Discover Great Clifton

During a stay in Great Clifton, you can explore several different themes: recreational activities at the Village Hall, routes with different historical contexts, and traces of the area’s architectural and mining history. Together, they offer insights into community life and the industrial past of the village.

Recreational Activities and Routes

Great Clifton Village Hall can be rented for recreational activities.

Walking routes are also part of the area’s documented history. Planning information from 2009–10 mentions routes that start in Great Clifton and the neighbouring settlement of Bow Flatts. A route to the river near the Derwent Vale school area is a separate matter: it was formerly used for nature walks. The information therefore relates to different periods. If you are planning a walk today, check in advance whether the routes are currently accessible.

The History of Coal Mining

Lowther Pit in the Great Clifton coalfield was developed on a large scale from 1854. The mine had a shaft with a diameter of 12 feet and a length of 180 feet. These measurements describe two different dimensions of the shaft and make the technical aspects of mining history at the time tangible.

Another important mine was William Pit, the last coal mine in Great Clifton. It closed in 1959. By 1900, William Pit was connected by a mineral railway to the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway to the west. In 1901, the mine employed 350 people. Several points in time can thus be distinguished: the large-scale development of Lowther Pit from 1854, William Pit’s railway connection by 1900, its workforce in 1901, and finally the closure of the last mine in 1959.

The industrial heritage also includes the Allerdale Coal Company, which operated 50 coke ovens in Great Clifton. Together with the information about Lowther Pit and William Pit, this gives a multifaceted picture of local coal mining: it encompasses the development of a mine, technical shaft measurements, a railway connection, employment, and coke ovens. The information refers to different aspects and points in time, so it should not be conflated into a single event.

Memorials and Historic Buildings

There is a memorial at Great Clifton Methodist Church to the First World War, the Second World War, and later conflicts. Its scope therefore extends beyond the two world wars.

The description of 5 Middlegate also mentions specific architectural details: the building has a panelled door beneath a gable, as well as sash windows with glazing bars set in painted stone surrounds. Panels divide the door into sections, while glazing bars divide the windows.

The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was built in Great Clifton in 1845. A series of special evangelistic services also began at the Wesleyan Chapel. Both references form part of the area’s religious and community history; no date is given for the services. Clifton House adds to the architectural history: the large mansion was built in 1824 on an estate of about 280 acres with several leased farms.

Clifton Common and the Surrounding Area

Clifton Common covers 900 acres and serves both Great Clifton and Little Clifton. The common is therefore associated with both settlements, while the acreage given for Clifton House relates to a different historic estate and its leased farms. The two figures describe different contexts and should not be read as a comparison between like-for-like properties.

When deciding where to travel, you can bear in mind that the Village Hall can be rented for recreational activities; the planning information about the walking routes dates from 2009–10, while the route to the river was formerly used for nature walks. If you are looking for a hotel in Great Clifton, these themes can help you decide whether the area suits your interests.

Discover more destinations: Cleator, Underbarrow, Watermillock, Scotby, Troutbeck, Wetheral, Dent, Barrow-In-Furness.

For the main travel overview: Cumbria.