Beckfoot straggles along the coast road between Mawbray and Silloth. In Roman times it was known as Bibra.
The Quaker Meeting House stood in the centre of the village. It was built in 1745 and replaced an earlier building dating from between 1675 and 1710. It closed in 1940 and was then used by the Methodists until 1965. It was sold in 1970 to be converted into a private dwelling. Just south of the old Meeting House is a burial ground, laid out on two levels, and in use until 1990.
This war-time aerial view is the only known picture which shows the Meeting House in its original form. There were no windows on the seaward side of the building.
Beckfoot Woollen Mill was built around 1795 by John Saul. It was powered by a waterwheel, 12ft. (3.7m) in diameter and was equipped with all the machinery necessary for carding, spinning and weaving the wool. The power for the mill came from the tiny stream which flows into the sea just below the site. A substantial dam and millpond were constructed. It was not a financial success, was put up for sale in 1803 and then converted to a corn mill. By 1925, milling operations had ceased and the building was being used as a Primitive Methodist Chapel. It was finally demolished around 1930.
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The extent of the dam and millrace constructed for the mill is indicated by the grey area on the 1860 Ordnance Survey Map on the left. Nothing now remains of the building but one of the grinding wheels, from its days as a corn mill, has survived as a garden ornament. |
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This bottlenose whale was washed up on the shore at Beckfoot in 1897 and was buried there. In 2004, Tullie House Museum in Carlisle received some bones which had been washed out of the beach. These proved to be bottlenose whale vertebrae and are thought to belong to this very creature.
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Beckfoot had the only two Council Houses in Holme St Cuthbert Parish. They were built in 1925 and have since been modernised and extended. The picture on the right shows them in their original state. |
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The banks at Beckfoot have always been a popular spot for bathing and picnics. They also make a good car park, as can be seen from this 1960s scene. |
The shore at Beckfoot has been a source of gravel for building and road making, probably since Roman times. In this photograph, Tommy and Billy Thornthwaite of Allonby are loading their cart. Bill Storey from Beckfoot, and his father before him, also made a living this way.