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 together to achieve community
aspirations:
Neighbourhood Group
Self selected residents from across CA15 area
(not Allonby).
Delivery Group
This is formed from organisations in Maryport
e.g. Community Police, Secondary School, Maryport Health Services,
Cumbria Health Services, Allerdale Borough Council and Housing
Associations
The Partnership would welcome a wider
membership from residents and residents’ groups and Allerdale
Borough Council would be delighted to hear from anyone who wishes
to get involved.
Strategic 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
Whilst Maryport Neighbourhood Partnership has
already enjoyed some success with various activities in the past,
the focus of the Partnership has had to change as there is
currently no public or private funding supporting the Partnership
(apart from administrative support from Allerdale Borough Council
and help from Cumbria Fire Service in providing a venue for
meetings).
Following various meetings of the Partnership
it was agreed to concentrate on small projects one of which has
been identified as improving the environment and an environmental
clean up/litter pick up has now been organised.