Tourism is not as modern an industry as we would like to think, although it is only perhaps in the last three or four generations that it has been widely available. Tourism is now the mainstay of the economy of the Lake District but Kendal has been perhaps less affected and reflects something of the older economy of the Lakes.

"Kent Dale" was fortified by the Romans and has remained a strategic place ever since. An early motte and bailey castle was replaced in the 12th century by a new castle overlooking the town. The castle obviously had strategic importance for keeping early trade routes open and it is not so far from what was the troubled region of the Scottish border.

The castle is the reputed birth place of Catherine Parr, later a wife of Henry VIII (and the only wife to survive him!). In 1571 the castle was in the ownership of William, Marquis of Northampton and brother of Catherine, but it was beginning to fall into decay at this time as its importance was passing

The Industrial Revolution began to bring change to Kendal. The Lancaster and Kendal canal arrived in 1819. The canals had already provided a reliable industrial trade route in the centre of England and now they had an effect in this region, allowing the goods to flow from the Lake District.

The heyday of the canals was short. In Kendal, the railway north arrived in 1846 and the stage was being set for Lakeland tourism. A few months later a branch line was built from Oxenholme on the edge of Kendal to Windermere and the development of Victorian Elegance in Windermere was assured.

For most of the life of Kendal, wool has been the lifeblood of the town. Daniel Defoe wrote of a "great trade in woollen cloth, coatings, druggets, serges, hats and stocking". Kendal coatings were famous and of a dark bottle green colour : Kendal green. Falstaff, in Shakespeare's Henry IV (Part 1), complains of being robbed by three "misbegotten knaves in Kendal green".

The Industrial Revolution took the woollen trade into the factories, powered by the water from the River Kent. The industrial basis of Kendal was diverse; marble polishing, gunpowder mills, leather, paper and snuff.
As well as using the canal, pack horses shifted goods and the stagecoach to London began in 1786. Hiring fairs took place at Whitsun and Martinmas to arrange agricultural work for the next six months.

Holy Trinity Church is the largest parish church in England and is a somewhat curious square structure (103 feet wide/30m)
Another building worth a visit is Abbot Hall, built in 1759 by a Colonel Wilson and now the museum and art gallery.
The Kentmere estate came into the ownership of the Gilpin family at the time of King John. Richard Gilpin killed the last wild boar in the locality and in 1485 the head of the family was killed in Richard III's charge at Bosworth Field. The Gilpin family eventually lost the Kentmere estate at the time of the Civil War, being on the wrong side. Although the Gilpin connection was lost, a later Gilpin was the Governor of Colorado in the USA. The Gilpin's old home still stands, a 15th century farmhouse-cum-hall.

While in Kendal other visits are to Levens Hall and Sizergh Castle, home of the Strickland family since 1239 !!

The town of Kendal is a good place to start on a visit to Lakeland. It is a bustling market town with fascinating history and architecture. Don't pass it by on the motorway.

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