Grange


 * ''Not to be confused with Grange-over-Sands or Grange (Waberthwaite).

Grange, also known as Grange in Borrowdale, is a small, picturesque village in the Borrowdale Valley, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Keswick. It is connected via the B5289 road, which runs parallel with Derwentwater and continues on to the village of Borrowdale, Honister Pass and eventually Buttermere and Crummock Water. It lies at the bottom of the valley, surrounded by Maiden Moor (575m) and High Spy (646m) on the west, Castle Crag (290m) to the south and Grange Fell (415m) to the east. The village is accessed by the double-arched stone bridge over the River Derwent, built in 1675. There are places to stay here and a small cafe provides a rest stop and gastronomical delights for the weary walker and cyclist.

Grange Bridge
The single width, double-arched bridge, situated to the east of the village, is Grade II listed. Historic England states the bridge as being listed under the Planning Act 1990 (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) for its "special architectural or historic interest." The bridge is owned by the, including part of the river bed and the central island where the River Derwent splits and rejoins. The land, totalling 2.74 acres, was purchased by subscription on 31 October, 1910. The National Trust owns various other land and buildings surrounding the village including, but not limited to, Hollows Farm, Grange Fell and the Bowder Stone.

The bridge was rebuilt some time during the early 19 century and includes a passing place for cars in the centre. The island on which the central part of the bridge stands is wooded with deciduous trees. The river appears much narrower at times of less rainfall, revealing the shingle bed around the island.

Churches
The village has two small churches: Grange Methodist Church and Holy Trinity Grange. Holy Trinity is a stone building, constructed around 1860. It is fairly plain in design but this makes it no less interesting. The arched roof runs the distance of the nave, the curvature matching those of the windows. The church also contains a chancel, porch and an apexed turret, which houses a single bell.

Nearby
The andesite lava boulder known as the Bowder Stone is a popular tourist attraction located just 1 mile to south, the National Trust car park of which is accessed from B5289 and provides a few spaces to explore the surrounding area. The stone weighs around 2,000 tonnes, is 9 metres high, 15 metres across and seems to be perfectly balanced on its tip, the position it was last dumped around 13,500 to 10,000 years ago. The Borrowdale Valley is at it narrowest here, getting the epithet Jaws of Borrowdale, and its easy to see why as the road snakes it way through the dramatic and beautiful gorge. To the north is the wooded Manesty Park and Brandlehow Park, both with easy-going gravel paths that are part of the 10-mile circular route around the lake. Superb views are offered across Abbots Bay towards Keswick and the dominating heights of Skiddaw (931m) beyond.

Etymology
The word grange comes from Middle English graunge, which is borrowed from Old French grange meaning granary, barn or a small farm. Also from the Latin grānum, which means grain. Grange is associated with a surnames and place names, with slight variations through the years but ultimately meaning the same: A "group of farms, small village," (c.1300); "a granary or barn" (early 14c.); "outlying buildings of a monastic or other estate" (late 14c.) and a "small farm" (mid-15c.). This ties in with the local history where during medieval times the monks of Furness Abbey built a monastic grange here. The monks would travel from place to place when visiting their outlying lands and buildings, something they did travelling to Watendlath via Dunmail Raise on the way to their grange in Borrowdale.

External sites

 * Grange Bridge at Historic England