Rubby Banks Rubbybanks – Cockermouth History

Rubby Banks Rubbybanks

Cocker ford before 1887 when the footbridge was built. Photo taken after Methodist church was built in 1841. Rubbybanks along the side of the Cocker. Croft Terrace facing us on the left is shown being built. The photo was taken after 1841 when the Methodist church was built (now the Town Hall) and 1887 when the ford was replaced with the Quaker Bridge. The building of the bridge was organised and led by Joshia Hall who had the grocer shop on Main Street with its warehouse doors (now Tarrentella) and was motivated to facilitate attendance at the Quaker Meeting House in Kirkgate. This is similar to the Harris family that built the Harris Bridge (now callled Millers Bridge) over the Derwent to facilitate workers. c 1880

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Rubbybanks Road gable end names Railway Terrace 1894 p1 — Rubbybanks Road Railway Terrace gable end. The Cocker is behind the photographer and the bridge that carried the railway is behind this house and much higher. Note that if you enlarge the photo and observe above the arch of the door, you will see a carved stone, shaped like a ribbon and it states “Railway Terrace 1894” The railway extension to Penrith was opened in 1864 and before then, the railway only went from Workington to terminate at Cockermouth, its first station was where Lakes Home Cenre is. The 1864 railway of Cockermouth Keswick and Penrith was built to carry iron ingots from Workington iron works to the north east, and to bring coal for coke from the north east to the iron works in Workington. The coke traffic started to reduce in the early 1900s because a way had been found to convert local coal into coke for the iron furnaces. 1894

Rubbybanks Road Railway Terrace below Harris Park c 1950

Rubbybands Railway Terrace with Riverdale estate above 1995 p4 — Rubbybands Railway Terrace with Riverdale estate above 1995. View from the steep bank above the Cocker. c 1995

Rubbybanks Road looking towards Quaker Bridge c 2000

Lamplugh Road Reservoir was originally from Derwent Rubbybanks Waterworks Cottage pre 1870 — At the junction of Lamplugh Road and Parkside Avenue, opposite the junction with Brigham Road is a high stone wall. Behind this wall is the old reservoir for Cockermouth’s drinking water. This water was pumped up from Rubbybanks [Rubby Banks] Waterworks Cottage situated beside the Cocker at the end of Rubbybanks. Beside the pumping station down at Rubby Banks, had been Cockermouth waterworks where water was extracted from the Cocker and pumped up here so that gravity would feed it to dwellings and business below this header tank. Eventually the waterworks by the Cocker were demolished and Railway Terrace built on the site, but the old pumping station still exists. Cockermouth also supplied Maryport with drinking water with their supply obtained from a borehole well by the Derwent next to Low Gote Mill where a steam powered engine with its chimney pumped the drinking water from the borehole by the bend in the Derwent to a height of 67 metres and onto the sand filtering beds and reservoir on Tallentire Hill above Bridekirk, (reservoir still exist), and from there it flowed by gravity to the Hayborough reservoir for Maryport. Alternative water arrangements were made and the pumping station was converted into dwellings in 1974 and the outstanding square and stepped chimney was demolished. There had been a beam engine that pumped the water to Tallentire Hill until it was scrapped during the 1939-45 war at a time when metal railings and other metal items were melted for armaments. The stone lined well has been preserved intact and covered in such a way that it can still be examined by industrial archaeologists. Also in that site is the remains of the water wheel that once powered Low Gote Mill. Refs Bradbury p96 p190 1863 OS map. Google Maps

Rubbybanks Cocker glasshouses of Bewley County Fruit Stores c 1930 p2 — Rubbybanks road by Cocker with glasshouses and garden of Bewley of County Fruit Stores grew and sold produce. Note that the footbridge over the Cocker has the central support and was washed away in a flood. c 1930

Rubbybanks Cocker Town Hall All Saints Kirkbank c 1930 p2 — Rubbybanks Cocker Town Hall All Saints Kirkbank. c 1930 because Kirkbank was built in the 1920s

Rubbybanks Croft Terrace before 1887 when there was a ford before the Quaker Bridge built c 1890 p1 — Rubbybanks along the side of the Cocker. Croft Terrace facing us on the left is shown being built. The photo was taken after 1841 when the Methodist church was built (now the Town Hall) and 1887 when the ford was replaced with the Quaker Bridge. The building of the bridge was organised and led by Joshia Hall who had the grocer shop on Main Street with its warehouse doors (now Tarrentella) and was motivated to facilitate attendance at the Quaker Meeting House in Kirkgate. This is similar to the Harris family that built the Harris Bridge (now callled Millers Bridge) over the Derwent to facilitate workers.

