Brayton Hall

Once the ancestral seat of the Lawson family, it stood in a large park, with views of the surrounding countryside and the mountains of the Lake District in the background.

After the Norman Conquest it was granted by Alan, son of Waldieve, to Ughtred, who became the first Lord of the manor in the seignory of Aspatria and barony of Allerdale.

[2] An inquisition held in 1578 records a William Bewley owning Brayton by fealty only, sometime the lands of the Bishop of Carlisle in free alms.

[3] It was subsequently possessed by a junior member of the Salkeld family, whose three co-heiresses sold it to Sir Wilfrid Lawson, who had previously married the heiress of Isel.

Brayton Station, situated on the northern outskirts of his property, less than a mile from his home, required the additional facility of a manned lodge and carriageway.

After the alterations Brayton presented a striking and unusual appearance with its south facing front and Italian gardens lying below the windows of the Morning Room and Library.

School children from neighbouring towns and villages were offered special encouragement; in 1870 over 1,000 children from the Maryport district converged on the estate, where they held a picnic, played games and partook in general entertainment[8] In the winter months, climate permitting, local people could skate on the lake, while local bands performed musical concerts from the island.

In August 1874, 20,000 enthusiastic supporters arrived at Brayton by special trains from all parts of the northern region and Scotland to show their force and highlight their loyalty to the cause.

In addition to the host Sir Wilfrid Lawson, a number of invited guests, including political and temperance figures, addressed the crowds.

Lawson responded by inviting the Licensed Victuallers National Defence League to organise a picnic at the same venue, where he would gladly address the gathering and where he might compare their behaviour with that of their rival persuasion.

The pedigree went back to Volume 1 and 2 of the Coates's Herd Book where an entry records Violet the grand-dam of the original Benson tribe.

What had been one of Cumberland's major showpieces – its wall enclosing priceless collections of furniture and works of art, assembled over centuries by various members of the family – became a roofless mass of broken masonry, charred wood and twisted iron.

Investigators later suggested two possible causes; one that a spark had jumped from the fire to the dust sheets; the other that a jackdaw’s nest in the chimney had fallen down scattering burning embers over the room.

The caretaker raised the alarm, and although Joseph Berwick, surveyor to the Aspatria Urban District Council and Captain of the volunteer Fire Brigade was immediately at hand, to combat the flames, his efforts failed to prevent the catastrophe.

The Aspatria Fire Brigade arrived with an army of local volunteers only to find that the strong wind was fanning the flames along the south and west wings.

The polished floors, the lath and plaster walls, and the wood furniture offered the fire sufficient fuel, causing the roof to collapse and the flames to shoot into the air.

A further calamity occurred after helpers hastily deposited the salvaged articles in the open space; where heavy rain caused further damage.

The tilled entrance to the smaller residence opened out on the left to a Dining Room in the shape of a clover leaf, with Oak panelled Dado (11metres x 9metres by 4.5metres high) lighted by three windows, with a service door to the kitchen quarters.

[21] Although Brayton saw several Supermarine Spitfires pass through it tended to process larger aircraft types; and the sight of four-engined Handley Page Halifaxes and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses were not uncommon.

Many were still at Brayton by the end of World War Two in Europe but peacetime then saw these aircraft fairly quickly depart to Kirkbride, leaving their former SLG home to officially close on January 31, 1946.

For many years they used the remainder of the derelict building as a knackery, they ran a successful sawmill business then turned their hand to the leisure industry.