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 | 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 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 hamlets and settlements of Wet Sleddale, Hardendale and Swindale, most of the Shap Fells range and the reservoirs of Haweswater (part) and Wet Sleddale. The village of 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 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 council.

Major landowners in the parish are the Lowther Family Estates and United Utilities.

Junction 39 of the M6 motorway lies within the parish.

Shapbeck Limestone quarry owned by Heidelberg Materials UK is in the northern part of the parish though the Hardendale 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>

==Births in Shap Rural== * John Mill (theologian)

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

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == * {{commonscatinline}} * [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}}

Category:Civil parishes in Cumbria Category:Westmorland and Furness