Historian Arthur Nicholls continues his look at famous faces to Kendal in bygone years:

WILLIAM Wordsworth, the celebrated poet, lived in Dove Cottage at Grasmere with his sister Dorothy.

It was there that she brought to his notice the daffodils growing near the lake which inspired him to write the oft-quoted verses. These flowers were actually the old native species and not the flamboyant species on sale today. He visited Kendal a number of times.

Thomas de Quincey also lived for a time in Dove Cottage and came into Kendal to edit The Westmorland Gazette. He helped towards the survival of the paper by publishing a series of articles on the Tory cause, and afterwards the paper remained true to the Tories, being in fierce contention with the rival local newspaper, The Kendal Mercury, which was Whig-oriented.

De Quincey was its second editor and lasted for just under a year before he was ‘asked to leave’ in 1819. His addiction to laudanum (opium) made him behave erratically and publish embarrassing articles. He became famous as ‘the opium eater’.

The balloon, powered in its ascent by town gas, was a popular cause of entertainment. George Green gave balloon shows in 1825. On the first occasion it took almost a day to inflate the balloon in the yard of Kendal Castle. After waiting all that time the onlookers were disappointed when it was decided that the weather conditions would make it too dangerous to fly, so the gas was allowed to escape into the atmosphere.

A few days later another attempt was made - this time successfully - and the balloon took off, rising into the air and taking with it an unknown woman passenger who might have been the first woman to fly. The balloon travelled about 30 miles before coming safely down to earth again. After further abortive attempts, the balloon rose in 1832 only to come down again a short distance away at Helsfell.

Barnard’s Flying Circus gave public aeroplane rides in the 1920s, probably from the old showfield. These were very popular and attempts were made to establish an airfield in Kendal but without success.

Speaking of circuses reminds me that they were a popular attraction in Kendal and have been in one form or another to this day. Barnum and Bailey’s Circus came to town to the railway station in a special train, and a procession of caged animals and circus turns went through the town to advertise the circus. A special sight that excited the children was a line of elephants lumbering along, one holding the tail of the one in front with its trunk.

Schoolchildren took an unauthorised holiday to watch the sight and the teachers turned a blind eye. The most spectacular circus show was ‘Buffalo Bill’s Stupendous Wild West Show’, the climax of which was the cowboys and Indians episode where a coach was held up and attacked by Indians and a mock fight ensued which, of course, was won by the cowboys who came to the rescue.