Temple Sowerby is a village and
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
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 ...
, northern
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is close to the main east–west
A66 road
The A66 is a major road in Northern England, which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria.
Route
From its eastern termi ...
about east of
Penrith in the
Eden Valley. At the
2011 census Temple Sowerby was grouped with
Newbiggin giving a total population of 528.
At the centre of the village is the
village green
A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...
surrounded by cottages and houses, the village hall, Church of England primary school and a public house and hotel. Just outside the village stands the cricket pitch, a bowling green, the new doctors surgery and the Temple Sowerby garage. The
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
property
Acorn Bank is nearby, which dates back to the days of the crusades when a member of the Knights Templar lived there. The village's association with the
Knights Templar
, colors = White mantle with a red cross
, colors_label = Attire
, march =
, mascot = Two knights riding a single horse
, equipment ...
gave it the name 'Temple'. Sowerby is Viking for "a homestead with poor soil".
Transport
Railway
Temple Sowerby railway station (now a private house) was on the
Eden Valley Railway between
Cliburn and
Kirkby Thore
Kirkby Thore is a small village and civil parish in Cumbria, England (), in the historic county of Westmorland. It is close to the Lake District national park and the Cumbrian Pennines. It includes the areas of Bridge End, in the southwest by t ...
.
Road
The villagers of Temple Sowerby successfully campaigned for a
bypass for the village
A66 Temple Sowerby Bypass and Improvements at Winderwath
Construction began in the spring of 2006 and it was officially opened on Thursday 18 October 2007. There was a celebratory walk of the bypass route
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety. A bypass spe ...
on Sunday 16 September 2007, allowing a unique opportunity to walk along the route before it was opened to traffic. The walk was extremely successful, with more than 500 people taking part.
See also
* Listed buildings in Temple Sowerby
References
External links
Cumbria County History Trust: Temple Sowerby
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)
Temple Sowerby WebsiteTemple Sowerby Bypass Celebration websiteRailway station site record
{{authority control
Villages in Cumbria
Civil parishes in Cumbria