Casterton, Cumbria

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Casterton
latitude= 54.211044
longitude= -2.575824
population = 500 (in 2001 census)
civil_parish= Casterton
shire_district= South Lakeland
shire_county = Cumbria
region= North West England
constituency_westminster=
post_town= CARNFORTH
postcode_district = LA6
postcode_area= LA
dial_code= 015242
os_grid_reference= SD624796

Casterton is a small village and civil parish close to Kirkby Lonsdale on the River Lune in the South-East corner of Cumbria, England.

The parish is bounded by those of Kirkby Lonsdale, Barbon, Dent, Leck and Burrow-with-Burrow and lies just outside the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park; indeed much of the Easegill cave system, the longest explored natural cave system in the country, lies beneath it. The western boundary, towards Kirkby Lonsdale, is formed by the river and boasts one of the best preserved medieval bridges in the country, one of those known as Devil's Bridge and a local landmark.

The village is situated approximately 5 miles from junction 36 (Kendal & the Lakes exit) of the M6 motorway, near the intersection of the A65 Kendal-Leeds road and the A683 that runs up the Lune valley from the port of Heysham to the market town of Kirkby Stephen.

The name of the village hints at a Roman camp, though no evidence of that has been found, but the major Roman Ribchester-Carlisle road runs to the East of the village and a cross-stone was ploughed up and reerected in the 19th century. A stone circle can also be seen to the East of the village on top of a ridge on the flanks of Brownthwaite Pike.

The Clapham-Tebay branch of the Little North Western Railway also ran through the village before its closure under the Beeching axe in the mid-1960s.

The largest buildings in the village are at Casterton School, a private girls school. Casterton School was founded in 1820 by the Rev. William Carus-Wilson as a school for servants and teachers, and the Clergy Daughter's School formed three years later at Cowan Bridge, in the parish of Burrow-with-Burrow. The present school was created when the two schools were amalgamated on the present site in 1833. The Brontë sisters attended the Clergy Daughter's School on its first site and the Lowood school of "Jane Eyre" is based on it.

The village church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was also built under Carus-Wilson and was consecrated in 1833 (5 Oct.) by the Bishop of Chester. It was enlarged in 1865 and restored in 1891 and is at present run as part of the 'Rainbow Parish' based in Kirkby Lonsdale, a combination of eight (originally seven) churches in the area. [ [http://www.kirkbylonsdaleparish.co.uk/ St Mary's Church - Kirkby Lonsdale - Parish website ] ]

Casterton boasts a private 9 hole golf course and an 18th century coaching inn: The Pheasant Inn.

References

External links

* [http://www.castertonschool.co.uk Casterton School]
* [http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/chk7.htm Casterton Holy Trinity Church]