Quite close to the Lake District national park is the market town of Penrith. This town is thought to be named after the red hill that is quite close to town. It is the local red sandstone that makes the hill appears red. There is still a part of an old roman road nearby as the Romans did travel extensively in this area.
Penrith is separated into several different sections and the area that is located to the west of the railways is called Castletown. There are several industrial estates in this section such as the Myers Industrial Estate as well as the Gilwilly Industrial estate.
When the railway was put in this part of town housed the workers though all of those homes have since been changed into housing developments. The area of town to the north that contains Voreda Park as well as the Anchor housing estate is called Townhead. This part of town was where the ancient town was originally located.
When walking through town you will notice that there are an unusually large amount of wells and there are many well dressing ceremonies held, particularly in May. There is a very large cave towards the south east end of town called the giant’s cave. This was carved out from the local rivers.
Many people come to Penrith specifically for the specialty shopping that can be found. There are many stores that specialize in gourmet food, plenty of different ale pubs, a lot of different exquisite markets and a lot of unique clothing stores. If you are trying to find an unusual or unique gift then you should do some shopping in Penrith. Penrith is quite easy to reach form London.
A great historic landmark to visit is Brougham castle. This castle was built during the 13th century at a strategic spot that once contained a roman fort. There are still a large part of the castle still standing which include the double gatehouse and the main keep. The castle was of great strategic importance and was able to defend the town against many invaders.
The outside of the Dalemain House was designed in the Georgian style but there are many interior rooms in the Tudor style and others from the medieval period. This house has had occupants since the Saxons invaded and also has a Pele tower. The gardens are quite extensive. This house has not been altered since the 1700s when the last two wings were built. It is a great place to see the styles of several different eras.
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