A Fleeting History<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Romans were the first known settlers in the Solway region, arriving around AD79. Twelve miles south of Silloth, Maryport (Alauna) was a key port for importing supplies needed by Roman forces serving at Hadrian\u2019s Wall, and as a base for defending against attacks from Scotland and Ireland. Consequently, a series of \u2018mile forts\u2019 were built along the Solway coast from Maryport to Hadrian’s Wall at Bowness on Solway. After the 4th<\/sup> century Roman withdrawal, the Solway region formed part of the Kingdom of Rheged, until Anglian settlers arrived from Northumbria in the 7th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\nIn 1299, the port of Skinburness, just north of Silloth, was the place where King Edward I gathered his 50-strong fleet for the pending battle with the Scots. He defeated the Scottish forces, led by William Wallace, successfully retaking the land around the Solway for England. Soon after, Edward granted Silloth town charters for both a market and a fair. In 1301, the port of Skinburness and much of the surrounding village were destroyed by a great storm, most of which was never rebuilt.<\/p>\n
The most turbulent time for the Solway area was the 16th century when the marauding Border Reivers were at the height of their activity. However, the Act of Union, signed in 1707 gradually brought peace to the region. Following the period of relative stability, Skinburness, given its proximity to both Scotland and the tax haven of the Isle of Man, became a well-known haunt for smugglers, who shifted their contraband through the port.<\/p>\n
Nineteenth-Century Silloth<\/h3>\n
Skinburness was also the location chosen by Sir Walter Scott in his novel Red Gauntlet (published 1824) for a fabled meeting between Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites. Scott wrote the book on location, staying at a locally renowned coach house,\u00a0the Longhouse. The building is now converted to apartments with the old barn converted to a residential property.<\/p>\n
During the early 19th century, celebrated landscape artist JMW Turner came to Silloth on a number of occasions to paint seascape and sunset views of the Solway.<\/p>\n
In 1855, construction began on Silloth docks, ultimately to replace Port Carlisle, as the deep-water port for Carlisle. Spoil from the dock was used as fill in the construction of the \u2018The Green\u2019, a grassed open space, covering some 36 acres, which still dominates the town\u2019s landscape.<\/p>\n
In 1856, with the planned opening of the docks, the construction of the Carlisle to Silloth railway followed. The town then began to develop around the terminus of the railway. \u00a0And for the first time, Carlisle\u2019s working classes were presented with affordable access to the seaside, via the railway. The town began to flourish as a destination for day-trippers, reaching the peak of its popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<\/p>\n
In June 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War, an airfield was built on the outskirts of the town. Originally designed to be used by the RAF Maintenance Command, 22MU, the airfield was handed over to Coastal Command in November 1939. The airfield became the designated home of the Operational Training Unit (OTU), which were responsible for training pilots and crews from the UK and its allies, during the war effort.<\/p>\n
![\"Silloth](\"http:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/02\/shutterstock_1200355084-300x200.jpg\")