Westmorland Heritage

Westmorland Heritage was published in September 1975 and was:

“A BOOK FOR THOSE WHO HAVE THEIR ROOTS IN WESTMORLAND”

<<>>

“When are you going to decide who gets number one? I can’t even go to the loo without locking the door,” vented Andrew Nichol, his frustrations palpable to General Manager Harry Firth. The fate of Book One among the freshly bound 1,000 copies of Wainwright’s Westmorland Heritage remained undecided.

The Westmorland Gazette lacked secure storage space for the books, so they were stacked on Andrew Nichol’s office floor. The only viable option was to arrange them carefully above a supporting wall to bear the considerable weight. Andrew consistently cautioned anyone entering his office against accidentally kicking the books, so a solution was evidently needed to address this precarious situation.

Storage wasn’t the only challenge. Signing and numbering the books posed a logistical hurdle. Wainwright had not visited the Gazette premises and had not anticipated doing so, and transporting the books to his home in Kendal Green and back was impractical. Instead, before binding, the individual sheets were folded and delivered to Wainwright’s home, where he signed and numbered them before Andrew collected them.

A day or two later, much to Andrew’s relief, Wainwright determined that Book One should go to Paul Wilson. Paul, who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Westmorland from 1965 to 1974 and later for Cumbria from 1974 to 1980, played a pivotal role in Wainwright’s 1975 publication, Westmorland Heritage. He commissioned Wainwright to produce the impressive Westmorland Map, completed in 1973, which was available as a print for Christmas of that year. Paul’s vision aimed to preserve the essence of the old county of Westmorland before it underwent permanent change.

Regarded as one of Wainwright’s masterpieces, the book commemorates the old Westmorland County through nearly 2,000 line drawings showcasing buildings, landmarks, and scenery. Each parish in the county is meticulously documented with great detail. Shortly after its 1975 publication, Wainwright expressed gratitude to Paul in a letter, thanking him for his generous review of the book and the initial idea that sparked its creation.

The remaining copies were distributed meticulously based on the sequence of sales. Priced at £11.50, these books became immensely popular, with close to 400 units sold before they were bound. All remaining copies were swiftly snatched up within two weeks of their official release. Andrew contends their true value should have been recognised at no less than £25 each. Wainwright’s initial scepticism about their potential for success was proven wrong, as over a decade after hitting the shelves, numerous individuals struggled to secure a copy, attesting to the demand for this remarkable publication.

The Westmorland Gazette published the following article on 19 September 1975

There has been a significant demand for the sale of the first 1,000 copies of Alfred Wainwright’s latest book, “Westmorland Heritage.” These autographed copies of what is undoubtedly his greatest work will be appreciated by all who treasure memories of the old county of Westmorland, and can be ordered now from the Westmorland Gazette, 22 Stricklandgate, Kendal.

The wealth of information and illustrations contained in the book is described in this article from Mr Paul N. Wilson, who writes:

It is just under two years since Wainwright told me that he was planning to write a book on Westmorland Parishes — all 110 of them. I thought that it would be a monumental task, but Wainwright likes monumental tasks, as anyone who has read his Guide to the Pennine Way will appreciate.

This is, for the present day, a big book. The cover is 10½ inches by 7¼ inches; it is nearly 2 inches thick and weighs 3¼ pounds. I have quoted the number of parishes, and the notice in the Westmorland Gazette gives the number of pages; I have not counted the illustrations, but would guess that they average two to a page; there is a map of every parish.

Having got rid of the statistics, what about the author? Everyone knows him as Wainwright. Since he retired from the post of Borough Treasurer of Kendal, few of us have seen him. Amongst the famous writers in the Lake District, we have had William Wordsworth, Robert Southey, John F. Curwen, W. G. Collingwood and many others, but to tens of thousands of his readers, he is Wainwright.

Maps

In the introduction to this book, dedicated ‘… for those who have their roots in Westmorland,’ he says: “I concede a regret that it has not come from the pen of someone who was born and bred in the county. I, an off-comer, was introduced to it only in middle life.” It is not necessary to have been a seedling to have roots; many a transplant has flourished, as the Himalayan rhododendron has in the beautiful gardens by our Lakes.

Seventy-five years ago, Rudyard Kipling wrote: “And what should they know of England who only England know?” This applies to Wainwright. I do not think that any Westmerian could have produced such a fascinating book, regardless of the illustrations and maps. We, the natives, tend to become obsessed with the trees in our own village; Wainwright has taken a long and careful look at the wood and has then gone on to examine the trees.

Who amongst us, bred in the southern half of the county, would have taken the trouble to enquire why the parish boundary of Bolton should cross the River Eden and the River Lyvennet several times instead of sticking to the natural boundary, or, coming from Appleby or Kirkby Stephen, would have known of the treacle mines of Natland?

