Flimby

Governance

The village is in the parliamentary constituency of Whitehaven and Workington.

On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished and merged with Maryport. At the 1951 census (one of the last before the abolition of the parish), Flimby had a population of 2066.

Geography and flooding

Flimby is located on Cumbria's coast between the towns of Maryport to the north and Workington to the south.

It is drained by streams from nearby hillsides, some of which pass under the village in culverts. These have caused periodic flooding. Woody debris dams, as a form of natural flood management, have been built in the Penny Gill forest by the West Cumbria Rivers Trust to hold back water upstream and reduce flows through the culverts.

Amenities

Flimby railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line has served the village since 1846. Trains stop only by request. The village is also served by regular buses between Maryport, Workington and beyond.

The Anglican church of St Nicholas is in the Diocese of Carlisle. It holds services on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. The site of the successive former Flimby Methodist churches in West Lane (built in 1862 and about 1929) is now occupied by a house.

The village has a primary school with about 150 pupils. There is a convenience store and also a working men's social club.

Flimby's amateur rugby league club, the Vikings, plays in the Iggesund Cumberland League.

The shoe manufacturer New Balance has a factory on the outskirts of the village. Flimby Wind Farm opened in June 2013.

Heritage

The name of the village was recorded as Flinbi in 1056 and Flemyngeby in the 12th century, and seems to come from Old Norse Flæminga bý, meaning "the village of the Flemings".

Flimby has three Grade II historic buildings listed by English Heritage. Flimby Cottage in Main Road is an early 19th-century pebble dash lodge in Gothic Revival style. Flimby Hall is a three-storey country house completed in 1766. Flimby Lodge is a mansion dating from the late 18th or early 19th century, derelict at the time it was listed in 1977.

Notable people

• The Scottish novelist and poet Helen Craik lived at Flimby Hall from 1792 until her death in 1825 and has a memorial in the parish church.
• Dick Huddart (1936–2021), a professional rugby league player, was born in Flimby.
• The birth of John McKeown, the professional rugby league international, was registered in Flimby in 1926.
• Tee Ritson, rugby league player.

References

References

1. "2021 Census Parish Profiles – Flimby". Office for National Statistics.
2. "Cockermouth Registration District". UKBMD.
3. "Population statistics Flimby through time". [[A Vision of Britain through Time]].
4. (7 September 2022). "Flimby residents count the cost after latest floods". BBC News.
5. "West Cumbria Rivers Trust (WCRT)".
6. A Church Near You [http://www.achurchnearyou.com/flimby-st-nicholas/ Retrieved 12 February 2016.]
7. My Primitive Methodist Ancestors [http://www.myprimitivemethodists.org.uk/page/flimby_viilage_pm_chapel_cumberland Retrieved 25 February 2018.]
8. School site [http://www.flimby.cumbria.sch.uk/index.php?category_id=38 Retrieved 12 February 2016.]
9. link. (4 May 2016)
10. News report [http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/business/Flimby-Social-Club-to-stay-open-4ae1c7eb-6fef-471e-9a79-9e13fc59bcc5-ds Retrieved 12 February 2016.]
11. Club site [http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/flimbyvikings Retrieved 12 February 2016.]
12. (6 July 2022). "New Balance celebrates 40 years of shoe making in Cumbria". ITV News.
13. Engie [http://www.westcoastenergy.co.uk/2013/06/flimby-wind-farm-officially-open/ Retrieved 12 February 2016.] {{Webarchive. link. (4 March 2016)
14. British Listed Buildings [http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/search?q=Flimby#.Vr5QJrQrLBT Retrieved 12 February 2016.]