View source for Shap Rural

{{Short description|Civil parish in Cumbria, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| type                     = Civil parish
| country                  = England
| static_image_name        = Shap Rural - Shap Abbey.jpg
| static_image_width       = 250
| static_image_caption     = [[Shap Abbey]]
| coordinates              = {{coord|54.502|-2.721|display=inline,title}}
| official_name            = Shap Rural
| population               = 130
| population_ref           = ''(2011)''<ref name=census2011/>
| civil_parish             = 
|unitary_england= [[Westmorland and Furness]]
|lieutenancy_england= [[Cumbria]]
| region                   = North West England
| constituency_westminster = [[Westmorland and Lonsdale (UK Parliament constituency)|Westmorland and Lonsdale]]
| post_town                = PENRITH
| postcode_district        = CA10
| postcode_area            = CA
| dial_code                = 01931
| os_grid_reference        = NY5415
}}

'''Shap Rural''' is a very large, but sparsely populated, [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[Westmorland and Furness]] district of [[Cumbria]] in England, covering part of the [[Lake District National Park]]. It had a population of 119 in 2001,<ref>{{NOMIS2001|id=16UF060|title=Shap Rural Parish|access-date=20 April 2021}}</ref> 130 at the 2011 Census,<ref name=census2011>{{NOMIS2011|id=E04002569|title=Shap Rural Parish|access-date=20 April 2021}}</ref> and 110 in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/customprofiles/build/#E04002569|title=Shap Rural custom area profile|publisher=ONS|accessdate=4 March 2024}}</ref>

Within the parish are the [[hamlet (place)|hamlets]] and settlements of Wet Sleddale, [[Hardendale]] and Swindale, most of the Shap Fells range and the reservoirs of [[Haweswater Reservoir|Haweswater]] (part) and [[Wet Sleddale Reservoir|Wet Sleddale]]. The village of [[Mardale|Mardale Green]], which disappeared when Haweswater was converted into a reservoir in the 1930s, was in the parish.

The parish was created in 1904 with the splitting of the former civil parish of Shap into urban and rural parts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/west%20ward.html|title=West Ward Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=12 January 2022}}</ref> Shap Urban, (since 1935 just [[Shap]]), was administered by an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]] council from 1905 to 1935.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10002503|title=Relationships and changes Shap UD through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=6 November 2022}}</ref> Shap and Shap Rural today have a joint [[Parish councils in England|parish council]].

Major landowners in the parish are the [[Earl of Lonsdale|Lowther Family]] Estates and [[United Utilities]].

Junction 39 of the [[M6 motorway]] lies within the parish.

Shapbeck Limestone quarry owned by [[Hanson plc]] is in the northern part of the parish though the Hardendale [[Corus Group|Corus]] limestone quarry and works and the famous [[Cemex]] (formerly RMC) Shap Granite quarries and works are within both Shap Rural and Shap parishes.

The cottage owned by Uncle Monty in the cult 1986 film ''[[Withnail & I]]'' is located by the reservoir at Wet Sleddale.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertynews/4305288/Withnails-Horrible-little-shack-under-the-hammer.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123093240/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertynews/4305288/Withnails-Horrible-little-shack-under-the-hammer.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 January 2009|title=Withnail's 'Horrible little shack' under the hammer |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk|accessdate=27 September 2011|location=London|first=Anna|last=Tyzack|date=21 January 2009}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Cumbria}}
*[[Listed buildings in Shap Rural]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Shap Rural|position=left}}
*[http://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/township/shap   Cumbria County History Trust: Shap] (nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)
* {{cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/westm/pp206-212|title=Shap, Rural|publisher=British History Online|accessdate=12 January 2022}}

{{Cumbria}}

[[Category:Civil parishes in Cumbria]]
[[Category:Westmorland and Furness]]


{{Cumbria-geo-stub}}