Maryport

Extract from The New Travel Book -
North of Watford Gap - John Brown 

Drive directly from Hadrian's Wall and Carlisle in a westerly direction,

and you skirt the top of Cumbria. Here, where the Lakes end and the hills roll ever nearer to Scotland, the scenery is less dramatic, the villages less populated, and the places less visited. Nestling at the entrance to the Solway Estuary is the coastal town of Maryport, and as the sign so succinctly stated, 'Maryport - Near the Lakes, by the Sea'. Originally established as the Roman fort of Alauna around AD 122, it served as a supply base for the coastal end of Hadrian's Wall. There was also a substantial fort here to deter the clever Scots crossing the Solway Firth. Like the area itself, the fort became less important with the passage of time. Race forward to the Georgian era, and the actions of a local landowner named Humphrey Stenhouse. Gaining an act of parliament to create his vision of a fine 'Georgian Town and Port', Humphrey set about his task. One of his first changes being the name of the area, this was changed from Ellenfoot to Maryport. in honour of his wife Mary.