Editing Workington

{{Short description|Coastal town in Cumbria, England}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
|country = England
|coordinates = {{coord|54.6365|-3.5549|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|official_name = Workington
| population               = 25,448
| population_ref           = (Parish, 2021)<ref name=2021census>{{cite web |title=2021 Census Parish Profiles |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2021_pp |website=NOMIS |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=31 March 2025}} (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)</ref><br>{{nowrap|21,275 (Built up area, 2021)<ref name=bua>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>}}
|civil_parish = Workington
| unitary_england           = [[Cumberland (unitary authority)| Cumberland]]
 | lieutenancy_england             = [[Cumbria]]
|region = North West England
|constituency_westminster = [[Whitehaven and Workington (UK Parliament constituency)|Whitehaven and Workington]]
|post_town = WORKINGTON
|postcode_district = CA14
|postcode_area = CA
|dial_code = 01900<br />01946
|os_grid_reference = NX996279
|london_distance = {{convert|259|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} [[Boxing the compass|SE]]
|static_image_name = Workington - Portland Square.jpg
|static_image_caption = Portland Square, 2007
}}
'''Workington''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ɜːr|k|ɪ|ŋ|t|ən}} is a coastal town and [[civil parish]] in the [[Cumberland (unitary authority)|Cumberland]] district of [[Cumbria]], England. The town is at the mouth of the [[River Derwent, Cumbria|River Derwent]] on the west coast, {{convert|32|miles|km|0}} south-west of [[Carlisle]] and {{convert|8|miles|km|0}} north-east of [[Whitehaven]]. At the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]] the parish had a population of 25,448 and the built up area had a population of 21,275.

==Toponymy==
The place-name Workington is first attested in an [[Anglo-Saxon charter]] of 946, as ''Wurcingtun''. It appears as ''Wirchingetona'' in about 1150, meaning "the town or settlement of Weorc or Wirc's people". The "Work" element is therefore derived from a person's name.<ref>[[Eilert Ekwall]], ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names'', p. 534.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Workington |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Cumberland/Workington |website=Key to English Place-Names |publisher=University of Nottingham |access-date=19 May 2025}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Workington}}
Between 79 and 122 CE, [[Castra|Roman forts]], mile-forts and watchtowers were built along the Cumbrian coast,<ref name="byers">Richard L. M. Byers (1998). ''History of Workington: An Illustrated History from Earliest Times to 1865''. Richard Byers. {{ISBN|0-9529812-2-X}}.</ref>{{rp|10}} as defences against attacks by the [[Scoti]] of Ireland and the [[Caledonii]], the most powerful tribe in what is now Scotland.<ref name=byers/>{{rp|11}} The 16th century ''[[William Camden#Britannia|Britannia]]'', written by [[William Camden]], describes ruins of these defences.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cumberland |url=http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cumbeng.html#cumb1 |website=The Philological Museum, hosted by [[Shakespeare Institute|The Shakespeare Institute of the University of Birmingham]]}}</ref>

A [[Viking sword]] was discovered at Northside. This is seen to suggest there was a settlement at the river mouth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The West Seaton Viking Sword |url=http://www.biab.ac.uk/contents/20404 |website=[[Council for British Archaeology|British and Irish Archaeological Bibliography]]}}</ref>

[[File:St Michael's Church, Workington - geograph.org.uk - 463828.jpg|thumb|left|[[St Michael's Church, Workington|St Michael's Church]]]]
[[St Michael's Church, Workington|St Michael's Church]] stands near the south bank of the Derwent. Parts of the building date back to the 12th century.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Church of St Michael|num=1144492|grade=II*}}</ref> [[Workington Hall]], now in ruins, was built in the mid-14th century as a [[peel tower]] (fortified house) and subsequently extended over many years as the seat of the [[lord of the manor]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Workington Hall|num=1144479|grade=I}}</ref>

The town developed as a port on the south bank of the Derwent. In the [[Industrial Revolution]], the town became a centre for iron and steel production.<ref name=Kelly>{{cite book |title=Kelly's Directory of Cumberland |date=1906 |page=292–293 |url=https://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/46228/rec/2 |access-date=19 May 2025}}</ref> [[Workington railway station]] opened in 1845 on the [[Whitehaven Junction Railway]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Railway Intelligence - Local - Partial Opening of the Whitehaven Junction Railway |work=Carlisle Patriot |date=14 November 1845 |page=3}}</ref>

Several bridges were damaged or destroyed by the River Derwent during the [[2009 Workington floods]].

