Interactive Penrith Town Trail

Musgrave

Centred around Sir George and Lady Musgrave’s ‘Monument Clock’, the1861 architectural tribute which commemorates the life of their son Philip, this gentle centre-of-town stroll records much of the town’s retail and trading history.

Beacon

Before attempting the pathway to the 937 ft. summit of a once real beacon of light (and from where the all-round panoramic views are magnificent), this fascinating adventure includes a WWI anti-hero, the resting place of 2260 local people who died in the 16th-Century Plague, a Gunsmith, and the daughter of an Earl.

Cornmarket

Uncover the growth of Penrith’s economic prosperity on a walk that traces the town’s commercial backbone – its traders – and the bustling colourful street-markets from which they sold their wares.

St Andrews

A gentle amble through history to discover some of the town’s preserved religious and architectural heritage.

The Castle

An intriguing journey through wars, a fortress, an ancient street-market, the Industrial Revolution, and some very old ale houses and coaching inns in which trading was once a very important part of the town’s colourful daily life.

Town Hall

As well as the imposing Town Hall (the original site of Wordsworth House), this gentle stroll includes five churches, a stylish Victorian housing development of about 1850, and a peaceful commemorative Coronation garden setting since 1937.

Wordsworth

A trail based upon William Wordsworth (1770-1850) in his formative years in Penrith – and an opportunity to visit the places that link the poet to several well-known sites and locations in the town.

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Who, Where, Why, When and How?

As well as a multitude of traditional independent shops and work-places, the small market town of Penrith has also become the discreet home to many high-street brands and modern developments. In order for the town to therefore sustain its charming blend of heritage, tradition and the future, Penrith’s sensitive regeneration programme continues to have one eye on tomorrow, while the other remains firmly fixed on retaining its irrepressible and irreplaceable past.

The history of any town is important. After all, without history there is no heritage, and without heritage there is no past on which to build. With such a colourful history however, Penrith has much upon which to build – and unearthing some of its past is the particular aim of the Town Trails.

Originally conceived as part of the Penrith Town celebrations, the Penrith Town Trails is a series of selected walks which illustrate the town’s colourful history and provide answers to many who, where, why, when and how questions.

For example, while one of the Trails shows you where Richard III resided in Penrith, another directs you to where William Wordsworth first went to school. Or you may be more interested in discovering the Penrith home of one of the signatories of the American War of Independence. Alternatively, you may want see where Penrith’s fist victim of the Great Plague died, where William Wordsworth nursed Raisley Calvert, or where, in 1850, some of the town’s 57 gas laps were located. Another Trail uncovers the home of William Jameson, the landlord of ‘The Griffin Inn’ who, in 1867 was described by the Pall Mall Gazette as being, “…a certain gigantic Jameson of Penrith who looked more like a polar bear on its hind legs in a grey flannel suit than a human being.” Amongst lots of other local and regional historical memorabilia, the town’s Museum contains some of ‘Jameson of Penrith’s’ award-winning trophies and belts.

If a blend of yesterday and today interests you, you’ll be interested in finding out more about The Penrith Town Trails.