Cleator
Encyclopedia
Cleator is a village in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

 and within the boundaries of the traditional county of Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....

.

Cleator is 1½ miles south of the town of Cleator Moor
Cleator Moor
Cleator Moor is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Cumbria and within the boundaries of the traditional county of Cumberland....

 on the A5086 road. Cleator was the original village, Cleator Moor being the moor above the village. It is the site of the former Kangol
Kangol
Kangol is a British clothing company famous for its headwear.Founded in Cleator, Cumbria, England in 1938 by Jaques Spreiregen, Kangol produced hats for workers, golfers, and especially soldiers...

 hat factory. The factory buildings are now empty with only a few office staff remaining in the adjacent building that houses the (now closed) factory shop. Cleator is located on the River Ehen
River Ehen
The River Ehen is a river in Cumbria, England. It is a designated Special Area of Conservation.The river's source is at the west end of Ennerdale Water: it runs west through Ennerdale Bridge where it is joined by Croasdale Beck...

, which is joined by the River Keekle
River Keekle
The River Keekle is a river running through the English county of Cumbria.The source of the Keekle is to be found at Keekle Head Farm on High Park between Gilgarran and Asby. From there, the river moves gradually southwards via former open cast mine between Frizington and Whitehaven to Cleator,...

 at Longlands Lake.

On Thursday 19 November 2009, rainfall of over 300 mm was recorded in Cumbria. The surge of water off the fells of the Lake District flowed back to the Irish Sea down the rivers of West Cumbria, including the River Derwent which caused flooding and damage at Keswick, Cockermouth and Workington. The River Ehen burst its banks at Cleator, near to the Kangol factory, flooding fields and a number of residential properties. Cleator Flood Action Group, associated to the National Flood Forum, was established following this event, in order to work with relevant agencies to progress actions to prevent or reduce the consequences of any future flood events.

Cleator was the site of a number of mills (originally linen). This was how Kangol came to be located at Cleator. Following the development of iron ore mining in nearby areas, Cleator was site of associated works (hence the street name "Kiln Brow" and the location "The Forge"). The disused Longlands pit is now Longlands Lake nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

.

St Mary's Catholic Church was built by unemployed men. It has a grotto which mimics that of Lourdes and is the venue for an annual procession. Cleator lies on Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...

's Coast to Coast Walk
Coast to Coast Walk
The Coast to Coast Walk is a 192-mile unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England...

 and is on the edge of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...

, with Dent Fell on the skyline to the south east.

Cleator also boasts an Anglican church, St Leonard's, which dates to the 12th century.

Cleator Cricket Club, whose home is the picturesque J D Campbell Memorial Ground, field three teams, the 1st XI playing in the North West Counties League.

Cleator forms part of the district of Copeland. Cleator is near the historical town of Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...

.

External links

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