PAINT THE TOWN RED

A celebration was held in the new town centre which was widely enjoyed and supported by businesses and other organisations. Members enjoyed taking turns to man a stall promoting the work of Workington & District Civic Trust throughout the day.

One of the highlights of this year was taking part in the Heritage Open Days event, held annually in early September, and co-ordinated by English Heritage and The Civic Trust across the whole country. Venues not normally open to the public or which usually charge admission are thrown open to the general public who are able to enter free of charge. This year, our first, nine venues opened their doors in Workington and entertained and informed a total of 713 visitors.

Workington & District Civic Trust is active in promoting a pleasant environment. To that end, the local and county councils are lobbied strenuously to back a 'clean up campaign'. The local press publicised this initiative and support has been sought from the 'Keep Britain Tidy' campaign group and also CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, which is headed by famous author, Bill Bryson. Several members also do their bit by taking bags along on their favourite walks and picking up litter. Contact has been made with local schools and the community police to try to educate young people about the negative effect of littering and vandalism.

Our views are sought on the continuing regeneration of the town centre, and members are invited to attend consultations with interested parties.

Undeterred by our Carnival entry in 2006, several members turned out in costume again to ride around the route in a vintage bus provided by Workington Transport Heritage Group at the Town Carnival. With a combined age of 750 years [not sure if that includes the age of the bus], we won second prize again.

ENVIRONS AND TOWN CENTRE ARTWORK Together with Workington Regeneration and Cumbria County Council we worked on ideas for possible artwork at the start of the improved C-2-C cycle route at Workington shore.

We also helped research and worked closely with local artists from Knutwood Associates, on a mural painted on the gable end of a property which looks down Wilson Street, depicting the people and buildings of the old 'High Market' in the town. The original mural on this gable, long since painted over, was an advertisement for 'John Peel Ale', a local beer which was produced at the brewery nearby. The Lamport Fountain is visible in the foreground.

We were actively involved at the consultation stage of a £2.74 million artwork on Washington Street. The feature is called Coastline and includes benches in granite on paving in the shape of the local coast. The benches float on a bed of resin, a technique pioneered by the Somerset based sculptor, Simon Hitchens, and are lit at night, to give a 'hovering' effect.

We worked closely with Workington Regeneration Team on plaques and signage for the new town centre streets. Names had been chosen by the general public for the four 'spokes' branching out from 'The Hub'. We then contacted relatives of the four men honoured and researched information for their plaques.

Several intrepid members entered the Town Carnival. They came second in class, losing out to a group from a retirement home. There was an opportunity to hand out flyers advertising our forthcoming Garden Party at the Helena Thompson Museum during the parade.

LOTTERY AWARD - WE JOIN THE DIGITAL HIGHWAY We applied for, and were awarded a Lottery Grant through the 'Awards for All' initiative. Webmaker Ally McGurk of EweSoftie Web Design has produced these pages from our text and photos.

On 1st April 2005 Allerdale Borough Council accepted a business plan produced by The Workington Heritage Group Ltd., who then took over the running of the Helena Thompson Museum from the ABC. Together with this group, and ABC and other partners, we sit on the Steering Committee, working on a feasibility study into the possible conservation and restoration of Workington Hall. We are registered with the national body - THE CIVIC TRUST. Membership of this body provides us with access to expertise on our main objectives - to record, protect, and publicise our local heritage.

ANOTHER SUCCESS - Schoose Farm has been raised to Grade II * (star) listing following lengthy correspondence. John Christian Curwen, who built the farm, was the 'Father of Modern British Agriculture in Cumberland, being a pioneer of new methods of farming. He died in 1828.

However, our requests for Grade II listings for the Low Station and the Bus Station, the first purpose-build covered Bus Station to be constructed in England, were finally refused over the Christmas period.

Comments that the Railway Station did not retain sufficient original features, and that there had been too many alterations so the original character of the Bus Station had been seriously compromised, have been sent to the Planning Department, ABC, for their information. This might, hopefully, influence the criteria for granting planning permission in respect of buildings of historical or architectural interest.

In APRIL 2004 the Jubilee Group registered as Workington Heritage Group, a company limited by guarantee. [NOTE: It became a registered charity in 2008.]
Shown in the picture to the right are: Back Row - Irving C Scott, Peter Hall [museum staff]; John Cook Esq, Lord of the Manor of Workington; Middle Row - Sheila Richardson, Marie Brown, Pat Hall, Pat Evans, Mary Ann Lancaster, Harold Martin; Front Row - Derek Woodruff, Pat Martin, JMercia Haughan.

MAY 2004 Success! The Peat Memorial Obelisk has been granted Grade II listing. The Memorial had been paid for by public subscription and was erected in Portland Square in honour of Dr. Anthony Peat, 1819-1877, who was of great service to the poor of the town.

SEPTEMBER 2004 - FILM FOUND We obtained a grant towards the cost of transferring rare images of old Workington from unstable film onto safety reels. This film was shown as part of the Centenary Celebrations of the Carnegie Theatre, Finkle Street, and later David Eve, who owned it, donated it to the Workington Civic Trust.

The film contains footage from 1913 and shows an Uppies and Downies Easter ball game and Workington Horse Show, among other scenes. A master copy has been depositied with the County Records Office at Whitehaven.

NOVEMBER 2004 . . . but we didn't succeed with every project Although Cumbria County council declared the lane at High Church Street a public footpath (after we demonstrated that it was a Right of Way), part of the lane remains closed off, following an appeal which was upheld at a Public Enquiry.

IN 2003 THE TRUST BECAME A REGISTERED CHARITY. Members of the Listing Sub-Committee continued to record and preserve some of the heritage of the town by photographing buildings before they were changed or demolished.

JOHN THOMAS COOK, Esq., Lord of the Manor of Workington, accepted our invitation to become the first President of the Workington and District Civic Trust. He has given us and the town a great deal of support, and has donated some fine crystal to each retiring Workington Town Mayor and a splendid blue crystal bowl for the people of Workington.

THE JUBILEE GROUP sub-committee was set up to try to save the HELENA THOMPSON MUSEUM on Park End Road from closure by Allerdale Borough Council (ABC). Working with Friends of the Museum and ABC, they obtained a licence to hold marriages in the museum.

THE SPIRIT OF WORKINGTON: THIS BLUE STUDIO GLASS BOWL was conceived by John Thomas Cook, Lord of the Manor of Workington, "to enhance people's sense of their historical past, their place in the continuity of things, and to help develop the community's sense of purpose in going forward into the future."

It is letter-engraved by its designer, Peter Furlong, with texts from the poem by T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets. It is one of the largest and most elaborate glass bowls ever made under studio glass making conditions in the North East.

Workington Civic Trust has an annual programme of talks, town walks and events, mostly free to members, and an annual trip. The public are welcome to attend for a small fee. Members are also invited to accompany other Civic Trusts on their outings. Details in our latest newsletter

After Christmas we organised a competition involving local schools, for a suitable logo incorporating Workington past-present-future. The winner, Shaun Smith, Lakes College, West Cumbria, was presented with a cheque for £50 and a copy of a book written by local artist, Percy Kelly.

Workington and District Civic Trust officially began, following an inaugural meeting held on 17 October 2001, where a list of projects for working parties in the future was devised.

• Refurbishing monuments and memorabilia in the area
• Restoring historic inscriptions
• Installing signage and information plaques in the town, etc
• Recording, collecting and storing historical photographs, mementoes, writings etc.