Telling the Shap Story

Volunteers from The Old Courthouse, Shap together with representatives from Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and Friends of The Lake District at the newly installed Interpretation Panel charting major influences on the development of Shap from prehistoric times to the present day.

An Interpretation Panel has recently been installed in Shap village.  It charts Shap’s rich history showing how the village has developed from prehistoric times through to the founding of the Abbey, the granting of the market charter, the coming of the railway and the marks made by those travelling through Shap over the centuries to present times.   It includes a map to help residents and visitors locate historic buildings and features in and around the village.

Amanda Walters, Interpretation Officer with Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership collaborated with members of Shap Local History Society and Shap Community CIO to draw together information for the panel.   Jean Jackson, Chair of Shap Local History Society commented “Many visitors use the Public Car Park and facilities in Shap and the new panel by the entrance to The Old Courthouse provides easily accessible information to help visitors realise how much there is of interest in our village. We hope this will encourage them to explore”.

The panel was funded by the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme, jointly led by the Friends of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. The scheme was grant funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.