Cockermouth Rural District

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Cockermouth was a rural district in Cumberland, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was created by the Local Government Act 1894 based on Cockermouth rural sanitary district. It entirely surrounded but did not include the towns of Cockermouth and Keswick, and also surrounded Maryport on its land side. It was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974 and has since formed part of the Allerdale district of Cumbria.

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Cockermouth United Reformed Church

Cockermouth United Reformed Church is a congregation first established at Cockermouth, England, in 1651. Originally known as Cockermouth Independent Church, it was later called Cockermouth Congregational Church before acquiring its present name. The congregation met initially in private houses, then settled on using a converted house from 1687. They constructed a chapel in 1719, which was rebuilt in 1735 and then replaced by the present building, which was completed in 1850. The current building, which is a Grade II listed building, lies next to the previous chapel.

Wordsworth House

Wordsworth House is a Georgian townhouse situated in Cockermouth, Cumbria, England, and in the ownership of the National Trust. It was built in the mid-18th century. William Wordsworth was born in the house in 1770. The house is a Grade I listed building. It is open to the public as a writer's house museum from March to October each year.

River Cocker, Cumbria

The River Cocker is a river in the Lake District in North West England, in the county of Cumbria. Its source is at the head of the Buttermere valley. It flows north through Buttermere and then Crummock Water, through Lorton Vale, to the town of Cockermouth, where it joins the River Derwent. It is roughly 12 miles (19 km) long. The river takes its name from the Brythonic Celtic word kukrā, meaning 'the crooked one.' The river supports a range of wildlife; the predominant fish species include salmon, sea trout, brown trout, eels, minnows, sticklebacks and the stone loach. The small river came to national prominence in the 2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods. The county of Cumbria was the hardest hit area during the floods, when the River Cocker and River Derwent both burst their banks, covering the town of Cockermouth in as much as 8 feet (2.4 m) of water, causing extensive damage to houses, shops, workplaces as well as the home of Cockermouth Cricket Club. An important and pioneering project to reduce the flooding hazards associated with the river Cocker began in 2014. It involved the restoration of the Whit Beck, a tributary of the river Cocker near Lorton. The project was called The Whit Beck Restoration Project 2014.

Jennings Brewery

Jennings Brewery was established as a family concern in 1828 in the village of Lorton, between Buttermere and Cockermouth in the Lake District, England. The brewery was started by John Jennings Snr, son of William Jennings (a maltster). Jennings brewed exclusively in Lorton until 1874 when its present home, the Castle Brewery in Cockermouth, was purchased. The Lorton brewery closed some five years later. Jennings Brewery brewed a range of ales using lakeland water drawn from the brewery's own well, malted Maris Otter barley from Norfolk and Goldings, Fuggles and Challenger hops from Kent, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The malt used by Jennings Brewery is screened and crushed rather than ground into a flour to keep the husks as whole as possible. The hops used are flaked rather than the increasingly popular hop pellets available nowadays. In May 2005, Jennings Brewery was purchased by the national brewer, Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries (W&DB), (renamed Marston's Plc in January 2007). The purchase was opposed by the Campaign for Real Ale, which feared W&DB would close the Cockermouth brewery. In the short term these fears were unfounded, however, in June 2005 W&DB announced it would invest £250,000 to expand fermenting and cask racking capacity in Cockermouth; this work had been completed before the end of October 2008. Following the takeover by W&DB, the brewery's distribution centre in Workington was closed and its tied estate of 127 pubs absorbed by the W&DB pub company. In May 2020, Marston's announced that it would merge its brewing business with Carlsberg UK (the United Kingdom arm of Carlsberg Group), into a joint venture valued at £780 million. Marston's took a 40% stake in the merged firm. The deal involved Marston's six breweries and distribution depots, but not its 1,400 pubs. In September 2022, the Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company announced the closure of the brewery to take effect in early October. Jennings Cumberland Cask ale and bottled beer brands will be produced at Marston's Brewery, in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. A month later, the site was placed on the market with the agents seeking offers of £750,000. Agents TSR stated the property is suitable for continuation as a commercial brewing operation or as a regeneration opportunity, respecting the historic significance of the site. In March 2024, the property failed to achieve its auction reserve price of £750,000. Agents SDL said they would continue to market the site for a post-auction sale. As of February 2025 there were plans to re-open the brewery. New owners Kurt and Rebecca Canfield bought the Cockermouth brewery and the rights to the Jennings brand for an undisclosed sum.