is a town in
Cumbria ,
England , in the borough of
Allerdale . It is located on the
A596 north of
Workington , and is the southernmost town on the
Solway Firth . It is in the parliamentary constituency of
Workington .
The town was first a
Roman town and there is substantial remains of a Roman fort (Alavna). The fort was the last in a series of forts from
Hadrian's Wall to prevent the wall being avoided by a crossing of the
Solway Firth . Recent geo-magnetic surveys have revealed a large Roman town surrounding the fort. A recent archaelogical dig discovered evidence of a second, earlier and larger fort next to, and partially under the present remains
After the Roman retreat from Britain the town was soon reduced in size and importance.
For many years the town was named Ellenfoot but the name was changed by Humphrey Senhouse as he began developing the town as a port, following the example of
Whitehaven . In 1749 an Act of Parliament was passed to allow the creation of the present town. Humphrey Senhouse named the new town after his wife Mary.
The Senhouse family were the major landowners in the Maryport area and they were responisible for the development of the town and excavation of its Roman past.
The town quickly developed as an industrial centre throughout the 19th century with an iron foundry and coal mines opening. The port also developed as did ship yards, such as Ritson's, which were famous launching ships broadside into the river Ellen because it was not wide enough to allow ships to be launched the usual way. The railway to
Carlisle was built in the 1840s with
George Stephenson as its engineer and handled heavy coal traffic at the Maryport end. Maryport docks were exporting over 340,000 tons/yr of coal by 1857- about triple the exports at the end of the 1830s. (And the railway paid exceedingly good dividends - 9 to 10% - for much of its first 50 years).
However, by the beginning of the 20th century the town was suffering an economic decline. All but one of the ship yards had closed amd trade declined because the newly built dock was not wide enough to accommodate new ships. During the depression, adult unemployment peaked at over 50%.
The town had a brief recovery during
World War II but its status as an industrial port was never recovered. The decades after the war saw further industrial decline with many of the primary sources of local employment, such as the coal mines, closing down. The final open-cast mine closed in 2000.
Today after a series of major regeneration projects prospects for the town are looking better. Tourism is now the main business in Maryport. The town is a major name on the Blues scene, holding a popular music festival every summer, which has previously attracted names such as
Jools Holland , Dionne Warwick,
AWOL , Elkie Brooks and
Buddy Guy .
It has a railway station on the
Barrow In Furness -
Carlisle line, an aquarium, a Maritime museum and a Roman museum. The latter houses numerous Roman artefacts; most notably a series of
Altars to
Jupiter Optimus Maximus which were excavated in the 18th century from the parade ground of the Roman fort.
The nearest big towns are
Carlisle ,
Workington and
Whitehaven .
Famous past residents of Maryport have included
Thomas Henry Ismay and
Fletcher Christian .
Maryport Official Website
Maryport Website
