets in England. In 2001, an animal with foot-and-mouth disease was bought at this market. The disease then spread to other animals there.
Because the Longtown Sheep Market is so big, the disease quickly spread across the country. Longtown became the main place for controlling the disease in southwest Scotland and North West England.
How Longtown is Governed
Longtown is part of the Penrith and the Border area for the UK Parliament. Neil Hudson was chosen as its Member of Parliament in 2019. He is a Conservative politician.
Before Brexit, people in Longtown voted for MEPs. These MEPs represented the North West England area in the European Parliament.
For local decisions, Longtown is in the Longtown + The Border Ward. This ward is part of Carlisle City Council. It is also in the Longtown Division of Cumbria County Council.
Longtown also has its own local council, called the Arthuret Parish Council.
Schools in Longtown
Longtown has one primary school. Around 190 students attend this school. Most older students go to William Howard School in Brampton or to schools in Carlisle.
Before 2008, Longtown had its own secondary school, called Lochinvar School.
News and Media
Local news and TV shows for Longtown come from BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Border. TV signals are sent from the Caldbeck TV tower.
You can listen to local radio stations like BBC Radio Cumbria on 95.6 FM. BBC Radio Scotland can also be heard on 94.7 FM. Greatest Hits Radio Cumbria & South West Scotland is on 96.4 FM. The local newspaper for the town is the News and Star.
Local Environment
In April 2014, the Carlisle City Council turned down a plan for a large slurry lagoon. A slurry lagoon is a big pond for farm waste. This one was planned for Scaurbank Wood, northeast of Longtown.
Many people were against this plan. More than 1,400 letters and emails were sent to the City Council to object. This made it the most objected-to plan in the council's history.
Industries in Longtown
Coal Mining
The Lochinvar coalfield was found in the 1950s. The National Coal Board drilled there, but they never started mining.
From 2014, an Australian company began looking into this coalfield again. They were searching for coking coal, which is used to make steel. Their search area stretched from Evertown near Canonbie down to Longtown.
DMC Longtown (Defence Munitions Centre)
In the 1930s, the United Kingdom needed safe places to store weapons. The plan was to build three large storage sites. One was in the south, one in the Midlands, and one in the north.
The Longtown site was built on hard granite rock. This meant it took longer to build than the other sites. It only started working late in the Second World War. The area was chosen because it used to be part of HM Factory, Gretna. This factory was one of the biggest makers of explosives during the First World War. The town of Gretna was built to house the factory workers.
Today, DMC (Defence Munitions Centre) Longtown is the only one of the three original sites still in use. It is one of the largest defence munitions sites in Western Europe. Longtown and Eastriggs are now two separate sites but are managed together.
In November 2013, the Ministry of Defence said that DMC Longtown would store less. A small part of the site would also be used for other businesses.
See also
In Spanish: Longtown para niños