Rubbybanks houses being built Cocker c 1920 p2 — Cocker downstream from Lorton Street Jubilee bridge shows building work on Rubbybanks road. The Quaker Bridge with two supports connects South Street to Cocker Lane. In the centre leaning against the wall of the Methodist Church (now Town Hall) is the Weavers Arms, c 1920

Rubbybanks Otter Hounds c 1930 p2 — Rubbybanks Otter Hounds c 1930 with the Cocker on the right and the archway under the bridge joining Lorton Street and Victoria Road, the official title of the bridge is the Queen Victoria Jubilee Bridge 1887. Photo c 1930

Rubbybanks Road area was glasshouses c 1980 p3 — Rubbybanks Road where Bewleys market garden glasshouses had been is now the white building. c 1980

Rubbybanks Road toward Town Hall Cocker flood possible 1931

Rubbybanks Road under Jubilee Bridge named after the 1887 Queen Victoria Jubilee c 2000 p4 — Rubbybanks Road goes under Jubilee Bridge named after the 1887 Queen Victoria Jubilee c 2000

Rubbybanks Road waterworks cottage Harris Park by Cocker to Riverdale estate c 1960 p3 — Rubbybanks Road waterworks cottage by the river Cocker at the bottom entrance to Harris Park looking at the Riverdale estate being developed c 1960

Rubbybanks shows the market garden of Bewleys greengrocer of Station Street later demolished for houses c 1930 p2 — Rubbybanks shows the market garden of Bewleys greengrocer of Station Street later demolished for houses. c 1930

Rubbybanks Waterworks Cottage railway terrace behind c 2000 p4 — Rubbybanks Waterworks Cottage with Railway Terrace behind. The site where Railway Terrace now exists had been the site of Cockermouth waterworks where water was extracted from the Cocker. This building was the pump house that pumped the drinking water to a resevoir that still exists at the junction of Lamplugh Road and Parkside Avenue, hidden by the high stone wall opposite the junction with Brigham Road. Refs Bradbury p96 p190 1863 OS map. Google maps of Lamplugh Road Resevoir was originally from Derwent Rubbybanks Waterworks Cottage pre 1870

Rubbybanks with Jubilee Bridge River Cocker before flood defence wallc 1980 p4 — Rubbybanks with Jubilee Bridge River Cocker before rising flood defence wall built c 1980

Rubybanks rail bridge Railway Terrace behind bushes on left Cocker on right c 1950 p3 — Rubybanks rail bridge, now greenway footpath. On the left behind the hedge is Railway Terrace and in modern times a block of houses built.. Cocker is on the right. All Saints spire in distance.. c 1950

Towers Lane reservoir 2020 p4 — A new reservoir was built on the opposite corner of Parkside Avenue, connected to one above Towers Lane (with a stone tower) which provides pressure for the higher parts of the town. In the 1960s a new pipe line was laid from Crummock and treatment works built downstream from Scalehill. Refs Bradbury Chpt 19 Water. p96 p190 1863 OS map. Google Maps c 2020

VIEW FROM KIRKBANK — Cocker ford before 1887 when the footbridge was built. Photo taken after Methodist church was built in 1841. Rubbybanks along the side of the Cocker. Croft Terrace facing us on the left is shown being built. The photo was taken after 1841 when the Methodist church was built (now the Town Hall) and 1887 when the ford was replaced with the Quaker Bridge. The building of the bridge was organised and led by Joshia Hall who had the grocer shop on Main Street with its warehouse doors (now Tarrentella) and was motivated to facilitate attendance at the Quaker Meeting House in Kirkgate. This is similar to the Harris family that built the Harris Bridge (now callled Millers Bridge) over the Derwent to facilitate workers. c 1880

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Cockermouth History

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