A look at years gone by in the village of Parton

The area has an interesting history and is still a fairly popular place for people to visit today due to its large beach.

Parton lies two miles north of Whitehaven and in Roman times the bay was used as an anchorage.

Because of this, there used to be a Roman fort on the higher ground surrounding the village.

In Elizabethan times a number of small merchant vessels were based in the bay, trading as far as Chester.

A salt pan operated during the 16th century and a harbour was eventually built at Parton.

However, once Whitehaven had emerged as a major port and the harbour walls had become damaged towards the end of the 18th century, the importance of the village began to decline.

Fishing was always popular in the area but more significant industries began to emerge.

In times past, Parton was home to a brewery, tannery, iron foundry, and the Lowca Engineering Works.

In 1840 the Lowca engineering works of Tulk and Ley made the first locomotive for the new Maryport and Carlisle Railway, however, it had to be transported from Parton by seagoing barge.

The railway soon supplanted the old tramway, and brought opportunities for Parton's industries. The colliery, the engineering works and the brewery all thrived, and the iron-foundry opened.

Yet by the 1920s, much of this had disappeared and Parton became a dormitory town for collieries around Lowca and Whitehaven.

These photos show people in Parton in years gone by, we can see people taking part in the carnival in 1977 and 1980.