===Regeneration===
[[File:WorkingtonClock.jpg|thumb|right|Workington's New Clock, 2008]]
In 2006, Washington Square, a £50 million shopping centre and mixed-use complex, was opened to replace the run-down St John's Arcade, built in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Washington Square, Workington |url=http://www.s-harrison.co.uk/projects/completed/washington-square-workington/index.php |website=S Harrison Developments Ltd}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Town Centre Redevelopment |url=http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/business/regeneration/regeneration-projects/regenerating-towns/workington-town-centre.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516062358/http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/business/regeneration/regeneration-projects/regenerating-towns/workington-town-centre.aspx |archive-date=16 May 2011 |access-date=19 October 2006 |website=Allerdale Borough Council}}</ref> In 2007, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors named Washington Square the "best commercial project" in [[North West England]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kerrush |first=G. |date=25 May 2007 |title=Town Centre Wins Top Award |work=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|Times & Star]] |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/business/1.3476}}</ref>

Works of [[public art]] installed in the town centre include:
*Glass canopies designed by Alexander Beleschenko<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Beleshenko Glass Canopies |url=http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/arts-and-entertainment/public-art/glass-canopies.aspx |website=Allerdale Borough Council}}</ref>
*''The Coastline'' by Simon Hitchens<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coastline |url=http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/arts-and-entertainment/public-art/coast-line.aspx |website=Allerdale Borough Council}}</ref>
*''The Hub'' by BASE Structures and Illustrious<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hub |url=http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/arts-and-entertainment/public-art/the-hub.aspx |website=Allerdale Borough Council}}</ref>
*The Grilles architectural metalwork at Central Car Park by [[Tom Lomax]] in association with pupils from St Patrick's Primary School<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Grilles of Central Car Park |url=http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/arts-and-entertainment/public-art/car-park-grilles-design-scheme.aspx |website=Allerdale Borough Council}}</ref> and Alan Dawson.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alan Dawson Associates Ltd – architectural metalwork |url=http://www.adaptahaus.co.uk/about.php |website=Adaptahaus}}</ref>
*Central Way public toilets with tiles designed in collaboration by ceramic artist Paul Scott and writer Robert Drake, in addition to a fish tank containing species from the [[Solway Firth|Solway]] provided by the Lake District Coast Aquarium in [[Maryport]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Central Way Timeline Toilets |url=http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/arts-and-entertainment/public-art/public-toilets-design-scheme.aspx |website=Allerdale Borough Council}}</ref> by Paul Scott and Robert Drake
*Lookout Clock, an interactive town clock designed by Andy Plant and Matt Wand<ref>{{Cite web |title=The New Town Clock |url=http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/arts-and-entertainment/public-art/lookout.aspx |website=Allerdale Borough Council}}</ref>

While efforts have been made to find local names for the major streets of the new shopping centre, the initial planning title of Washington Square has been retained.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dixson |first=Nicole |date=13 December 2002 |title=Thumbs up for the new look |work=[[Cumberland#Legacy|West Cumberland Times and Star]]}}</ref>

===Workington Stadium plans===
In February 2019 plans for a new stadium for Workington were announced. This would in involve the demolition of Borough Park and Derwent Park.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Plans lodged to demolish Borough Park |date=5 February 2019 |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17408158.plans-lodged-to-demolish-borough-park-and-build-new-stadium//}}</ref>

In June 2019, it was announced by the new leadership of [[Allerdale Borough Council]] that a new sports stadium would not be built.<ref>{{Cite web |title=new stadium plan rejected by Allerdale Council |date=28 June 2019 |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17737242.new-stadium-plan-rejected-by-allerdale-council/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Workington Rugby League World Cup withdrawal 'lost opportunity' |work=BBC News |date=4 July 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-48873781/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/stadium//|title=Stadium for Workington}}</ref>

===Cloffocks development===
A plan to build a {{convert|92900|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} [[Tesco]] Extra store on the Cloffocks provoked controversy and opposition from local people; a planning application was placed in 2006 by Tesco, after it acquired the Cloffocks site for £18 million;<ref>{{Cite news |last=McGowan |first=P. |date=18 May 2006 |title=Tesco Puts in Plans for Cloffocks |work=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|Times & Star]] |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/tesco-puts-in-plans-for-cloffocks-1.319462}}</ref> Tesco had been competing with [[Asda]] for the site since 2003.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Breen |first=C. |date=27 October 2005 |title=Tesco Wins Battle for Workington Supersite |work=Times & Star |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/tesco-wins-battle-for-workington-supersite-1.406674}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 January 2004 |title=Tesco Wins Battle of Cloffocks |work=Times & Star |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/tesco-wins-battle-of-cloffocks-1.442510}}</ref> Campaigners opposed the sale, stating that the land was common ground and belonged to the people of Workington.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Meller |first=B. |date=24 November 2006 |title=Move to Stop Cloffocks Sale |work=Times & Star |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/move-to-stop-cloffocks-sale-1.296053}}</ref> In 2010 the Countess of Lonsdale invoked her rights to mine the land, in an attempt to prevent the development.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Coleman |first=Phil |date=6 April 2010 |title=Countess Could Hold Key to Stopping Tesco's New Store Plan |work=Times & Star |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/countess-could-hold-key-to-stopping-tesco-s-new-store-plan-1.692117}}</ref> In 2011 a closed meeting of Allerdale councillors discussed the sale of the site,<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 March 2011 |title=D-Day for Future of Tesco's New West Cumbrian Store |work=Times & Star |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/politics/d-day-for-future-of-tesco-s-new-west-cumbrian-store-1.821310}}</ref> but the council rescinded on its decision to sell it to Tesco in June 2011. Tesco stated that it was still seeking a site for a store of {{convert|60000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} around Workington to replace the established one.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 June 2011 |title=Tesco U-Turn Over Plans for Store in Cumbrian Town |work=Times & Star |url=https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/tesco-u-turn-over-plans-for-store-in-cumbrian-town-1.853171}}</ref>

