Cumbria ( KUM-bree-ə) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, the English ceremonial counties of Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Carlisle.
Cumbria is predominantly rural, with an area of 6,769 km2 (2,614 sq mi) and an estimated population of 510,680 in 2024. Carlisle is located in the north; the towns of Workington and Whitehaven lie on the west coast, Barrow-in-Furness on the south coast, and Penrith and Kendal in the east of the county. For local government purposes the county comprises two unitary authority areas, Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland, the councils of which collaborate through the Cumbria Combined Authority. Cumbria was created in 1974 from the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, the Furness area of Lancashire, and a small part of Yorkshire.
The interior of Cumbria contains several upland areas. Together they fringe the Vale of Eden, the wide valley of the River Eden, which runs south-east to north-west across the county and broadens into the Solway Plain near Carlisle. To the north-east are part of the Border Moors, and to the east part of the North Pennines; the latter have been designated a national landscape. South of the vale are the Orton Fells, Howgill Fells, and part of the Yorkshire Dales, which are all within the Yorkshire Dales national park. The south-west contains the Lake District, a large upland area which has been designated a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It includes England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike; its longest and largest lake, Windermere; and its deepest lake, Wast Water. The county has a long coast to the west which is bordered by a plain for most of its length. The north-west coast is part of the Solway Firth, a national landscape, and the south coast includes the Cartmel and Furness peninsulas. East of the peninsulas, the county contains part of Arnside and Silverdale, another national landscape. (Full article...)
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Brougham Castle (pronounced ) is a medieval building about 2 miles (3.2 km) south-east of Penrith, Cumbria, England. The castle was founded by Robert I de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century. The site, near the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther, had been chosen by the Romans for a Roman fort called Brocavum. The castle, along with the fort, is a scheduled monument: "Brougham Roman fort and Brougham Castle".
In its earliest form, the castle consisted of a stone keep, with an enclosure protected by an earthen bank and a wooden palisade. When the castle was built, Robert de Vieuxpont was one of the only lords in the region who were loyal to King John. The Vieuxponts were a powerful land-owning family in North West England, who also owned the castles of Appleby and Brough. In 1264, Robert de Vieuxpont's grandson, also named Robert, was declared a traitor, and his property was confiscated by Henry III. Brougham Castle and the other estates were eventually returned to the Vieuxpont family, and stayed in their possession until 1269, when the estates passed to the Clifford family through marriage. (Full article...)
The following are images from various Cumbria-related articles on Wikipedia.
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Image 1The historic counties shown within Cumbria Boundary of Cumbria (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 2The Rere or Rey Cross on Stainmore (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 3Cairn circle, Oddendale (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 4Wray Castle – built by a Liverpool doctor who had married a rich wife. Constructed in 1840 at the head of Windermere. Associated with two key players of the National Trust : Canon Rawnsley and Beatrix Potter (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 5Walls Castle, Ravenglass: the possible site of the Arthurian Lyons Garde or St Patrick's birthplace (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 8Swinside stone circle (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 9Gateway to the College at Kirkoswald (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 11The Castlerigg stone circle dates from the late Neolithic age and was constructed by some of the earliest inhabitants of Cumbria (from Cumbria)
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Image 12Scots' Dike (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 13Hardknott Roman Fort (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 15St Laurence's Church, Morland : with "the only tower of Anglo-Saxon character in the NW counties", according to Pevsner. Tower possibly built by order of Siward, Earl of Northumbria, sometime between 1042 and 1055; nave possibly later (1120) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 17The University of Cumbria's Fusehill Campus in Carlisle (from Cumbria)
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Image 18Workington Hall, the Curwens' family seat (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 19Cumbria within England (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 20Hadrian's Wall (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 21Topographic map of Cumbria (from Cumbria)
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Image 22Greta Hall, Keswick – home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1800–1804; home to Robert Southey, 1803–1843 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 23A Tesco store underwater in Carlisle during the January 2005 floods (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 24The historic counties shown within Cumbria Boundary of Cumbria (from Cumbria)
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Image 25The Anglo-Scottish marches (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 26The banks of Brocavum Roman fort in the foreground; Brougham Castle is in the background (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 27Brunton Park, the home of Carlisle United (from Cumbria)
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Image 28Iron Age roundhouse reconstruction (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 29So-called "Saint's tomb" (left), and "Warrior's tomb" (right), two hogbacks in St. Mary's church, Gosforth. Typically high and narrow Cumbrian style, in the shape of a building with a roof, eaves and walls. The Saint's tomb has a crucifixion on the end, the Warrior's tomb has a procession of armed men (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 30Birdoswald – showing partial blockage of main (east) gateway (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 31The Irton Cross, Irton, Cumbria, early 9th century, Anglian (pre-Viking) sculpture (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 32'Giants Grave', St. Andrew's churchyard, Penrith, an unusual arrangement of two Viking-age cross-shafts with four hogbacks (in the foreground). In addition, there is a smaller, Viking-age, wheel-headed cross just visible in the background (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 33Calder Abbey (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 34Possible position of Rheged (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 35Yanwath hall – a semi-fortified house near Penrith (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 36Galava Roman fort, Ambleside (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 37Kentmere Hall, an example of a Cumbrian Pele tower (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 38Wetheral Priory Gatehouse – all that remains of Wetheral Priory, founded by Ranulf le Meschin in 1106 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 39Brantwood, overlooking Coniston Water, viewed from the steam yacht 'Gondola' – note the angled, corner windows designed to take in the views (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 40Dove Cottage (Town End, Grasmere) – home of William and Dorothy Wordsworth, 1799–1808; home of Thomas De Quincey, 1809–1820 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 41Loki stone, Kirkby Stephen parish church, part of a 10th-century Viking-age cross-shaft. But does it show Loki or Satan? (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 42BAE Systems Submarine Solutions in Barrow-in-Furness has a workforce of around 14,500 people (from Cumbria)
