Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Keswick - Cumbria Houses The Famous Singing Stones.

By Frederick Hoymer

The city of Keswick - Cumbria is the home of 5000 people and is located in the central western part of England within the boundaries of the historic Columbia County. Keswick gets its name from the fact it holds a famous cheese market and has been doing so for almost 800 years. In the year 1276 Edward I provided a grant for the cheese market. You can still visit this market today as it is held every Saturday in the downtown area.

There are numerous historic buildings which surround town center. One of these structures is the original Town hall; this Hall was originally known as a moot Hall. This is one of several Moot halls throughout England. These halls were a meeting place for the elders of the hundred. The elders of the hundred were the original political leaders during the 13th and 14th century. It is believed that this organization derived its name from the fact that there were 100 households within a territory.

During the 16th century Keswick was involved in small-scale mining. Including this mining with graphite, and in fact it is believed that this is the birthplace of the graphite pencil. An industry developed around the graphite pencil and was an integral part of the city until last year at what point the pencil manufacturer moved to the Irish Coast.

Keswick is now a major tourist attraction in the majority of the industry was in the city is involved in tourism related business. One of the major events that attract tourists every year is the annual film festival. Another popular attraction takes place the first weekend in June. This is a beer festival which is run in part by the rugby team. Certainly this is an interesting event, a beer festival run by rugby players. No wonder it is a popular tourist attraction.

Beyond the festivals and the historic buildings the number one thing that attracts tourists to the area is incredible natural beauty. This area is nestled in a valley on a large lake nestled between beautiful rolling green hills, tucked between the mountains. Few other locations offer this natural beauty. While the beauty brings in the tourists it is many of the other attractions that provide entertainment and education.

Most popular of these is theater by the lake. This theater is the home of a local repertoire company and throws numerous festivals each year. Many of the events and traditions of this theater were inspired by the Century Theater. The Century Theater is a famous traveling theater that chose this area as its home for a while and made theater a popular attraction in the area. The Theater by the lake continues these traditions.

There are also other attractions that can provide hours of enjoyment. Included in these are the Keswick Art Gallery and the Cars of the Stars auto museum. Keswick also houses the famous Stones of Skidaw. This unique instrument is crafted from rocks and consists of rocks that sing much in the manner of a xylophone.

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