Carlisle

City and administrative headquarters of Cumbria, northwest England, on the River Eden at the western end of Hadrian's Wall, 14 km/9 mi south of the Scottish border; population (2001) 73,800. It is a leading railway and service centre. Industries include engineering and brewing, and the manufacture of textiles, agricultural machinery, metal goods, confectionery, and processed foods.

The town developed on a low sandstone hill with the River Eden to the north, the Petteril tributary to the west, and the Caldew tributary to the east. Carlisle was the site of the Roman settlement of Luguvalium and, during the Roman occupation, was raided by the Picts and other Scottish tribes. The Saxon town was sacked by the Danes in the 9th century. William Rufus built the castle in 1092 as a stronghold against the Scots and frequent border raids followed. The Scots gained control of the town from 1136 to 1157 and from 1644 to 1645 during the English Civil War. It was briefly captured again by the Scots in 1745, during the Jacobite rising led by the British prince Charles Edward Stuart. Carlisle developed rapidly in the 19th century as a railway hub.

The cathedral (1123) was originally the church of an Augustinian priory; the diocese was founded in 1133 by Henry I. Rebuilt and embellished at various stages, the cathedral has a fine Early English choir and an east window with 14th-century stained glass. Traces of the town's Roman street plan have survived, and part of the medieval walls remain around the inner town. The Guildhall dates from the 14th century. The Tullie House Museum, originally a Jacobean mansion, includes a collection of Roman remains. There is an 18th-century town hall and a civic centre, opened in 1964.