===Closure of MEP's European Parliament office===
In 2014, North West MEP [[Julie Ward (politician)|Julie Ward]] closed her Workington office and relocated it to [[Manchester]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=North West MEP Julie Ward quits Workington |date=22 September 2016 |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17026274.north-west-mep-julie-ward-quits-workington/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=North West MEP Julie Ward accused of turning back on Cumbria |date=25 August 2016 |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17026241.mep-accused-of-turning-back-on-cumbria/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Only North West MEP Julie Ward based in Cumbria, closes her office |date=23 August 2016 |url=https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/16760122.only-north-west-euro-mp-based-in-cumbria-closing-her-office/}}</ref>

==Governance==
[[File:Allerdale House, Workington - geograph.org.uk - 3242024.jpg|thumb|Allerdale House]]
There are two tiers of local government covering Workington, at [[Parish council (England)|parish]] (town) and [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] level: Workington Town Council and [[Cumberland Council]]. The town council is based at the Town Hall on Oxford Street.<ref>{{cite web |title=Office staff |url=https://www.workingtontowncouncil.gov.uk/officestaff |website=Workington Town Council |access-date=19 May 2025}}</ref> Cumberland Council also has an area office in the town, at Allerdale House.<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact or visit us |url=https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/your-council/about-your-council/contact-or-visit-us |website=Cumberland House |access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref>

For national elections, Workington forms part of the [[Whitehaven and Workington]] constituency, created for the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], since when it has been represented by [[Josh MacAlister]] of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Whitehaven and Workington - General election results 2024|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001583|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Between 1918 and 2024 there was a [[Workington (UK Parliament constituency)|Workington constituency]]. It was generally a safe Labour seat, only electing a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] twice, in a [[1976 Workington by-election|1976 by-election]] and at the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A vision of Britain website – general elections section |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_multi_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POL&data_cube=N_POL_PARTY&u_id=12737403&c_id=10090283 |access-date=27 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14001053|title=Workington parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News|via=www.bbc.com}}</ref> During the 2019 general election, the concept of the "[[Workington man]]" was devised by a think tank as a description for a certain type of voter that the national parties needed to target.<ref>{{Cite news |title=General Election: Who is target voter Workington Man? |work=BBC News |date=30 October 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-50239341/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Workington Man is London's latest stereotype for the northern voters it neglects |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 October 2019 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/31/workington-man-swing-voter-north-rugby-league-towns |last1=Nandy |first1=Lisa }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Workington man profile draws criticism from town residents |date=31 October 2019 |url=https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/18005454.workington-man-profile-splits-opinion/}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
Workington was an [[ancient parish]] in the [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] of [[Cumberland]]. The parish was subdivided into five [[Township (England)|townships]], being [[Great Clifton]], [[Little Clifton]], [[Stainburn, Cumbria|Stainburn]], [[Winscales]], and a Workington township covering the part of the parish around the town itself.<ref>{{cite web |title=Workington Ancient Parish / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10047948 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=19 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cumberland Sheet LIII |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102340845 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=19 May 2025}}</ref> From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the [[poor laws]], in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Workington, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so the townships also became [[civil parish]]es.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=xv}}</ref>

A body of [[improvement commissioners]] was established in 1840 to administer the town.<ref>{{cite web |title=Workington Improvement Act 1840 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/3-4/45/contents/enacted |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=19 May 2025}}</ref> The commissioner's district was initially tightly defined around the built up area, and was enlarged a couple of times as the town grew. The commissioners' district was converted into a [[Local Government Act 1858|local government district]] with an elected local board in 1864,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22818|page=661|date=12 February 1864}}</ref> and was then incorporated to become a [[municipal borough]] in 1888.<ref name=Kelly/><ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1889 |page=cxxvii |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Local_Government_Bo/7BUwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PR127&printsec=frontcover |access-date=19 May 2025}}</ref>

