Difference between revisions of "Collin Croft"

Latest revision as of 13:40, 8 September 2019

The yards have been one of Kendal’s historic features over the centuries but in the 1960s a determined effort began to demolish and replace them with modern, characterless buildings.

Collin Croft was one yard that managed to escape annihilation. It runs from Highgate beside the old Bank of Westmorland steeply up to Beast Banks.

Like other yards it was formed by the infilling of a burgage plot with cottages and workshops. Why it was called Collin Croft is unknown but a man named Collins was recorded in the town in 1575.

In 1710, Joseph Dawson, mayor of Kendal, bought the Croft with its garden and built a malt kiln on the north side. By the time he died, 20 years later, it also contained his house and cottages, a timber yard and warehouses and was sold for 20 times what he paid for it.

Over the years the Croft changed hands and new industries were established. The timber yard, with a sawpit, flourished and a malt house was added to the malt kiln. Thomas Cornthwaite, an iron founder, invented some ingenious brass locks and was recognised by the Royal Society as one of the finest mechanics in the north of England.

When the Kendal to Lancaster Canal opened in 1792 a coal yard was established at the head of the Croft, the first in Kendal.

In the 1800s, more houses, cottages, a stable, a stonemason’s yard, a coach-builder’s shop, a smithy with an inn or beer house ‘The Malt Shovel’ behind it, were added on the south side.

In due course there were also a currier, a bell hanger, a nail maker, cabinet maker and bobbin turner.

Leading up through an archway and steps to Beast Banks were a slate yard and the pottery warehouse of Robert Thompson, later a printing office.

The Croft became crowded and busy with a strong community spirit. In 1841 there were 31 families with an average of over five in a household – one cottage held eleven.

Sanitary provision was minimal; a drain ran down the middle of the cobbled yard to a cesspool, the cause of many premature deaths.

In 1891 the malt kiln became a snuff and tobacco factory and a brewery was added to the beerhouse.

It was clear by the 1970s that conditions in the Croft had become unsatisfactory. Improvements were made but it seemed that the Croft would have to share the fate of other yards in being demolished.

In 1980, to preserve what was left of a typical Kendal yard, Kendal Civic Society carried out a programme of restoration, including converting industrial buildings into modern dwellings, which was awarded a Civic Trust Award.

Today the Croft has a pleasant, quiet atmosphere and the old Bank of Westmorland still stands guard at the entrance.