Market Street armoury Hatters Arms – Cockermouth History

Market Street - Armoury - Hatters Arms 1960s

Market Street Menu

Market Street Town Hall ex Methodist church with Thomas Wilsons hat factory Bitter Beck c 1970 p3 — Market Street leads to the Town Hall seen here with the archway (that still exists) leading to the drying ground of Sandersons Mill. The houses on Kirkbank were built in the early 1930s and the new Methodist Church on Lorton Street was opened in 1932 and Cockermouth UDC took over the building. Below the rear wall of the Methodist / Town Hall is the gable end of buidings that led to the Hatters pub. The buildings beyond the archway became Town Hall car park in the 1970s. The person with red shorts looks at the Bitter Beck joining the Cocker. The building on the left is disused Thomas Wilson’s hat factory that was demolished in 1970s. Note bottom left the arch for Bitter Beck which now has a flat girder supporting the outdoor patio of the rebuilt end of the building on left edge. c 1970

Market Street Town Hall ex Methodist church was Hatters Arms and drying ground for Sandersons Mill c 1960 p3 — Market Street behind the Town Hall ex Methodist church was the Hatters Arms, sometimes known as the Hatters beer house. It may have gained its name because its patrons came from Cockermouth’s largest hat factory by Cocker bridge. The overgrown area was the drying ground for Sandersons Mill now car park. c 1960

Market Street archway to drying ground for Sandersons Mill site of Methodist Church ex Border Regiment on left 1968 p3 — Town Hall former armoury for the Border Regiment on the left. They later moved to the Drill Hall and this building became the tourist information then gifts and is now unused. The archway to the car park below the Town Hall can be seen. The river Cocker is on the right. c 1960

Market Street archway before car park below Town Hall 1968 p3 — Before demolition of the houses on the right and the lean to on the left to make way for the road that goes under the archway into the car park below the Town Hall with the Cocker on the right. The row of houses top left is top of Market Street and lead to the Town Hall. The two storey building was The Armory used by the Cumberland and Westmorland Yeomanry before they moved to the Drill Hall St Helens Street which is now part of the Sports Centre. 1986

Market Street archway to drying ground for Sandersons Mill site of Methodist Church which became Town Hall 1968 p3 — Town Hall former armoury for the Border Regiment on the left. They later moved to the Drill Hall and this building became the tourist information then gifts and is now unused. The archway to the car park below the Town Hall can be seen. The river Cocker is on the right. c 1960

Market Street Town Hall tourist information before moving into the Town Hall c 1980 p3 — Market Street Town Hall the single storey building is the tourist information centre before moving into the Town Hall c 1980

Market Street Town Hall archway Thomas Wilson hat factory before car park 1968 p3 — Market Street leads to the Town Hall seen here with the archway (that still exists) leading to the drying ground of Sandersons Mill. The houses on Kirkbank were built in the early 1930s and the new Methodist Church on Lorton Street was opened in 1932 and Cockermouth UDC took over the building. Below the rear wall of the Methodist / Town Hall is the gable end of buildings that led to the Hatters pub. The buildings beyond the archway became Town Hall car park in the 1970s. The person with red shorts looks at the Bitter Beck joining the Cocker. The building on the left is disused Thomas Wilson’s hat factory that was demolished in 1970s.

Market Street proposed car park view of Cocker and Quaker Jubilee railway bridges 1968 p3 — Market Street proposed car park below the Town Hall. This view shows Quaker foot bridge over the Cocker and Jubilee bridge below the higher railway bridge. 1968

Market Street proposed car park overgrown Quaker bridge 1968 p3 — Market Street proposed car park overgrown land that was developed into the car park below the Town Hall, Quaker bridge ahead. On the right is Croft Mill, later developed into flats. photo 1968

Market Street proposed car park Old Hall 1968 p3 — Market Street proposed car park in this area with the Old Hall dominating the photo with many congested housing surrounding it. All were demolished in 1974 for the Town Hall car park, photo from 1968

Market Street Methodist church became Town Hall with hat factory on left Cocker raft race 1980 p3 — Market Street Methodist church became Town Hall with hat factory on left Cocker raft race 1980

Market Street proposed car park Kirkgate ahead old Market Hall on right 1968 p3 — The old Market Hall is on the right, now demolished and a new row of houses built. Ahead is the lane leading to the rear of Kirkgate. On the left are various houses built around the Old Hall which is further to the left, this was a very congested area with lots of houses crammed together “Like a rabbit warren” a local person described. The houses to the left were demolished in 1974 and the Town Hall car park built. photo from 1968

Market Street entrance to town hall car park through the archway — Market Street entrance to town hall car park through the archway steps to the former tuition formation which is now closed. c 1970

Market Street car park behind Cockermouth Town Hall c 1980

Market Street Town Hall archway left has been Armoury - Riverside Craft Studio - Tourist Information c 1980 p3 — Town Hall Tourist Information building with the archways in the wall that were damaged in the 2009 flood so taken down and rebuilt.c 1980

Market Street Menu

Cockermouth History

Sources and thanks and permissions and copyright are shown on appropriate pages and/or in the About section. If someone can prove they have sole copyright and ownership of all rights to the negative and positive prints of a photo and its digital copy, and if they then want to have their name acknowledged after providing their clear evidence of ownership of sole copyright then I will acknowledge that right. Otherwise this personal project, made at my own expense, is my voluntary, free to access website made with goodwill to the community, so that the site gives free access to our community’s historic information. For those who desire to stop some photos being seen, review your motives; some photos were given to the local history centre and have been hidden for 20 years – why? I don’t have access to them. Surely when the community give photos to a local centre for free, the photos should be available to the public to view with free access and free sharing by digital reproduction on which we can add our own descriptions on our own websites and Facebook pages and other sharing sites? Please read the acknowledgements and thanks on the About section – there are some astounding links including the National Library of Scotland’s (NLS) zoomable historic maps, and sites of rail and coal historic sites and … see About. Perhaps the links will stimulate you to do your own research for your own personal education like this site that I made for personal research and education.