Threlkeld

Threlkeld is a village and civil parish in the north of the Lake District in Cumbria, England, to the east of Keswick. It is in the historic county of Cumberland. It lies at the southern foot of Blencathra, one of the more prominent fells in the northern Lake District, and to the north of the River Glenderamackin. The parish had a population of 454 in the 2001 census, decreasing to 423 at the Census 2011. Part of the parish lies within the Skiddaw Group SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

==Overview== The name is of Norse origin and is a combination of , meaning slave or serf, and , meaning a spring or well. There was extensive Norse settlement in the area during the era of Viking expansion (790s–1066). Thraell was probably a reference to native Cumbrians subjugated by the incoming Norse. Historically a part of Cumberland, Threlkeld formerly had its own railway station on the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway, on the opposite side of the valley, next to the (closed) Threlkeld Quarry, at the foot of Clough Head. Today the railway line is a footpath and cycle track. Three rows of terraced houses, which used to accommodate the quarry workers, stand near the station. The Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum is open nearby and operates the narrow gauge Threlkeld Quarry Railway for tourists to enjoy.