The borough initially covered part of the Workington civil parish plus the Cloffocks, which was an [[extra-parochial area]] covering some low-lying ground between two channels of the River Derwent. Under the [[Local Government Act 1894]], parishes were no longer allowed to straddle borough boundaries, and so the parts of Workington civil parish outside the borough were made a separate parish called Workington Rural. The borough was enlarged in 1899 to take in North Side, a growing suburb north of the Derwent, which had previously been in the civil parish of [[Seaton, Cumbria|Seaton]]. The borough was enlarged again in 1934 to take in [[Harrington, Cumbria|Harrington]], Stainburn, and Workington Rural, and the boundary with Winscales was adjusted at the same time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Workington Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10003404#tab02 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=19 May 2025}}</ref>

In 1899 the borough council bought a Victorian house called Field House on Oxford Street, converting it to become the Town Hall.<ref>{{cite news |title=Workington: The New Town Hall |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0002305%2F18990923&page=5 |access-date=19 May 2025 |work=West Cumberland Times |date=23 September 1899 |location=Cockermouth |page=5}}</ref>

The borough of Workington was abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/cockermouth.html|title=Cockermouth Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=30 December 2021}}</ref> The area became part of the borough of [[Allerdale]] in the new county of Cumbria.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|accessdate=3 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|accessdate=3 March 2023}}</ref> The area of the pre-1974 borough of Workington was an [[unparished area]] from 1974 until 1982, when a new civil parish of Workington matching the pre-1974 borough was created, with its parish council taking the name Workington Town Council.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Allerdale (Parishes) Order 1982 |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20221202002640mp_/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/12154/allerdale-parishes-order-1982.pdf |website=Local Government Boundary Commission for England |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=24 April 2025}}</ref> Allerdale was abolished in 2023 when the new Cumberland Council was created, also taking over the functions of the abolished Cumbria County Council in the area.<ref name=2022order>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022|year=2022|number=331|access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref>

==Geography==
Workington lies astride the [[River Derwent, Cumbria|River Derwent]], on the West Cumbrian coastal plain. It is bounded to the west by the [[Solway Firth]], part of the [[Irish Sea]], and to the east by the [[Lake District]].

The town has various districts, many of them established as [[housing estate]]s. North of the river these include [[Seaton, Cumbria|Seaton]], [[Barepot]], Northside, Port and Oldside. On the south side are the districts of Stainburn, Derwent Howe, Ashfield, Banklands, Frostoms (Annie Pit), Mossbay, Moorclose, [[Salterbeck]], [[Bridgefoot]], Lillyhall, [[Harrington, Cumbria|Harrington]], High Harrington, Clay Flatts, Kerry Park, Westfield and [[Great Clifton]]. The Marsh and Quay,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Marsh, Workington |url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rwbarnes/workgton/marsh.htm |website=users.globalnet.co.uk}}</ref> a large working-class area of the town around the docks and a major part of the town's history, was demolished in the early 1980s. Much of its former area is now covered by Clay Flatts [[Industrial park|Industrial Estate]].
{{Wide image|Skyline of Workington from the shoreline hills.jpg|600px|The skyline of Workington, with Lake District fells in the background, looking to the north east from the shore hills|box width|alignment|alt=alt text}}{{Clear}}

==Economy==
===Iron and steel===
[[File:Workington War Memorial Heavy Industry.jpg|thumb|right|War memorial tribute to local workers in heavy industries]]
The Cumbria iron-ore field lies to the south of Workington, and produced extremely high grade [[phosphorus]]-free [[haematite]]. The area had a long tradition of iron [[smelting]], but this became particularly important with the invention by [[Sir Henry Bessemer]] of the [[Bessemer process]], the first process for [[mass production]] of [[mild steel]], which previously had been an expensive specialist product. For the first 25 years of the process, until Gilchrist and Thomas improved upon it, phosphorus-free haematite was required. With Cumbria as the world's premier source, and the local coalfield providing energy for steel production, the world's first large-scale [[steelworks]] was opened in the Moss Bay area of the town. The Bessemer converter continued to work until July 1974.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baggley |first=Phil |title=The Last Blow |url=http://www.banklands.com/The%20Last%20Bessemer%20Converter%20blow.htm |access-date=9 January 2016 |website=Workington Iron and Steel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Workington Steelworks, site of |url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=899 |access-date=9 January 2016 |website=Engineering Timelines |publisher=[[Institution of Civil Engineers]]}}</ref> The Moss Bay Steelworks closed in 1982, despite receiving notable infrastructural investment and improvement almost immediately before the closure.

During the [[Second World War]], a strategically important electric steel furnace which produced steel for aircraft engine [[ball bearing]]s was moved to Workington from [[Norway]] to prevent it falling into [[Axis powers|Axis]] hands.

