Crofton, Cumbria

Crofton
Crofton
 Crofton shown within Cumbria
OS grid referenceNY305505
   – London  261 miles (420 km) SSE 
DistrictCity of Carlisle
Shire countyCumbria
RegionNorth West
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town CARLISLE
Postcode district CA5
Dialling code 016973
Police Cumbria
Fire Cumbria
Ambulance North West
EU Parliament North West England
List of places
UK
England
Cumbria

Coordinates: 54°50′41″N 3°04′54″W / 54.844846°N 3.081647°W

Crofton is an area of Thursby, City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is 6.4 miles (10.3 km) west-southwest of Carlisle.

Historically a part of Cumberland, Crofton was one of three small townships in the centre of the former Parish of Thursby. It was originally called Croft-town, derived from the word Croft, as the town standing upon the Crofts.

Notable landmarks were Crofton Place, the seat of Sir Wastel Brisco, Bart. It also became a surname to John Crofton. Although Crofton Hall was demolished (likely in the 1960s), some of the estate buildings remain, and the gateway and pond are notable remnants.

Crofton Estate was taken over by the Land Settlement Association a government initiative to get poorer people involved in agriculture and horticultural production. The LSA estate was composed of Bank End, East Park, West Park, Shaw Wood and Whinnow Land Settlement Small Holdings. The LSA was disbanded in 1974 and some small holders were left destitute, others continued to farm the land as private owners. The LSA small holders were from a variety of backgrounds and places, Irish, Polish, Scottish, Cumbrian and other parts of England.

The stables of the Brisco estate house were used as the LSA headquarters. The lake has recently been reinstated after decades of neglect.

Gallery

External links

Media related to Crofton, Cumbria at Wikimedia Commons