Kendal: Westmorland Market Town on the Kent With Mint Cake and a Gateway to the Lakes
Kendal sits on the River Kent in the former county of Westmorland, now part of Westmorland and Furness in Cumbria. The population is around 29,000. The town is known as the "Auld Grey Town" for the grey limestone used in its buildings. Kendal Mint Cake, a glucose-based peppermint confection, was supposedly invented here by accident in 1869 and was carried on the 1953 Everest expedition. The town has a long history as a wool trading centre, reflected in the motto "Pannus Mihi Panis" (wool is my bread). Kendal Castle, a ruin on Castle Hill above the town, was the birthplace of Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII. The Abbot Hall Art Gallery, housed in a Georgian villa by the river, has a significant collection of works by George Romney, who was born locally.
The town centre along Stricklandgate, Highgate, and the Shambles has a strong independent retail character, with yards and ginnels running off the main streets in a medieval pattern. The Brewery Arts Centre on Highgate offers cinema, theatre, and live music. Kendal station is on the branch from Oxenholme, where the West Coast Main Line provides services to London Euston in about two and a half hours and to Manchester or Glasgow. The A6 passes through, and the M6 runs just to the east at junction 36. The Lake District National Park begins a few miles to the west. For those considering adult companionship in the south Cumbria area, Kendal's position at the junction of the M6 and the Lakes makes it a hub for the wider region.
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Kendal sits on the River Kent in the former county of Westmorland, now part of Westmorland and Furness in Cumbria. The population is around 29,000. The town is known as the "Auld Grey Town" for the grey limestone used in its buildings. Kendal Mint Cake, a glucose-based peppermint confection, was supposedly invented here by accident in 1869 and was carried on the 1953 Everest expedition. The town has a long history as a wool trading centre, reflected in the motto "Pannus Mihi Panis" (wool is my bread). Kendal Castle, a ruin on Castle Hill above the town, was the birthplace of Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII. The Abbot Hall Art Gallery, housed in a Georgian villa by the river, has a significant collection of works by George Romney, who was born locally.
The town centre along Stricklandgate, Highgate, and the Shambles has a strong independent retail character, with yards and ginnels running off the main streets in a medieval pattern. The Brewery Arts Centre on Highgate offers cinema, theatre, and live music. Kendal station is on the branch from Oxenholme, where the West Coast Main Line provides services to London Euston in about two and a half hours and to Manchester or Glasgow. The A6 passes through, and the M6 runs just to the east at junction 36. The Lake District National Park begins a few miles to the west. For those considering adult companionship in the south Cumbria area, Kendal's position at the junction of the M6 and the Lakes makes it a hub for the wider region.
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