Workington was the home of ''Distington Engineering Company'' (DEC), the engineering arm of [[British Steel Corporation]] (BSC), which specialised in the design of [[continuous casting]] equipment. DEC, known to the local people as "Chapel Bank", had an engineering design office, engineering workshops and a foundry that at one time contained six of the seven [[electric arc]] furnaces built in Workington. The seventh was situated at the Moss Bay plant of BSC. In the 1970s, as BSC adapted to a more streamlined approach to the metals industry, the engineering design company was separated from the workshops and foundry and re-designated as Distington Engineering Contracting. Employing some 200 people, its primary purpose was the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of continuous casting machines. This business is now owned by the [[TATA Group]] and employs 400 staff.
[[File:Workington Dock geograph-3080521-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|right|Workington Dock, with iron ore ships from Sweden]]
One offshoot of the steel industry was the production of railway rails. Workington rails were widely exported and a common local phrase was that Workington rails "held the world together." Originally made from Bessemer steel, but after the closure of the Moss Bay Steelworks, steel for the plant was brought by rail from [[Teesside]]. The plant was closed in August 2006, but welding work on rails produced at [[Corus Group]]s' French plant in [[Hayange]] continued at Workington for another two years, as the [[Scunthorpe]] site initially proved incapable of producing rails adequately.

===After coal and steel===
After the loss of the two industries on which Workington was built, coal and steel, Workington and the whole of West Cumbria became an unemployment blackspot. Industries in the town today include chemicals, cardboard, the docks (originally built by the United Steel Co.), [[waste management]] and [[Computer recycling|recycling old computers]] for export, mainly to poorer countries. The town also houses the [[British Cattle Movement Service]], a government agency set up to oversee the British beef and [[Dairy farming|dairy industry]] after the [[Bovine spongiform encephalopathy|BSE]] crisis in Britain. It is based in the former steelworks offices. Many Workington residents are employed outside the town in the nuclear industry located in and around [[Sellafield]], West Cumbria's dominant employment sector.

===Vehicle manufacture===
[[File:Midland_Red_South_Leyland_National_NOE_551R.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Leyland National]] bus, built in Workington]]

[[British Leyland]] opened a factory in Lillyhall, just outside Workington, initially to build the [[Leyland National]] bus in the 1970s and 1980s. Produced primarily for the state-owned [[National Bus Company (UK)|National Bus Company]], the Leyland National was styled by Italian designer [[Giovanni Michelotti]], and included a roof-mounted heating unit in a pod at the rear of the bus. The Lillyhall factory later built the [[Leyland Titan (B15)|Leyland Titan]], [[Leyland Olympian]] and [[Leyland Lynx]] buses.

In the 1980s, Leyland manufactured [[Pacer (train)|Pacer]] railbus and [[British Rail Sprinter|Sprinter]]-type commuter trains at Workington. The bodyshells of the Pacer trains were based on the Leyland National bus design, designed as a cheap stop-gap by [[British Rail]].

[[Volvo Buses]] acquired [[Leyland Bus]]es in 1988. By 1993, the factory had closed with the loss of 200 jobs. The former bus plant is now a warehouse for the logistics company [[Eddie Stobart Logistics|Eddie Stobart]], which bought the property in 1995.

==Transport==
Workington is linked by the [[A596 road]] to [[Maryport]], to [[Whitehaven]] via [[A595 road]], by the [[A66 road]] to [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]] and continues to [[Scotch Corner]] in County Durham. The town has [[Workington bus station|its own bus station]] and bus services to other towns and villages in [[Cumbria]], such as [[Cockermouth]], [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]], [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]], [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]], [[Wigton]], [[Maryport, Cumbria|Maryport]], [[Whitehaven]], [[Frizington]], [[Egremont, Cumbria|Egremont]] and [[Thornhill, Cumbria|Thornhill]].

The [[Cumbrian Coast line]] provides rail connections from {{stnlnk|Workington}} to {{stnlnk|Carlisle}} and {{stnlnk|Barrow-in-Furness}}, with occasional through trains to [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]] and [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]].

[[Workington North railway station]] opened on 30 November 2009 as a temporary means of crossing the river after road bridges had been closed by flooding.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Jon |date=24 November 2009 |title=Rail station hope for the town cut in two |work=[[BBC Online|BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8377599.stm}}</ref> A free train service between Workington (Main) and [[Maryport]] was funded by the government.

The Workington Transport Heritage Trust,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wtht.co.uk/|title=Workington Transport Heritage Trust – Preserving & protecting Cumbria’s transport heritage}}</ref> preserves the transport heritage of Workington and the surrounding area and is run by volunteers.

Workington was the headquarters of the haulage company J. Roper (Workington) Ltd, which was based in Moss Bay.

Workington has also been the home to the headquarters of family haulage business J.R Dixon Haulage & Storage since 1953.

==Arts and entertainment==
[[File:Advert5.jpg|thumb|right|The Workington Opera House – Pre 1927]]
Workington is home to three theatres: the [[Carnegie Theatre]], Theatre Royal and [[Workington Opera House]]. In the past Workington was a big town for variety acts and theatre and hosted many top acts including [[Tommy Cooper]] and [[Shirley Bassey]]. [[Workington Opera House]] also hosted many circus shows that included elephants and other circus animals performing on stage.

