Farlam’s cultural history can be viewed from several perspectives: St Thomas a Becket combines a 19th-century building history with a memorial to the Titanic’s chief engineer; Tindale and Roachburn represent the mining and metal industries. The Great Battery tells the story of the railway, and Farlam Hall Country House Hotel has a building history spanning several phases.

St Thomas a Becket: Church and Memorial

St Thomas a Becket was built in 1860 to a design by Anthony Salvin, replacing an earlier church dating from 1169. The dates span the 12th to the 19th century; the year the present church was built and its architect are also recorded. It stands on a rise on the descending slopes of the Pennines, combining architectural history with a striking setting in the landscape. A memorial in the churchyard commemorates Joseph Bell, the Titanic’s chief engineer. A key to St Thomas a Becket is available by prior arrangement. Please arrange your visit in advance, as visiting arrangements may change.

Tindale: Zinc Smelting Works and Fume Works

The 19th-century zinc smelting works in Tindale were the only ones of their kind in northern England and were also among the first to be built in Britain. Their significance can be understood using two points of comparison: their uniqueness in the north and their early place in Britain. The zinc smelting works form part of a Scheduled Monument whose area extends into the parish of Farlam.

The 20th-century Fume Works represent a different kind of significance. They are the only such works in England known to retain substantial structural remains in situ, that is, in their original location. While the historical standing of the zinc smelting works is the main focus, for the Fume Works it is the surviving fabric that matters.

Roachburn and the Mining History

Roachburn Colliery is classified as an industrial mining site and is also designated a Scheduled Monument. Roachburn was a colliery from the 1860s until 1912. The dates describe its historical use; the two designations classify the site as both an industrial and a heritage site. Its operating period and its present-day designation can thus be read as two distinct aspects of its history.

The Great Battery and the Railway Line

The Great Battery is an impressive early 19th-century railway embankment and is privately owned. The railway line from Hallbankgate to Midgeholme ran over the embankment. This was the first standard-gauge line in the country not built by Stephenson to use wrought-iron rails. This distinction applies to the railway line and its rails, while the Great Battery itself is the embankment over which the line ran. The structure and the railway history are therefore connected in a specific but clearly distinguishable way.

Farlam Hall: Several Building Phases

Farlam Hall Country House Hotel, too, cannot be reduced to a single construction date. The core probably dates from the mid-18th century and stands on the site of an earlier building. Farlam Hall was extended around 1824; further expansion and alterations for the Thompson family followed around 1860. These details relate to different phases: the probable age of the building’s core and two later dates when changes were made. Together, they show how the history of the house’s construction spans several periods.

Discover more destinations: Silecroft, Cleator, Ravenglass, Whitehaven, Troutbeck, Levens, Brampton, Eskdale

For the main travel overview: Cumbria.