'Thursby'

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Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 327503

Thursby is a commuter village, lying on the old Roman road about 6 miles south of Carlisle.

Thursby takes its old name 'Thor's by' from Thor, the Thunder God of the Saxons, whose temple was reputedly nearby at Kirksteads. The village skyline is dominated by St Andrew's church, a Victorian building which replaced two earlier ones, the first a 7th century wooden church and the second built by David I of Scotland.

Sir Thomas Bouch was a Thursby boy. He became a great civil engineer, responsible for building the tramway systems in many English cities. Alas, he is remembered for his one monumental failure - the first great Tay railway bridge which collapsed on 28th September 1878, plummeting a train into the river with the loss of all on board.

Aerial photos by Simon Ledingham.