The [[Carnegie Theatre]] and Theatre Royal are still open and put on performances all year round. The [[Workington Opera House]] is currently closed after its last use as a [[Bingo (Commonwealth)|bingo]] hall. The ''"Opera Action"'' group plans to restore it as a working theatre.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

The town once had four cinemas (the Carnegie, the Hippodrome, the Oxford and the Ritz), all now closed. There remains only the Parkway Cinema at [[Dunmail Park]]. During the 1950s, films were also shown at the Opera House.

===Cultural festivals===
On 19 September 2009, Valentine Rock took place; a 19-band charity music festival. It was staged at the Ernest Valentine Ground home of Workington Cricket Club. Artists included The {{not a typo|Chairmen}}, Novellos, With Lights Out, Volcanoes, Breed, Colt 45, Relics, Telf, Thir13een, Slagbank, Hangin' Threads and Hand of Fate. Profits went to the [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution|RNLI]] and [[Lions Clubs International|West Cumberland Lions]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 August 2009 |title=Open Air Music Festival Planned for Workington |work=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|Times & Star]] |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/other/open_air_music_festival_planned_for_workington_1_595653}}</ref>

In 2008, the Paint Your Town Red Festival invited [[Liverpool]] comic and actor [[Ricky Tomlinson]]. Described as 'The biggest free festival in Workington's history', the 2008 festival included a free children's fun fair in Vulcan Park and stage and street entertainment. Attractions included "Jimmy James and his Soul Explosion", "Dearham Band" and the [[all-female band]] "Irresistible". Keswick's "Cars of the Stars" museum provided a stunt driving display.
{{Clear}}

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC North East and Cumbria]] and [[ITV Border]]. Television signals are received from the [[Caldbeck transmitting station|Caldbeck]] and local relay transmitters. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Caldbeck | title=Caldbeck (Cumbria, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Workington | title=Workington (Cumbria, England) Freeview Light transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref>

Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Cumbria]] on 95.6 FM, [[Greatest Hits Radio Cumbria & South West Scotland]] on 102.2 FM and Workington Academy Radio, a student based radio station that broadcast to the [[Workington Academy]]. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.workingtonacademy.org/waradio/ | title=Workington Academy Radio }}</ref>

The town is served by the local newspaper, Times & Star. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/|title=Workington and Allerdale News, Sport, Events &#124; Times & Star|website=www.timesandstar.co.uk}}</ref>

==Sport==
===Uppies and Downies===
[[File:Uppies and Downies balls.jpg|thumb|upright|Uppies and Downies balls hailed in 1871 and 1950.]]
{{main|Uppies and Downies}}
Workington is home to the [[ball game]] known as [[Uppies and Downies]], a traditional version of football with [[medieval football|medieval]] origins in [[mob football]] or an even earlier form.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 February 2008 |title=The Uppies and Downies of England's Great Traditions |url=http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/home/the-uppies-and-downies-of-england-s-great-traditions-1.35420 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203000317/http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/home/the-uppies-and-downies-of-england-s-great-traditions-1.35420 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |newspaper=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|The Whitehaven News]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Football Extraordinary (Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2977, 14 June 1899, Page 4) |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=THD18990614.2.28 |website=[[National Library of New Zealand]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=9 May 2008 |title=Artist Captures Uppies and Downies |url=http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/artist-captures-uppies-and-downies-1.103381 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001537/http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/artist-captures-uppies-and-downies-1.103381 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |newspaper=[[News and Star]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Henricks |first=Thomas S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=91xjXRYPyKYC&pg=PA60 |title=Disputed Pleasures: Sport and Society in Preindustrial England |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |year=1991 |isbn=0-313-27453-3}}</ref> Since 2001, matches have raised over £75,000 for local charities.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 September 2009 |title=Don't View Uppies and Downies Through Rose Tinted Spectacles |work=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|Times & Star]] |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/blogs/2.907/don-t-view-uppies-and-downies-through-rose-tinted-spectacles-1.607243 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221607/http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/blogs/2.907/don-t-view-uppies-and-downies-through-rose-tinted-spectacles-1.607243 |archive-date=2 December 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2 May 2008 |title=Uppies and Downies raise £7,000 for RNLI |work=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|Times & Star]] |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/uppies_and_downies_raise_7_000_for_rnli_1_98717 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234359/http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/uppies_and_downies_raise_7_000_for_rnli_1_98717 |archive-date=2 December 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=24 February 2006 |title=Uppies and Downies Worldwide |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/other/uppies_and_downies_world_wide_1_344557 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131124202927/http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/other/uppies_and_downies_world_wide_1_344557 |archive-date=24 November 2013 |newspaper=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|Times & Star]]}}</ref> An Uppies and Downies ball is made from four pieces of cow leather. It is {{convert|21|in|cm}} in circumference and weighs about {{convert|2+1/2|lb|kg|spell=in}}. Only three hand-made balls are produced every year and each is dated.

