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weather station, Seathwaite
Seathwaite weather station
locality:-   Seathwaite
civil parish:-   Borrowdale (formerly Cumberland)
county:-   Cumbria
locality type:-   weather station
locality type:-   rain gauge
coordinates:-   NY23571216
1Km square:-   NY2312
10Km square:-   NY21
SummaryText:-   opened 1938; current 2010. Successor to rain gauges etc from 1845.

photograph
BYH91.jpg (taken 17.5.2013)  
evidence:-   old text:- Symons 1860 (edn 1895) 
placename:-  Seathwaite Rainfall Station
source data:-   Armitt Library Collections; books, prints, photographs etc at the Armitt Library and Museum, Ambleside, Cumbria.
image S8950015, button  goto source
The brief quotes are taken from a long article, qv.  "SEATHWAITE'S JUBILEE, 1845-94."
"..."
"... Seathwaite was but one of Dr. Miller's stations; in considering the rainfall at Seathwaite, we are naturally tempted to refer to that at surrounding stations; but to discuss all the Lake District observations would be a heavy task, and therefore this year's notice will be limited to the record of what has been done in the little hamlet of Seathwaite."
image S895Eng1, button  goto source
image  click to enlarge
S895E1.jpg
image S895Eng2, button  goto source
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S895E2.jpg
Plan showing sites of buildings and gauges. 
image S895Eng4, button  goto source
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S895E4.jpg
The Seathwaite area and The Lakes are mentioned frequently in the annual issues of this journal. 
item:-  Armitt Library Collections
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old text:- Symons 1860 (edn 1896) 
source data:-   Armitt Library Collections; books, prints, photographs etc at the Armitt Library and Museum, Ambleside, Cumbria.
image S8960016, button  goto source
In an article titled  "THE MOST RAINY PART OF ENGLAND"
is a discussion of rainfall in the Seathwaite and Sty Head area, qv. There are tables of rainfall, including:- 
image S8960024, button  goto source
image  click to enlarge
S896Tab2.jpg
image S8960025, button  goto source
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S896Tab3.jpg
image S8960026, button  goto source
image  click to enlarge
S896Tab4.jpg
item:-  Armitt Library Collections
Image © see bottom of page
evidence:-   old text:- Symons 1860 (edn 1912) 
source data:-   Armitt Library Collections; books, prints, photographs etc at the Armitt Library and Museum, Ambleside, Cumbria.
image S9120056, button  goto source
A detail article:-  "THE "SEATHWAITE" PATTERN RAIN GAUGE"
"In order to meet the peculiar difficulties of measuring the rainfall in very wet and exposed positions where the gauges cannot be visited frequently, an attempt was made last year to devise a form of instrument which would be free from the most objectionable features of existing rain gauges. To meet the difficulty of collecting the whole rainfall for a month in a very wet position ... ..."
image S9120057, button  goto source
image  click to enlarge
S912Eng1.jpg
etc. 
item:-  Armitt Library Collections
Image © see bottom of page
MN photo:-  
 The wide mouth (8inch?) rain gauge reports to the met Office automatically, you can see the wire to the communication equipment.
The narrower mouth (5inc?) rain gauge looks like a Seathwaite pattern instrument and is probably read monthly.

photograph
BYH92.jpg (taken 17.5.2013)  
photograph
BYH93.jpg (taken 17.5.2013)  
hearsay:-  
 We were told by the farmer that he used to read these, and/or other local rain gauges, for a fee of L12 per annum, for monthly readings. The job was taken over by Pete Bland, a fell runner - but no pay rise!
He remembered one behind Rose Cottage, now called Raingauge Cottage, one at Sprinkling Tarn, one at Styehead Tarn, one up at the 1000 foot contour, and one at the bottom end of Taylor Gill which is likely still there.
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