The Yards of Kendal

Yards, crofts ginnels and lanes are found in many northern towns. Kendal’s yards are special and are fascinating to residents and visitors alike. They are a characteristic feature of the town and demonstrate the lively history of the people who lived and worked in them.

Originating in the burgage plots of Norman times, they developed over the centuries into a maze of bustling little communities lined with cottages and workshops. Their old names tell of many interesting characters associated with them.

With the slum clearances of the 1960s and other town development, their number has been drastically decreased. Today, they have become more of a tourist attraction but are still living and working places and tell engaging stories of their interesting past.

In this book, the full story of Kendal’s Yards is told for the first time in fascinating detail - their history and development, the origins of their names, life in the old yards, their locations and much more. The illustrations in the text and the extensive Gallery of photographs provide 200 illustrations of most of the old yards which show better than mere words the atmosphere and character of the yards and the lives of their inhabitants.