===Football===
{{Main|Workington A.F.C.}}
The town has a football team, [[Workington A.F.C.]], with its stadium at [[Borough Park (Workington)|Borough Park]]. Formerly a professional [[football team]] it now competes as a [[Non-League football|non-League club]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honours |url=http://sheffieldfc.com/honours |website=[[Sheffield F.C.]]}}</ref> "Dronnies", a group of steel workers that had migrated to the town from [[Dronfield]], [[Derbyshire]],<ref name="Eade 2003 13">{{Cite book |last=Eade |first=Paul |title=Images of Sport – Workington Association Football Club |date=2003 |publisher=Tempus Publishing |isbn=0752428187 |page=13}}</ref> formed the nucleus of the original [[Workington F.C.]] in 1888.<ref name="byers2">Richard L. M. Byers (2003). ''The History of Workington, An Illustrated History from 1866 to 1955, Volume 2''. Richard Byers. {{ISBN|0-9529812-5-4}}.</ref> {{rp|page=109}} It was one of the first teams managed by [[Bill Shankly]].

[[Workington A.F.C.]] was replaced in the Football League by [[Wimbledon F.C.]] in 1977.

===Rugby League===
{{Main|Workington Town}}
The town has a semi-professional [[rugby league]] team, [[Workington Town]], based at [[Derwent Park]] Fibrus Community Stadium.

===Rugby Union===
{{Main|Workington RFC}}
Workington is the home to the rugby union team [[Workington RFC|Workington Zebras]], which plays its matches on the Ellis Sports Ground.

===Bowling===
There are two bowling greens, one in Vulcan Park and another on High Cloffocks, south of the River Derwent. Teams and individuals from both greens compete in local, regional and national competitions.

===Golf===
Workington's first [[golf club (institution)|golf club]] appeared in 1893 and played north of the [[River Derwent, Cumbria|River Derwent]] near [[Siddick]]. Known as West Cumberland Golf Club, it used a nine-hole course until the [[First World War]], when it closed. After the war the club formed again as Workington Golf Club and moved to the present Hunday Wood location. Five-times Open Champion and renowned course architect [[James Braid (golfer)|James Braid]] was consulted on the layout. Considered "one of the premier courses in Cumbria", it was influenced in the 1950s by F. G. Hawtree<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fred W Hawtree 1916–2000 in Memoriam |url=http://www.eigca.org/news/EIGCA37628.ink |website=European Institute of Golf Course Architects}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Early Years |url=http://www.hawtree.co.uk/HT_earlyyears.aspx |website=[[Martin Hawtree|Hawtree Limited]]}}</ref> and by Howard Swan today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Swan Golf Design |url=http://www.swangolfdesigns.com/main.html |website=Swan Golf Designs}}</ref>

===Speedway===
{{Main|Workington Comets}}
[[Workington Comets]] are the town's professional [[Motorcycle speedway|speedway]] team,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Workington Speedway |url=http://www.workingtoncomets.co/ |website=Workington Comets}}</ref> which competes in the British Speedway Premier League.<ref>{{Cite web |title=British Speedway's Premier League |url=http://www.british-speedway.co.uk/plteams.html |website=British Speedway}}</ref>

Before [[World War II]] racing was staged at Lonsdale Park, next to Borough Park, on the banks of the [[River Derwent, Cumbria|River Derwent]]. The sport did not return to the town until 1970. In 1987, Derwent Park was a temporary home to the [[Glasgow Tigers (speedway)|Glasgow Tigers]], which briefly became the Workington Tigers before withdrawing from the league. Speedway returned to Workington,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gibson |first=V. |date=16 March 2007 |title=Comets Roaring to Go |url=http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/sport/comets/comets-are-roaring-to-go-1.167558 |newspaper=[[News and Star]]}}</ref> and the team has operated with varying degrees of success, but in 2008 it won the Young Shield<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 October 2008 |title=Workington Comets Beat Berwick to Win Speedway's Young Shield |url=http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/sport/comets/match_reports/workington_comets_beat_berwick_to_win_speedway_s_young_shield |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917095006/http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/sport/comets/match_reports/workington_comets_beat_berwick_to_win_speedway_s_young_shield |archive-date=17 September 2009 |newspaper=[[News and Star]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref> and the Premier League Four-Team and Pairs Championships. An academy team under the banner of Northside Stars, develops young riders who show potential at the Northside training track and may make future first teams.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=John |date=2 March 2008 |title=Comets Academy Rides Again |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/comets_academy_rides_again_1_79136 |newspaper=[[News and Star]]}}</ref>

===Cricket===
[[File:Valentine Cricket ground on the High Cloffolks.jpg|thumb|right|Valentine Cricket Ground on the High Cloffock]]
Workington Cricket Club plays at the Ernest Valentine Ground, on the High Cloffock near the River Derwent and the town centre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Workington CC |url=http://workington.play-cricket.com/ |website=play-cricket.com}}</ref> It is a thriving club with three senior teams and a growing junior section putting out six teams. It is affiliated to Cumbria Cricket League, Cumbria Cricket Board, Cumbria Junior Cricket League and the West Allerdale & Copeland Cricket Association.

