Unearthing lost harbour of Port Carlisle in BBC's Villages by the Sea

Ben has been investigating the small village near Carlisle which grew as a consequence of the canal-building surge. 

At one point the village became a 'thriving port' with ambitions to rival the likes of Liverpool and Manchester, until it was soon outdated by the rail boom. 

"Although we think of cities as being the engines of industry, actually small villages were at the start of all this.

"And here was the thing to create a port for Carlisle, hence the name.

"It's fascinating to discover the sheer effort put into creating this eleven-and-a-half-mile-long canal out of nothing really. And the expectations it would have for Carlisle," he said. 

Ben Robinson visits Port Carlisle to look at the creation of 'Carlisle's port' (Image: BBC)

Ben said the port was successful for a 'period of time',  creating a link from the coast for all its trade potential to the city - with all the mills needing coal and supplies in the area 'this was going to be the answer'. 

"When it was opened it was really successful, it brought the price of coal down in Carlisle, and suddenly you get coal in bulk a lot easier. The same way Bridgewater Canal transformed Manchester. 

"It worked but then of course, it was doing it right at the end of the golden era of canal building when everyone started to think about railways. 

"It could have quite easily become a massive industrial port, what is left is this incredible fossilised proto-industrial town. It really is a stunning place," he said. 

Ben will shed light on the unusual terraced housing in Port Carlisle (Image: BBC)

In the episode, which is due to air in November, Ben also goes on to discover a cauldroun-like original boiler behind a Victorian bathhouse that would have been used to attract tourists at the time as a way of making use of the canal despite the country shifting its focus towards the rail industry. 

Previous episodes of Villages by the Sea are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.