Papcastle

Papcastle
Papcastle House
Papcastle  Papcastle shown within Cumbria
Population	406 (2001)
OS grid reference	NY109315
Civil parish	Papcastle
District	Allerdale
Shire county	Cumbria
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	COCKERMOUTH
Dialling code	01900
Police	Cumbria
Fire	Cumbria
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Workington
List of places UK England Cumbria

Papcastle is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in the English county of Cumbria. The village is now effectively a northern extension of Cockermouth, which lies to the south of the River Derwent. It has its own parish council and lies within Bridekirk Parish for Church of England purposes. It has a population of 406,^[1] which is slowly declining.^{[citation needed]}

Remains of a Roman fort (or forts), Derventio, were discovered in the village and were the subject of the television programme Time Team in 1999.^[2] Further archaeological digs have been undertaken in 2011 and September 2012 which indicate that the Roman settlement was far greater than previously thought. As at September 2012 the digs are continuing but it appears that the site has national significance. A large mill with monumental masonry and the Roman wooden millrace have been discovered, as well an extensive bath house complex. It also appears that there are at least two phases of use within the development, though conclusions are yet to be finalised.

The name of Papcastle is said to be a compound formed from Old Norse and Old English papi+cæster, meaning 'the Roman fort inhabited by a hermit'.^[3]

Village hall

Belle Vue Village Hall was built as a reading room for men only in 1895, donated by local resident, Honora Wybergh, who lived at The Mount, a large house now demolished to make way for the modern Mount housing estate. Originally run by trustees, a new management scheme set up in 1940 by the Charity Commission is still in force. The Hall is run by the Council of Management (Trustees).

The hall has gone through several phases of popularity and decline. In 2006 it underwent major refurbishment with the help of major grants from a number of local organisations and is again enjoying a surge in use with a new kitchen, disabled access and facilities. It can comfortably seat 80 people for presentation events and somewhat more for informal occasions such as buffet style events.

References

1. ↑ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Allerdale Retrieved 2009-11-23
2. ↑ Time Team
3. ↑ Derventio

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Papcastle.

• The Papcastle village website
• A walk around the boundary of Papcastle
• Details of Roman forts at Papcastle
• Map sources for Papcastle