Nicholforest is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in Cumbria, England bordering Scotland. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 372. The parish covers an area that extends about 10 miles east to west and 2 miles north to south. The area was once an extensive forest between England and Scotland, and was a centre for commercial forestry by the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respon ...

. Today there are still many trees, watered by the River Liddle In 1870–72 John Marius Wilson's ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' described the landscape as: :"The surface is hilly. The streams Kershope and Liddel here form several cascades."

Demographics

Nicholforest(cumbria) population 1881-2011

According to National Statistics (2011) the population of Nicholforest accounted to 372. Over the designated area of the Nicholsforest parish in 2011 this accounted to a population density of 0.1² person per hectare, this is lower than both the Non-metropolitan area of Carlisle in Cumbria; at 1.0² person per hectare, and also the average population density of England at 4.1² persons per hectare. According to Neighbourhood Statistic all 177 dwellings within the Parish are Unshared dwellings with the majority of those lying between 2 and 4 bedrooms. Nicholforest experiences slightly lower Unemployment levels (3.1%) than both

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

(3.6%) and England (4.4%) but has higher proportion of retirees (22.3% compared with 15.5% and 13.7% respectively). Since 1881 employment structure in Nicholforest has remained dedicated to the agricultural sector, as this remains the most prominent sector followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade. It may be noteworthy that the depicted uncharacteristic rise in population starting in 1941 census data occurred as a result of changing border boundaries in 1939. The Nicholforest Parish has characteristics of an affluent Rural area with little services or significant economy activity within the Parish borders, and is mostly used for residential purposes only.

History

“Beginning 1 July 1837, births, deaths and marriages, regardless of religious affiliation, were recorded with Civil Registration Offices in Cumbria, as in the rest of England". This signified the Beginning of official records and identification of Parishes such as Nicholforest. According to Nicholforest official parish website, historically being located on the border between England and Scotland caused social tensions. "

Border Reivers Border reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border ...

were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality". As a result of this it has been documented that "There was fighting (or feuds) between families on the same side of the Border and across the border. Marriage across the Border could result in the death penalty but such unions did occur … regularly."

Notable establishments

Church of St Nicholas

St Nicholas Church, Nicholforest - geograph

“St Nicholas' Church, Nicholforest, is an old and humble parish church with

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

and

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

. There is a small wooden bell

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

with a

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

. There are many stained glass windows, all by John Scott & son, with a five light East window depicting Christ the Good Shepherd flanked by the four Evangelists." “The church of St Nicholas is located at the gates of Kingfield House, in a semi wooded situation about half a mile from the village hall. Built in 1866, it is

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

in style, to a design by Alexander Graham of London." "The church was entirely rebuilt and enlarged by the addition of a chancel in 1866, at a cost of £2,000. It is a handsome stone building, lighted by several stained glass windows." The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The current clergyman of this

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

is The Revd Brett Murphy

Village Hall

“Until the 1960s, dances were held at Scuggate in a wooden hut known as "The Border Hall".", "Eventually, a wooden hut was built, on the site of our present-day Village Hall. This hut was a popular meeting place amongst locals and it was used regularly. In the summer, there would be Sports Days, Fancy Dress competitions, Bowls etc." Currently "Nicholforest Village Hall plays a central role in the community. It is a registered charity that is devoted to fostering a community spirit. Much of the committee's efforts go into maintaining the village hall and promoting its use for group activities." This includes Nicholforest Art group, Parent and toddler groups, and

Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being th ...

evenings every Wednesday. As the village hall is situated in a sparsely populated rural area it is important to provide facilities such as a car park and Ramp for disabled access. The Village hall also provides a book drop facility operating within the Penton area.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Nichol Forest
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page) Civil parishes in Cumbria City of Carlisle