It was good to learn that a rare piece of transport heritage has been returned to Dunmail Raise near Grasmere.
The Grade 11 Listed Automobile Association sentry box has been an iconic roadside sight at the pass for 90 years, but was damaged by extreme winds on January 29.
It is the only one left of 18 installed in Cumbria to provide emergency shelter and provisions for stricken motorists in the past. Indeed, there are only 19 such boxes remaining throughout the UK of the around 800 installed between 1912 and 1953.
Thankfully AA’s maintenance team took away the Dunmail box to restore it and it is now back in its place.
It is right that we protect our Lake District heritage – those things that make our area unique and special.
Another such ‘icon’ is the Windermere car ferry, which plies its way across the narrowest part of the lake between Ferry Nab, near Bowness, and Ferry House on the western shore.
Cumbria County Council, which operates the ferry, is looking to replace the current ‘Mallard’ model, which is more than 30 years old and suffering from reduced reliability and increasing repair costs.
A procurement process has been launched to allow shipyards to submit their visions for a speedier, electric boat. The aim is to have a new ferry delivered in the spring of 2024.
The ferry is an important part of the transport infrastructure as well as a well-known landmark.
Meanwhile a new landmark, which will also play a part in boosting the area’s infrastructure, has arrived in Kendal.
Story Contracting has taken delivery of a new footbridge, which will span the River Kent between Gooseholme Park and New Road.
The new bridge is due to replace the former bridge that was condemned after being irreparably damaged by Storm Desmond in 2015.
And South Lakeland District Council is to apply for £10m in government funding to help revitalise Kendal which, among other things, could see the regeneration of the town’s market hall and Market Place.
Change is constant as we protect our past and look to the future.
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