by thom kennedy

Last updated at 16:38, Friday, 29 January 2010

Nearly two centuries of history for a village near Carlisle have been pulled together in a new book.

Brenda Jackson

Brenda Jackson has spent three years drawing together memories of the tiny village of Todhills, which has been all but destroyed by the gradual expansion of the A74, the Cumberland Gap, which was finally upgraded to a motorway in December 2008.

She appealed for people to come forward with their memories of the village, which lies just to the north of Carlisle.

Now Mrs Jackson has self-published her 48-page book, called Bridging The Gap. It features local people’s photographs and memories of village life.

She said: “I live in Todhills and I thought I would dig in and find out about the people who lived and worked there, and put it into book form.

“I have found it very rewarding and interesting. People I approached were keen to give me bits of information and photographs of their relatives and ancestors. I almost received too many in the end, and couldn’t put some in the book.”

The book covers a period of about 190 years, from around 1820 until 2009. Mrs Jackson researched the book using archives in Carlisle, Kew in London, and regimental bases around the country.

And the book has a solemn footnote, as Mrs Jackson believes that while she has been writing about the village’s golden age, Todhills is unlikely to see such good times again.

She said: “I think the future holds very little for the village now. To me, it’s dead.

“At one time we had nearly 50 houses and shops, a baker’s and grocery shop, fruit shops, pubs and alehouses, but a lot of people lost their homes when they built the motorway, and now we’ve only got 25 houses and no shops.”

To get a copy of the book, which costs £9.99, contact Mrs Jackson on 01228 674086. All proceeds will go to the Great North Air Ambulance.

First published at 14:11, Friday, 29 January 2010
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk