Eamont Bridge

From Includipedia, the inclusionist encyclopedia

Eamont Bridge is a small village immediately to the south of Penrith, Cumbria.

The village is named after the River Eamont and straddles the boundary between the traditional counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. In fact one house in the village is called "Welcome into Cumberland" and was at one time the Welcome Inn.

There are two ancient sites or henges in the village namely the earthwork known as King Arthur's Round Table Henge and the much better preserved Mayburgh Henge. Both sites are under the protection of English Heritage. There is a splendid example of vernacular architecture in the centre of the village: the Mansion House.

The southern or Westmorland half of the village lies within the civil parish of Yanwath and Eamont Bridge whereas the northern part (Skirsgill Lane and Kemplay Bank) is within the unparished area of Penrith. For other local government matters Eamont Bridge lies within the Eden District wards of Eamont, Penrith South and Penrith Pategill and the Cumbria county council electoral divisions of Penrith Rural, Penrith West and Penrith East.

There are two pubs opposite each other at the southern end of the village.

The village lies on the A6 road and before the opening of the M6 motorway was a notorious bottleneck due to the narrow bridge over the River Eamont which is still today controlled by traffic lights.

On 12 July 927, Eamont Bridge was the scene of a gathering of kings from throughout Britain as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the histories of William of Malmesbury and John of Worcester. Present were Athelstan, Constantín mac Áeda, Owain of Strathclyde, Hywel Dda, and Ealdred son of Eadulf.