49 min listen
Countrystride #60: Wad - The wealth of Borrowdale
FromCountrystride
ratings:
Length:
60 minutes
Released:
Jul 23, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
…in which we stride out from Seathwaite with mining authority Mark Hatton to unearth the turbulent history of Borrowdale graphite. As we battle bracken on the fellside of Low Bank, we seek out the nature-reclaimed remains of a mining industry that played a key role in the emergence of industrial Britain. In a story that starts with a lone farmer discovering a means to mark his sheep and ends in financial collapse on a huge scale, we learn how critical Borrowdale and Keswick were in the development of early capitalism; we debunk the myth that Derwent Isle was used to safeguard German immmigrants; we meet counterfeiters and bandits; we wonder whether ‘breathing’ mines might explain legends of dragons; we consider how lawless this wild-west hamlet once was… and, last but not least, we talk pencils…
Released:
Jul 23, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Countrystride #37: Hardwicke Rawnsley - Lakeland champion by Countrystride