Links - Click to open up whole new worlds!
Local history:
- Kirkby Stephen Family History Group;
- Kirkby Stephen Parish Church;
- Ravenstonedale has an active local history group;
- Hayloft Publishing: local, with many historical titles in their list.
Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness:
- Cumbria Past website of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society;
- Westmorland & Furness Archives;
- Cumberland Archive.
Kirkby Stephen was in the county of Westmorland, then in Cumbria, and came under the aegis of
Westmorland & Furness following further reorganisation on April 1, 2023.
The new area is essentially: the original Westmorland, and Furness right round to Barrow.
Digital Archives
Historical archive material is increasingly digitized and stored on computer. The Cumbria Local History Federation has recently started The Archive Management Project, aided by grants from the Westmorland Dales and the Heritage Fund. Ravenstonedale and Lorton are two early users. The second can be searched conveniently; try "Yew Tree" for example. Wordsworth features largely in retrieved naterial.
Two very fine museums:
- Bowes Museum, a French chateau at Barnard Castle;
- Kendal Museum, founded in 1796, has fascinating collections including local archaeology, history, geology and natural history from around the globe.
2025 is the year of the train, especially in the North East:
- Kirkby Stephen East, at the southern extremity of the town, was a busy station from 1861 to 1962;
- Stockton to Darlington:
2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and will be celebrated throughout the UK.
Kirkby Stephen's celebrates over the August Bank Holiday, 22 to 25 August.