Write-up your street in Kendal's Highgate

HIGHGATE is home to some of Kendal's most historic buildings - which probably explains why I seemed to be jostling with tourists every couple of 'yards' - pun intended!

The thoroughfare hosts a plethora of blue plaques which visitors are want to digest, even if the locals don't!

Of course, I could be doing everyone who lives here a great disservice and it could be the case that you are well up on your local history.

But I suspect not. For isn't it the case that we often take for granted the heritage on our own doorsteps?

Also, as the 'town centre' has shifted ever northwards, so Highgate has suffered a reduced retail footfall. However, anyone seeking out specialist services or independent retailers knows that this particular high street has it all - from hairdressers and dentists, to to fashion, flowers and home furnishings - it even boasts an award-winning arts complex!

Margaret Ward of Margaret's Prams has worked on Highgate all her life - at no. 138 for 29 years, and some 20 years at her current premises at no. 59. And thanks to her longevity on Highgate, she's provided prams and all manner of baby paraphernalia for today's young mums, their mothers, and their grandmothers.

"I've seen them all grow up," said Margaret, who believes that Highgate is the heart of the town. "There's such a lot of history in this area, but also so many independent retailers which makes us so different from everywhere else."

A thought echoed by Karin Grandel-Park who opened Room 19 in October last year.

"My friends told me I was mad to start a new business at the height of the recession. But I had faith that I could get through that recession by locating my business in Kendal."

Karin did her research before starting up which revealed that half a million visitors pass through Kendal every year.

But she is quick to point out that she has been extremely 'heartened' by local support.

"People say they never come down this end of town, and when they do they find there is more to see than they realised."

Practice manager at Arnold Greenwood solicitors Brian Barnes is born and bred Kendal so he is more than familiar with the changes that have affected Highgate, from its junction with Gillinggate in the south to White Hard Yard, in Kendal's pedestrianised heart, in the north.

Brian reckons pedestrianisation has been a good thing, making the town a much safer place to walk.

And just for the record, I measured 749 steps from one end of Highgate to the other - a great way to stretch your legs!

Highgate's historic buildings include: Kendal Bank (now Barclays Bank) Kendal's first banks, the Kendal Bank of Maude, Wilson and Crewdson in Stramongate and Wakefield's Bank in Stricklandgate both opened on January 1, 1788. Amalgamating in 1840, they erected the Highgate building in 1873.

Bank of Westmorland (now HSBC Bank) Founded on wealth generated by Kendal's textile trade, the Bank of Westmorland opened in 1833 and moved to Highgate in 1835, and was designed by Kendal's leading architect, George Webster.

Sandes Hospital - historic almshouses Sandes Hospital was built in 1659. Within the gateway is an old iron collecting box beneath which are the words 'Remember the Poor”. In this yard Thomas Sandes (1606-81), cloth merchant and former Mayor of Kendal, founded a school and eight almshouses for poor widows.

Old Brewery House - now Kendal Youth Hostel The Old Brewery House was originally a town house built in 1757 for Daniel Wilson and Elizabeth Crowle. This attractive Georgian townhouse in the centre of Kendal is now a Youth Hostel, and forms part of the Brewery Arts complex.

Yard 83 - Dr Manning's Yard In the house at the top of yard 83, George Braithwaite, dyer, established a drysalter's business in 1713 supplying dyestuffs, alum, fuller's earth and other technical materials to the local textile trade. Down the yard were workers' cottages, the counting house or office over the archway, a ropewalk, a weaving shed and a dyehouse. The family were noted Quakers and philanthropists and set up a soup kitchen in the 'Hungry Forties' and a School of Industry for poor children. Dr Manning practiced here in the early 1900s.

Fleece Inn Generally accepted as Kendal’s oldest surviving inn, the Fleece was reputedly built in 1654. It is one of Kendal’s few remaining timber-framed buildings, and is the only building in the town centre that retains its original jetted first floor, supported by five pillars. The inn was originally called the Golden Fleece, a symbol adopted by woolcombers during the annual guild processions. In 1772, the Fleece inn was the starting point for the county’s first stagecoach. The Fleece Inn hasn’t always been an inn - small hooks can still be seen projecting from the overhang of the upper floor, an indication that it was once a butchers.