Old Cumbria Gazetteer - viewpoint, Watermillock


included in:-	Ullswater
	viewpoint, Watermillock
site name:-	Ullswater
locality:-	Watermillock (off)
civil parish:-	Matterdale (formerly Cumberland)
county:-	Cumbria
locality type:-	viewpoint
1Km square:-	NY4422
10Km square:-	NY42

evidence:-	descriptive text:- West 1778 (11th edn 1821) item:- echoes
source data:-	Guide book, A Guide to the Lakes, by Thomas West, published by William Pennington, Kendal, Cumbria once Westmorland, and in London, 1778 to 1821. goto source Page 161:- "The navigators of this lake find much amusement by discharging guns, or small cannon, at certain stations. The effect is indeed truly curious, for the report is reverberated from rock to rock, promontory, cavern, and hill, with every variety of sound; now dying away upon the ear, and again returning like peals of thunder, and thus re-echoed seven times distinctly. [2]- Opposite to Watermillock is one of these stations." "[2] This effect is thus described by Mr. Hutchinson:" "'Whilst we sat to regale, the barge put off from shore to a station where the finest echoes were to be obtained from the surrounding mountains. This vessel was provided with six brass cannon mounted on swivels;- on discharging one of these pieces, the report was echoed from the opposite rocks, where by reverberation it seemed to roll from cliff to cliff, and return through every cave and valley, till the decreasing tumult gradually died away upon the ear." "'The instant it had ceased, the sound of every distant water-fall was heard, but for an instant only, for the momentary stillness was interrupted by the returning echo on the hills behind; where the report was repeated like a peal of thunder bursting over our heads, continuing for several seconds, flying from haunt to haunt, till once more the sound gradually declined;- again the voice of the water-falls possessed the interval - till, to the right, the more distant thunder arose upon some other mountain, and seemed to take its way up every winding dell and creek, sometimes behind, on this side, or on that, in wonderous speed running its dreadful course; when the echo reached the mountains, within the line and channel of the breeze, it was heard at once on the right and left, at the extremities of the lake.- In this manner was the report of every discharge re-echoed seven times distinctly.'" "Excursion to the Lakes, page 65."

	indexing
person:-	author : West, Thomas
place:-	Ullswater
date:-	1778
period:-	18th century, late
period:-	1780s
item:-	guide book; Guide to the Lakes

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