A new exhibition featuring the stories of people who have settled in the Cockermouth area from around the UK and beyond opens at the town’s Kirkgate Centre next week.
The free exhibition, Offcomers: Celebrating stories of the many journeys to Cockermouth, runs from Friday, August 16 until Sunday, September 1
Helen Johnston, Kirkgate’s community projects officer, said: “Our new exhibition features the stories of people who’ve come to Cockermouth from around the UK and the world.
“Covering over 300 years of the town’s history, we explore the many and varied reasons people moved to the area, for family or work, or when they had no choice.
“For some, their stay in the area was for a short period of their life, whilst others made the town their long-term home and raised their families here.
“We have selected a few of their stories to give a sample of people’s different experiences. These stories are now part of our wider community’s stories, ingrained in our cultural consciousness.”
Two such stories give a flavour of the exhibition and Cockermouth’s role in offering refuge to those in need of shelter.
Isaac Jarra came to England from West Bengal at the beginning of the 20th century and worked as a cook and a butler for a number of Cockermouth families. In 1909, he married Margaret Harrison, and they had five children, three of whom survived childhood; Abraham, Miriam and Alicia.
The children attended All Saints School – in the building which is now the Kirkgate Centre.
Karlis (Charlie) Zirins had been forced to fight for the German Wehrmacht against the Russian army when around 17 years old, after German troops had invaded Latvia. He fought in modern-day Poland until surrendering to the Allies near Berlin.
He was unable to return home when the war ended as his country had fallen under Russian control and to return would have meant death or imprisonment.
Karlis stayed at the former Moota prisoner of war camp, which accommodated displaced people from across Europe from around 1947, and he worked at Ann’s Hill farm by day.
Before long he met and married Nellie Bewley, and together they raised three children, Katrina, Ian and Sheena, eventually settling into a house on Kirkbank.
The exhibition is open every day from 11am to 4pm, except August 31, when the exhibition will be open from 1pm.
It forms part of Kirkgate Art and Heritage’s In My Shoes project and was made possible thanks to National Lottery players funded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
