Beetham is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district, in Cumbria, England, situated on the border with Lancashire, 6 miles (10 km) north of Carnforth.[2] It is part of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,724,[3] increasing at the 2011 census to 1,784.[1]
| Beetham | |
|---|---|
 Early 20th century postcard of Beetham | |
  Beetham Location within Cumbria | |
| Population | 1,784 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SD4979 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CARNFORTH |
| Postcode district | LA7 |
| Dialling code | 01539 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
History
editCraven in the Domesday Book of 1086 shows that up till 1066 Earl Tostig was lord of Beetham and the surrounding areas of Farleton, Preston Richard, Hincaster, Heversham and Levens in Cumbria plus Yealand Redmayne and Borwick in Lancashire. Beetham manor then amounted to 25 carucates (ca. 3000 acres/1250ha) of ploughland. The Norman Conquest of England added it to the extensive lands of Roger de Poitou.
Demography
editThe parish had a population of 1,724 recorded in the 2001 census,[4] increasing to 1,784 at the 2011 Census.
Community
editPoints of interest include:
- The Church of St Michael and All Angels, parts of which date from the 12th century.
- The Heron Corn Mill, a working watermill and active arts and education center.
- The Heron Theatre, an 80-seat theatre housed in the listed 18th century grammar school .
- The Fairy Steps, a natural staircase in a limestone crag, in the woodland to the west of the village.
- A small shrine to Saint Lioba (or Leoba), built into a stone wall in the nearby hamlet of Slackhead.
Geography
editThe River Bela flows past the village and through the deer park of Dallam Tower, skirting Milnthorpe before it washes out into the Kent Estuary near Sandside.
Half a mile to the south-east, Beetham Hall is a 14th-century fortified manor house, now largely ruined, adjoining later buildings.[5] It is a grade II* listed building,[6] with a separately II* listed curtain wall[7] and a grade II barn,[8] and is now occupied by a firm of funeral directors.[9]
To the north of the village is the paper factory employing 140 people and producing 45,000 tonnes/year, specialising in kraft paper for pharmaceutical and food packaging.[10] In 2021 it was acquired by Inspirit Capital from BillerudKorsnäs and renamed Pelta Medical Papers, the word Pelta deriving from the Greek word for a light-weight shield carried by a peltast.[11][12] There has been a paper mill on the site since 1788, and in 1964 it was the UK's largest producer of kraft paper.[13] Records at Companies House show the previous company names as J & J. Makin (1901–1990), (J.) Bibby Paper (1990–1997), Barlow Paper (1997–1999), Henry Cooke (1999–2004), and Billerud/BillerudKorsnäs (2004–2021.[14]
Civil parish
editThe civil parish of Beetham includes the main villages of Beetham and Storth and the smaller communities of Carr Bank, Sandside, Hale, Slackhead, Farleton and Whasset.[15]
Gallery
edit-
The main road into Beetham before the A6 road development -
Footpath to Leighton Hall -
Highland cattle grazing -
Beetham Hall in 2008
Navigation
editSee also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Beetham Parish (E04002588)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ AA Book of British Villages. Drive Publications Limited. 1980. p. 53. ISBN 9780340254875.
- ^ UK Census (2001). "Local Area Report – Beetham Parish (16UG005)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ "Parish headcount" (PDF). Cumbria County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
- ^ "Beetham Hall". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ Historic England. "Beetham Hall and attached outbuildings (1312254)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Historic England. "Curtain wall approximately 30 metres north of Beetham Hall (1137542)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Historic England. "Barn approximately 20 metres north of Beetham Hall (1336114)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "About us". Fishwicks Ltd. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Beetham, UK". Our production sites. BillerudKorsnäs. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ Blade, Michelle (1 November 2021). "UK-based investor Inspirit Capital acquires paper mill in Beetham". Lancaster Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "BillerudKorsnäs divests the Beetham mill". BillerudKorsnäs. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Our production units: Beetham". BillerudKorsnäs. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Pelta Medical Papers Ltd. overview". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Companies House. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Welcome". Beetham Parish Council. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
External links
edit
- Cumbria County History Trust: Beetham (nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)
- Beetham Parish Council