Maryport
Maryport is a delightful harbour side town situated
on the beautiful Solway Firth. Its history, covering 2000 years
boasts a Roman Fort, Georgian buildings, Victorian docks, and
industries which have included coal mining, iron making, shipping
and shipbuilding and many fascinating links with famous men and
historical events.
At the beginning of the 18th Century Maryport was hardly more
than a little fishing creek at the mouth of the River Ellen
consisting of a few huts and a farmhouse (now The Golden Lion Hotel
which hosted Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and George
Stephenson). Maryport was a planned town and rapidly expanded with
20,000 inhabitants by the beginning of the 20th century.
By 1752 manufacturing was beginning with leases being granted in
that year for building, quarries, furnaces and forges.
In 1756 Humphrey Senhouse changed the name of the lands known as
Ellenfoot to Maryport calling the new town after his wife Mary.
This change of name was later to be confirmed in an act of
Parliament in 1791.
Maryport continued to develop and grow with houses numbering 100
in 1774. The year 1784 saw the building of the first blast furnace,
which rose to a height of 36 feet. During the first half of the
19th century Maryport boomed. A gas supply was connected, the
railway was built, ships were registered for the first time and the
bonded warehouse was built in 1842.
The second half of the century saw Elizabeth 1857 and Senhouse
1884 docks opened and the Maryport and Carlisle railway, which was
planned by George Stephenson, in 1845. The harbour was founded
mainly for the export of coal to Ireland; however other exports
included steel rails, stone bar bolts and cast iron from the Solway
Iron Works and collieries based in Ellenborough, Flimby, Dearham
and Aspatria. Shipbuilders' yards were a common sight, with
Maryport having the largest docks on the west Cumbria coast until
1927.
A decline in industry hit Maryport hard in the second half of
the 20th Century and in the late 1980s a major regeneration
programme was initiated to forge a new future for the town.
To date much work has been achieved and the town now plays host to
one of Britain's premier Blues Festivals, located in the town's
revitalised Harbour area.
Maryport Neighbourhood Partnership
Maryport Neighbourhood Partnership was formally established in
December 2006. The Partnership represents both members of the
neighbourhood community (Maryport town, Flimby, Broughton Moor,
Dearham, Crosby and Crosscannonby) and the service providers in the
area. The Partnership has two principal groups working to
achieve both government Neighbourhood Renewal targets and community
aspirations:
Neighbourhood Group
Self selected residents from across CA15 area
(not Allonby).
Delivery Group
Heads of Service Delivery organisations in
Maryport e.g. Police Inspector, secondary school Headteacher,
Maryport Health Services
Strategic Priorities
Maryport Neighbourhood Partnership aims to
achieve both government targets and local community
aspirations. There is a good fit between both the targets set
by government and the aspirations described by local residents.
Government targets have been are directed by
the neighbourhood renewal agenda, with Local Area Agreement targets
presently being integrated into the work of the partnership.
Community aspirations have been determined through an existing long
term (and ongoing) process of community engagement and
consultation. Maryport town Plan, Parish Plans, community
surveys and Neighbourhood Forum consultations have all been used to
inform the priorities.
The principal community priorities for this
neighbourhood area are:
- Reducing anti-social behaviour
- Increasing activities and facilities for young people
- Improving environmental quality (reducing dog fouling, litter
graffiti)
- Reducing redundant and derelict buildings in the
neighbourhood
- Involvement of the community in environmental improvement
programmes
- Maryport's Future: Publicity and Promotion
Activities
Maryport Neighbourhood Partnership has
approximately £80,000 to commission work to support the achievement
of NRF targets. It has already commissioned the following
works:
- Maryport Local Police Team
To reduce anti-social behaviour
- Maryport Youth Work Providers
To develop a young peoples centre
To develop a drug and alcohol support
drop-in
To provide additional resources for
individuals on incapacity benefit to access fitness training
To assist Fit 4 Life become contract ready to
tender for Condition Management Programme
- Flimby Community Association
To support the development of Flimby Green gym
and assist the Community Association become contract ready to
tender for Condition Management Programme
- Netherhall Community Sports Centre
To provide additional resources for
individuals on incapacity benefit to access fitness training
Additional smoking cessation sessions to be
targeted at patients with diagnosed chronic disease (those
suffering with diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and heart
disease).
Finally, the partnership has identified the
need to develop a dedicated website for Maryport visitors and
residents.