| Silloth | |
| Silloth-on-Solway | |
Criffel Street, Silloth |
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Silloth
Silloth shown within Cumbria |
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| Population | 2,932 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | NY113536 |
| Parish | Silloth on Solway |
| District | Allerdale |
| Shire county | Cumbria |
| Region | North West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WIGTON |
| Postcode district | CA7 |
| Dialling code | 016973 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Workington |
| List of places: UK • England • Cumbria | |
Silloth (sometimes known as Silloth-on-Solway) is a port town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. It sits on the shoreline of the Solway Firth, 22 miles (35 km) west of Carlisle. It has a population of 2,932.[1]
Historically a part of Cumberland, the town is a small holiday resort, developed in the 1860s around the terminus of a railway from Carlisle which had begun construction in 1855. For the first time, workers from the factories of Carlisle were presented with affordable access to the seaside and the town flourished as a destination for day trippers. After its heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Silloth slipped into unfashionable disrepair, however recent years have seen a great deal of development with many of the sea facing properties having received long overdue facelifts. The main central attraction is a large expansive green that is utilised throughout the year to host various events and activities.
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Silloth's largest church is Christ Church, which is situated on Criffel Street and was completed in 1870.[2] Several other churches and chapels of various denominations are also located within the town or its outskirts.
Silloth has a small port run by Associated British Ports that handles dry bulks, bagged agribulks, timber and liquid bulks.[3] Silloth is also the location of the Carr's flour mill which supplies flour to likes of United Biscuits,[4] Warburton's bread and several other leading bakeries and confectioners. Farming of livestock, mainly sheep, beef and dairy cattle, takes up most of the surrounding landscape, closely followed by the massive upsurge in static and touring caravan parks. Many small businesses can also be found located on the former Second World War airfield and associated buildings.
Tourism is a major economic player in Silloth, with dozens of large and small static and touring caravan parks located within a ten mile (16 km) radius of the town centre. This is responsible for the tremendous growth in the population on most days throughout the summer months. Although a couple of these parks are somewhat self contained they still rely heavily on the town for support and infrastructure such as post office, doctor's surgery, chemist, newsagent's, mini supermarkets, hardware, spares and consumables, cafes, chip shops, sandwich bars and pubs. Silloth also plays host to several small annual events held on the town green. These include a beer festival [5] held in September, its steam rally, kite and food festivals. By far the town's largest annual event is Solfest http://www.solwayfestival.co.uk. The Solway Music Festival (Solfest) is Cumbria's biggest four day live music festival with a maximum attendance in 2008. Situated just outside the town, Solfest has been running since 2004 and now regularly attracts crowds of over 10,000 every August bank holiday weekend, with its eclectic mix of music, site art and cabaret performers and the friendly atmosphere which resulted in it rocketing the town firmly back into national awareness by winning the "Best Family Friendly Festival" award in the 2007 UK Festival Awards (the only Cumbrian festival ever to win an award). Solfest[6] has also been credited by Cumbria Tourist Board for introducing a younger generation of tourists to Silloth and in doing so has greatly boosted the future of tourism in the town. Amenities include a championship golf course ranked amongst the country's top fifty courses[7], several hotels and bed and breakfasts, public houses, tea rooms and eateries.
Silloth also prides itself in its coastline along the Solway Firth which has been described in one of the country's leading sea fishing publications, Total Sea Angling, as having the best flatfish fishing coastline in the country, with over 20 miles (32 km) of beach and promenade to choose from. Bait and equipment are also available locally. Wind and kite surfing are also popular along the coast at Allonby, 8 miles (13 km) from Silloth town centre.
The railway came to Silloth in 1856, passing through the villages of Kirkbride and Abbeytown to Carlisle. The railway provided quick access to the town for tourists, but was closed as part of the Beeching cuts in 1964.[8]
Silloth is on the B5302 road, which leads to the A596 and the town of Wigton, 12 miles (19 km) away. The B5300 connects the town to Maryport, 13 miles (21 km) away.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
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