THE iconic structures of Carlisle’s rich industrial heritage still remain but how much do we really know about their history?

A new heritage project aims to delve into the past of Shaddongate, an area once dominated by trade and manufacturing.

Effective Communities has received a £9,500 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop The Gate: a living history of Shaddongate in Carlisle.

The project will explore everything from the Scottish and Irish labourers who lived in the area to Shaddongate United FC. It will research the state Brewery, Paddy’s Market and of course Shaddon Mill and Dixon’s Chimney, built by Peter Dixon in 1836.

It plans to create a walking tour of the area which will take people to where traders once set up their wares on the cobbled streets and to the home of one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

This 30 to 60-minute walk will be illustrated by a route map and will feature audio recordings of the stories of the people who lived and worked in the area.

The project will culminate with an exhibition and short film at Shaddongate Resources Centre in December.

Mark Costello, development worker at Cumbria CVS, who will lead the project, said: “When we moved to this building I started to think about what was in the area and the more I looked around it seemed like there was quite a bit of history down here which was maybe forgotten about.

“I thought it would be a good place to do a project looking at some of the history and places and people who lived here - the different communities that have lived behind the walls of the city.”

He continued: “Carlisle has got a lot of history. Two of the focus areas are the Romans and the Reivers - the fact that it was a borderland - and sometimes more recent history is overlooked in favour of that older, more established history.”

In 1968 Shaddongate underwent major road and building changes. Most of the houses up to Dixon’s Chimney were demolished and the cobbled road was resurfaced and widened.

Almost two decades earlier Dixon’s Chimney, which was originally built at 305ft, was shortened. It became listed in 1972, though Shaddon Mill was listed by 1949.

Effective Communities wants to work with historians, writers, the archive centre, volunteers and community groups. Cumbria Local History Federation is already involved.

Mark is hoping to get lots of local people to take part in the project to help uncover the area’s past and find out about its impact on the city.

Research, for example, will be carried out into the Carlisle ship canal and its importance in bringing in goods from Port Carlisle to feed the factories.

“The canal was short-lived in Carlisle but there are aspects that give clues that it existed and that it was a part of Carlisle’s historical development,” said Mark.

“People will be finding out about these things and interviewing local historians.”

Effective Communities is hosting an introduction to the project at the Shaddongate Resources Centre, home of Cumbria CVS, on March 29 at 10am. Anyone who would like to get involved is welcome to attend.