Workington: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 60 - 100 Waverley Hotel
 In the coastal town of Workington, the friendly Waverley Hotel offers spacious rooms, a bar, Wi-Fi, free parking and good food. The Lake District is a… MoreGBP 60 - 88 The Hall Park Hotel
 Your comfort is our aim at this family-run hotel.
Bar meals are served each night and only the freshest of ingredients are used. At a recent health … More | ||||||||||||
Workington: Guide
Workington is a town on the west coast of Cumbria, England at the mouth of the River Derwent, Cumbria|River Derwent. The area around Workington has long been a producer of coal and steel.
Workington had a population of around 25,000 people in 1991 and is an industrial town. It is the seat of Allerdale|Allerdale Borough Council, which is one of three borough district council|councils in Cumbria.
History
Mary I of Scotland|Mary, Queen of Scots after the defeat of her forces at the Battle of Langside fled to England by crossing the Solway Firth, and landed in the vicinity of Workington . She spent her first night in England as an honoured guest in Workington Hall, but was soon moved on to Carlisle Castle.
The insult 'Jam Eaters' is used as part of the rivalry with local town Whitehaven. Supposedly, this term arose from the mining days because miners from Workington were richer than those from Whitehaven and could afford more exotic sandwich fillings.
Workington was the home of Distington Engineering Company (DEC) the engineering arm of British Steel Corporation (BSC), which specialised in the design of Continuous Casting equipment. DEC had an engineering design office, engineering workshops and a foundry. In the 1970s as BSC adapted to a more slipstreamed approach to the metals industry the engineering design company was separated from the workshops and foundry and re-designated as Distington Engineering Contracting. Employing some 200 people its primary purpose was the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of continuous casting machines.
Sport in Workington
Workington has a non league and former professional football team, Workington A.F.C.|Workington Reds, as well as a Pro rugby league and former challenge cup winning team, Workington Town, and a professional Motorcycle speedway|speedway team, the Workington Comets.
Workington is home to a tradition known as "Uppies and Downies", an historical version of football, dating to Medieval times. The goals are about a mile apart, one being a capstan at the harbour, and the other the park wall of Workington Hall. There were traditionally no rules, except those suggested by cunning and skill, while brute force is of the greatest importance. The 'Uppies' attempt to hale the ball over the park wall; the 'Downies' over the capstan. Whoever is successful in doing so wins a sovereign, given by the owner of Workington Hall. Workington still holds annual Uppies and Downies matches every Easter, raising money for various local charities.
Transport
Workington is linked by the A596 road to Maryport and (via the A595 road) to Whitehaven, and by the A66 road to Cockermouth, the M6 motorway, Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith and County Durham. The town has bus connections to other towns and villages in West Cumbria, Penrith, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, as well as the Workington railway station|rail connection provided by the Cumbrian Coast Line to Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, with occasional through trains to Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle, Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster and Preston.
Workington Regeneration
In the 2000s, Workington underwent a regeneration. New attributes included famous shops creating branches in Workington, including Debenhams and River Island. New monuments were also built in the town, including a metallic, modern clock, which has been subject to both heavy criticism and adminration.
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Workington". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.