The market square

Had the sun been higher in the sky and the weather not quite so overcast, I could have taken a nice picture of Killington Reservoir for you from the services where we were at seven-thirty this morning to hand Dan's ENG 1 over to lovely Scottish couple called Paul and Linsey who were on their way to enjoy a cruise on the boat upon which it now seems Dan WILL be working. (Their son is the main singer on the cruise.)

I will be forever grateful to them. (And, as you can see from my Extra, they succeeded in their kind undertaking.)

That job done, the Minx and I spent the rest of the day taking it easy. In the afternoon we wandered down into Kirkby Lonsdale where I discovered a new plaque on the square. (I say new. I mean I've never noticed it before.)

The Square was formerly the garden of a private house, Jackson Hall. In 1820 this became the Rose and Crown after the original of that name at the bottom of what is now New Road burned down.


In 1823 when the town's original Thursday market, established by the charter in 1227 and held on Market Street, became too crowded it relocated here to the old garden.


After Queen Adelaide's visit in 1840 the Rose & Crown was renamed the Royal Hotel.


The Monument in the centre was built in 1905 in memory of his wife by the vicar, the Rev. J. Llewellyn Davies. There was originally a cross on top supported by buttresses but these were found to be unsafe and were removed in the 1940s.


The large building on the corner of Jingling Lane with the bell-cote was the Carlisle and North West Savings Bank, built in 1847 and now a private house.


The market is still held in this square every Thursday.


It seems to me that for the sake of a couple of dozen parking spaces, it would be wonderful to restore the original gardens. Although I guess you'd still need to accommodate the market. 

I wonder where it was held when this was still a garden? Maybe just on Main Street and in those areas that are still called the Cattle, Swine, and Horse Markets.