Smallest parish

The space devoted to each parish varies from 1 to 20 pages, but always there is something of interest. Clifton only gets one page but three illustrations, one of which is of an old pottery kiln at Wetheriggs, which I must go and see.

Sedgwick, the smallest parish in the county, earns two pages and four pictures, and Shap Rural, the largest, 18 pages and 45 pictures; but this, of course, is real Wainwright country, miles away from anywhere. Patterdale and Langdale tie with 20 pages each, and superb pictures of the high fells.

On each page, there is something for everyone who has the slightest interest in and love for Westmorland. Notes on buildings and architecture predominate, and almost every village church is illustrated.

This is a very good book indeed.

Driven by the demand, Andrew reached out to the Publishers Association’s head office to solicit guidance on the prospect of reprinting the book. His concern revolved around the ethical considerations for those who had invested in the original Limited Edition. However, his apprehension was unfounded. The Publishers Association assured him that a reprint would not compromise the integrity of the original edition. Their policy dictated that reprinting posed no ethical quandaries if a decade or more had elapsed since the initial publication and all existing copies had been sold.

The original Westmorland Heritage sold out when Wainwright transferred the copyright to the Gazette in 1983. Fortunately, this presented no obstacle, as Wainwright willingly consented to its reproduction. Subsequently, in 1988, a new publication, Westmorland Heritage – Popular Edition, was printed in 3,000 copies.

A renowned freelance book representative, Derek Walker, served the Gazette during the 70s and 80s. During this time, he obtained a dozen uncased copies of the Popular Edition and had them expertly bound in leather. Featured here are a couple of examples from 1988, showcasing a binding quality that mirrors the excellence of the 1975 Limited Edition.

Following the 1988 Popular Edition, this title remained unavailable until 2004, when Frances Lincoln reprinted it. In early 2019, I obtained the remaining stock of Westmorland Heritage, and to my surprise, the remaining copies sold out within just one hour.

In 1990, Andrew assembled all the original Westmorland Heritage letterpress plates and framed them. This allowed the public to possess a piece of Cumbrian printing history. The framed plates gained popularity, and to this day, those plates featuring Lake District scenes command high prices

With thanks to David Rigg, former owner of Titus Wilson in Kendal, I became the custodian of all surviving Wainwright book-printing materials, including the original printing plates, negatives, and proofs. Shown below are several of the original book introduction plates, still mounted on their wooden blocks. These were intentionally never framed or sold, yet remarkably, they have survived for more than five decades.

Securing all three editions of Wainwright’s masterpiece in pristine, unread condition posed a considerable challenge, requiring several years to complete the collection. Despite my satisfaction with these acquisitions, the story remained incomplete. My next focus was the elusive hand-numbered first copy of Westmorland Heritage, considered a holy grail for Wainwright enthusiasts and collectors.

By sheer chance, I located it in Selby, North Yorkshire.

Paul Wilson, the original owner of Book One, passed away in 1980. Throughout his life, Paul had a profound passion for windmills and watermills. His close companion, the accomplished architect John Major from Reading, was a recognised expert in these architectural structures, having authored numerous books on the subject. John had collaborated closely with Paul for several years.

Following Paul’s passing, the book remained in his wife’s possession. Eventually, it found its way into the hands of John Major, who cherished it for many years before deciding to pass it on. Seeking advice, John contacted Chris Irwin, an author from Ravenstonedale, Cumbria. Chris promptly recommended Anthony Vickers, a Selby-based bookseller specialising in Wainwright’s publications, with over 25 years of expertise and acknowledged as a Wainwright dealer in Hunter Davies’s biography. Anthony subsequently acquired Westmorland Heritage from John, who passed away in 2009.

I initially met Tony as a customer, and our relationship evolved into a long-lasting friendship. I was awe-struck when he revealed the book and Wainwright’s original 1975 letter to Paul. Tony had been the proud owner of the book for nearly a decade and had no intentions of parting with it. However, a couple of years later, he approached me and suggested that I should become the custodian of this cherished volume. This news left me thrilled beyond my wildest dreams.

The Facebook Group Alfred Wainwright Books & Memorabilia has been running for many years. Throughout this period, I’ve been astonished by the number of members who have contacted me, inquiring about spare copies of Westmorland Heritage as they struggle to find one. This indicates a notable demand, suggesting that a fourth publication of the book is warranted to allow a new generation to appreciate Alfred Wainwright’s genius.

<<>>

Several years later, in the summer of 2025, Anthony and his wife, Christine, visited the Alfred Wainwright exhibition at The Armitt, Ambleside, where they came face to face with a familiar book…