History of Shap

By John Lowis

Shap is a village which lies to the eastern edge of the lake disrict, famous (or should it be infamous) with travellers for centuries, mainly for the weather conditions, a notoriously wet and windy place, shap has in years past been a haven for stranded travellers who braved the nearby shap fells,from stagecoaches to lorry drivers in the 1960s they all succumbed to the shap weather.
Shap was home to an impressive abbey for many years from the mid 12th century until dissolution in the reign of king henry VIII, shap was at one time also home to a huge avenue of standing stones and stone circles, sadly most of these are now long gone although the goggleby stone still stands proud.
All over the country you will find examples of the beautiful pink shap granite which in its polished state has been used in many major buildings.
The railway over shap summit is famous with railway enthusiasts throughout the world, being the highest point on the mainline in england.