Bigrigg is a village in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

and within the boundaries of the historic county of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

. Bigrigg is 2 miles north of the town of Egremont on the

A595 road The A595 is a primary route in Cumbria, in Northern England that starts in Carlisle, passes through Whitehaven and goes close to Workington, Cockermouth and Wigton. It passes Sellafield and Ravenglass before ending at the Dalton-in-Furness by ...

. Bigrigg Moor is surrounded by farmland and watered by the

River Ehen The River Ehen is a river in Cumbria, England. The river's source is at the west end of Ennerdale Water: it runs west through Ennerdale Bridge where it is joined by Croasdale Beck (flowing from Banna Fell). Ennerdale Water itself is fed by the ...

. Deep hollows in the area attest to iron ore mining as far back as medieval times. Bigrigg's

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

deposits were considered to be of the highest quality.

History

In 1829, there were three different companies mining eight pits in the area. Iron ore mining continued to expand from this time. Further encouragement for mining resulted when

Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway The Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway was an English railway company which built and operated a standard gauge railway in Cumberland, England intended to open up the hematite orefield to the south-east of Whitehaven. It opened for go ...

opened for goods traffic in 1855. Pits often flooded due to the proximity of the River Ehen, in nearby Egremont, so the mining companies diverted the river. By the late 1800s some mines were closing in the area while others continued to open. In 1924 a mine disaster at the Croft Pit in Bigrigg trapped ten men for 28 hours before they were rescued. By 1932 all the mines w closed.

Church

St John's Church in the village was built by C.J. Ferguson in 1878–80 in the Decorated style. Its stained glass memorial windows are by

Charles Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lich ...

Village Hall

The village got its first 'Jubilee Hall' in 1935, and the village turned out for its official opening, unfortunately, hearsay says that the hall blew down in a heavy wind within a few years of opening. A further hall was built on the same spot which stood the test of time becoming a boat repair yard during the 70's and at the beginning of the 21st century it was knocked down and is Mitchell's Minis, a motor vehicle bodyworks offering repairs for all makes of motor cars, specialising in repairs and restoration work for classic Minis.

Old School and Chapel

The school was opened in 1868 and closed in 1968, it appears that it has been extended at least three times during its history, it has recently been converted into apartments but the exterior structure has not been altered.

Pub

The Old Captains House (formerly Old Captain's Table, Ship).

Plane crash at Bigrigg in 1947

During a routine training flight from its base at RAF Silloth a mechanical failure prompted a forced landing. The pilot chose a field near St John's Church at Bigrigg as he came in to land the wing of the aircraft struck a tree and it span onto the ground bursting into flames. What remained of the aircraft continued skidding across the ground breaking up as it went. The cockpit crossed a small road (A595) Narrowly missing a van and ended up on the grass verge burning fiercely. The crew escaped unhurt but badly shaken, they were taken to hospital by the van driver. The local police placed a guard on the aircraft until it was removed by a salvage team.

References

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Egremont
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page) * {{authority control Villages in Cumbria Egremont, Cumbria