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Image 43Great Langdale, site of the Langdale Axe Factory (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 44The northeastern Irish Sea, showing new settlements with Norse place names. (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 45Craven Park, home of Barrow Raiders (from Cumbria)
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Image 46Carlisle Castle – begun by William Rufus in 1092; rebuilt in stone under Henry I, 1122–35, and David I of Scotland, 1136–1153 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 47Location of Inglewood Forest, stretching from Carlisle to Penrith; it was the most northerly of the Royal forests (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 48Napes Needle on Great Gable, a favourite of the early climbers (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 49The Staffordshire Moorlands Pan – an enamelled cooking and serving vessel, engraved with the names of four Hadrian's Wall forts sited in Cumbria (2nd century AD). See also the article on the Rudge Cup and Amiens skillet. (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 50The Stanegate line is marked in red, to the south of the later Hadrian's Wall. (n.b. Brocavum is Brougham, not Kirkby Thore as given in the map) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 51Roman milestone still in situ by the A66 near Kirkby Thore (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 52The Crosby Garrett Helmet – (private collection) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 53Fibulae from the Penrith Hoard, 10th century (British Museum) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 55A Border reiver: statue in Carlisle (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 56The Fish Hotel, Buttermere – where Mary Robinson worked (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 58St Mary's Church, Abbeytown : all that is left of Holmcultram Abbey, founded by David I, King of Scots, and his son, Earl Henry, in 1150 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 59The Eden Valley between Appleby and Penrith, an area referred to affectionately as the heartland of Rheged in the praise poems of Taliesin (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 61Milefortlet 21 at Crosscanonby on the Cumbrian coast, with later, 18th-century, saltpans across the road to the left (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 62The Gosforth Cross, 10th-century Viking-age sculpture. (A replica of 1887, with clearer depictions of the decoration, may be found in the churchyard at Aspatria, along with a replica of another cross, the original of which is at Dearham) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 63Claife Station on the western shore of Windermere – built in the 1790s with tinted windows angled to take in all the aesthetically pleasing views (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 64Little Meg – a Bronze Age ring cairn with spiral rock art (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 65The Flag of Cumbria, adopted in 2025 (from Cumbria)
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Image 66Penrith Castle : Richard, Duke of Gloucester, (later Richard III of England), was based here when Sheriff of Cumberland in the 1470s (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 68The Ormside bowl, probably late 8th century and made in Northumbria; possibly looted from York by a Viking warrior and buried with him at Great Ormside (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 69Kents Bank, Cumbria (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 70This map of cities and towns of Northern England shows the relative lack of urbanisation in Cumbria (shown here as the historic counties of Cumberland and Westmorland) compared to the rest of the region (from Cumbria)
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Image 71The entrance to Whinlatter Forest Park (from Cumbria)
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Image 72Greystoke Castle. Held by the Greystoke family, then by the Dacres and inherited by the Howard family during Elizabeth I's reign. Photo:Simon Ledingham (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 75Rydal Mount – home to Wordsworth 1813–1850. Hundreds of visitors came here to see him over the years (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 76Carlisle Cathedral : founded in 1133 (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 78Swarthy Hill, near Crosscanonby on the Solway coast – possible site of Iron Age hillfort, later the site of mile-fortlet 21 in Roman times (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 81Neolithic stone axe with handle from Ehenside Tarn (now in the British Museum) (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 82Approximate extent of Domesday coverage : the district of Hougun, if indeed it was a district, may have covered the three peninsulas at the left of the pink area (from History of Cumbria)
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Image 84Furness Abbey, founded in 1123 by Stephen, King of England, attacked by the Scots in 1322 (from History of Cumbria)
Moorhouse and Cross Fell is a Site of Special Scientific Interest covering an extensive area of moorland in the Wear Valley district of west County Durham and the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It is contiguous with Upper Teesdale SSSI to the east and Appleby Fells SSSI to the south. The area covered extends roughly from an arc through the villages of Gamblesby, Leadgate and Garrigill southward as far as Milburn in the west and Cow Green Reservoir in the east. It includes the whole of Cross Fell, the summit of which, at 893 metres asl, is the highest point in the Pennines and in England outside the Lake District.
The area is important for its wide variety of upland habitats, especially blanket bog, sub-montane and montane heath, montane bryophyte heath, limestone grassland and flushes, and for the fauna and flora that they support. The site also includes a number of localities of geological interest. (Full article...)
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Cumbria Buildings and structures in Cumbria Deputy lieutenants of Cumbria Local government in Cumbria Organisations based in Cumbria Science and technology in Cumbria Tourist attractions in Cumbria
WikiProjects related to Cumbria:
- WikiProject Geography
- WikiProject Europe
- WikiProject England
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Lancashire and Cumbria
WikiProjects about things important to Cumbria:
- WikiProject Mountains
- WikiProject Lakes
- WikiProject Travel and Tourism
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