Cumbria Cricket Board Open Courses are led by coaches at the town's Stainburn School. These are open to Years 4–10 pupils.<ref>{{Cite web |title=West Allerdale and Copeland Cricket Association Website |url=http://www.wacca.org.uk/ |website=LeagueRepublic}}</ref>

{{clear left}}

===Angling===
Workington and District Sea Angling Club takes part in regular monthly matches. It meets every month in the Union Jack Club, Senhouse Street, Workington. It also arranges tuition for its anglers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 January 2009 |title=Sea Angling |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/sport/other/angling/angling_club_wants_more_members_1_422246 |newspaper=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|Times & Star]]}}</ref>

Freshwater anglers are active on local rivers, especially the River Derwent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Windermere, Ambleside & District Angling Association |url=http://www.lakedistrictfishing.net/home/welcomewadaa.html |website=lakedistrictfishing.net}}</ref>

===Athletics===
Workington has opportunities for track and field, [[triathlon]], [[road running]], [[Cross country running|cross-country]], [[fell running]] and [[orienteering]]. All of its schools and clubs are affiliated to the Cumbria Athletics Association,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cumbria AA |url=http://www.noeaa-athletics.org.uk/Pages/Article.aspx?id=67&articleid=62 |website=Northern Athletics}}</ref> except orienteering which is organised through its own national federation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orienteering in the North West of England |url=https://www.nwoa.org.uk/ |website=North West Orienteering Association}}</ref> Athletes tend to join clubs which concentrate on their particular discipline. Cumberland Fell Runners;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://www.c-f-r.org.uk/ |website=Cumbria Fell Runners}}</ref> Cumberland Athletics Club;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to our website |url=http://www.cumberlandac.org.uk/ |website=Cumberland Athletic Club}}</ref> Derwent and West Cumberland AC; Seaton Athletics Club; Workington Zebras AC and West Cumberland Orienteering Club<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome |url=http://www.wcoc.co.uk/ |website=West Cumberland Orienteering Club}}</ref> are the most popular at present.

Primary schools have a well organised inter-school programme.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 May 2009 |title=Orienteering Pupils Dash Round Workington Schools |url=http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/sport/other/athletics/orienteering_pupils_dash_round_workington_schools_1_554749 |newspaper=[[CN Group#List of CN Group Publications|Times & Star]]}}</ref> Secondary schools focus especially on the Allerdale District School's Championships, which lead on to the Cumbria Schools Championships. The results of Cumbria's championships guide selection of the county teams to compete in the [[English Schools Athletic Association]] Championships. Over the years, Workington athletes have earned English Schools Championship honours.

===Motorbike road riding===
There is a Cumbria Coalition of Motorcycle Clubs. The West Cumbrian [[motorcycle club]], the Roadburners,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roadburners |url=https://arn1e.co.uk/roadburners-motorcycle-club/ |website=[[Piczo]]}}</ref> was established in 1989 and regularly features at local and national motorbike rallies and charity road runs. It welcomes new members interested in multi-cylinder machines. The National Chopper Club also has some local members.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://www.chopper-club.com/ |website=National Chopper Club}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Workington}}

==Twin towns==
Workington is [[sister city|twinned]] with:
* [[Selm]], Germany
* [[Val-de-Reuil]], France

==See also==
{{Portal|Cumbria}}
{{wikivoyage}}
*[[Listed buildings in Workington]]
*[[The Stars Look Down (film)|The Stars Look Down]], film partly filmed at St Helens Siddick Colliery at Workington.
*[[Workington Academy]]
*[[Derwent Park]]
*[[Borough Park (Workington)]]
*[[Lakes College]]

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Workington}}
*[https://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/township/workington  Cumbria County History Trust: Workington] (nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)
*[http://www.allerdale.gov.uk/ Allerdale Borough Council]
*[https://www.visitcumbria.com/workington/ Workington Tourism Guide]

{{NSEW|[[Whitehaven]]|[[Keswick, Cumbria]]|[[Maryport]]|[[Cockermouth]]|||||}}
{{Cumbria|state=collapsed}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Workington]]
[[Category:Towns in Cumbria]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Cumbria]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Cumbria]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Cumbria]]
[[Category:Cumberland (unitary authority)]]