Docker, Cumbria

Docker is a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of the English county of Cumbria. Docker is located 4.3 miles North West of the market town of Kendal in Cumbria.

Docker
Haygarth
Docker Location within Cumbria
Population	260 (2011)
OS grid reference	SD5695
Civil parish	Docker
District	South Lakeland
Shire county	Cumbria
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KENDAL
Postcode district	LA8
Dialling code	01539[1]
Police	Cumbria
Fire	Cumbria
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Westmorland and Lonsdale

In 1870–1872, John Marius Wilson's from the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Docker as: "a township in Kendal parish, Westmoreland; near the river Mint and the Lancaster and Carlisle railway 3 miles ENE of Kendal"[2]

Etymology

Diana Whalley's "A Dictionary of Lake District Place-Names" (English Place Name Society 2006) has this name as either place-name "the shieling at the hollow" or "the shieling where the plant called dock grows" (from Old Norse erg = "summer pasture", taken from Irish airge), or a personal name which "may have been a link with the family traced in Parker 1918" (Parker CA "A pedigree of the family of Docker". CW2 18, 161–73). Whalley also refers to "the same problematic syllable in Dockray and ... Dockray Nook" (NY3921 & NY0820).

Population statistics

The population in 2001 was 55. By the next census in 2011, the population for the parish had more than quadrupled. The population fluctuations in Docker can be seen in the graph showing the census data every 10 years since 1801. There was no census taken in 1941. This is most likely to have been down to a change in the boundaries of the Parish. It may have been thought having a parish with a population of 55 was not significant enough and as a result the council may have changed the boundaries to even out the distribution. The population in 2011 is the highest it has ever been since records began in 1801.

The male population for Docker was slightly higher than the female population according to the 2011 census. There was 135 males to 125 females.

The number of people aged 16 and over with 5 or more GCSEs grade A-C (or equivalent) was 10.63%, 4.67% lower than the national average.[3]

Population of Docker from 1801–2011

Occupational statistics

In 2011 there were 161 residents in Docker that were between the ages of 16 and 74 and in employment.[4] The occupations of the people usually resident at the time of the 2011 census between the ages of 16 and 74 are shown in the pie chart for 2011. The largest population percentage is Professional Occupations category with 23%. The percentage of Skilled Trades Occupations is well above the average for England of 11.4% compared to 17.4% in Docker.[5] Docker is in the countryside so this is due to the thriving agricultural industry in the area. As a result, higher qualifications may be unnecessary for the industry in Docker.

Graph of Occupations for Docker as of the 1881 census

Occupational graph For Docker 2011

Transport

Roads

The A65 road runs through Docker, connecting the A6 and the M6. The A65 runs North West from Leeds in Yorkshire through Ilkley and Skipton before terminating at Kendal in Cumbria.

The M6 Motorway runs from To the East of Docker from Rugby via Stoke-on-trent, Liverpool and Manchester terminating at Gretna Junction.[6]

Railway line

The nearest railway station to Docker is Kendal station which is 4.7 miles away. The TransPennine Express runs through Kendal from Windermere to Oxenholme, Lake District.

Although Docker doesn't have its own railway station, Virgin West Coast Railine runs through Docker from London Euston to Glasgow. The trainline runs along the Docker viaduct.[7]

The Docker Viaduct on the West Coast Main Line

On 24 February 2007 a train was derailed 2 miles from Docker near to the village of Grayrigg. Several carriages were turned on their side after the 17:15 Virgin train travelling from London Euston to Glasgow Central crashed. Cumbria Ambulance service were alerted to the crash at 8.16 pm near Little Docker Cottage. An inquiry found the "immediate cause" of the Grayrigg derailment was due to a "degraded and unsafe" set of points known as Lambrigg 2B. The train was reported to have lurched side to side in "a very dramatic way," the train then careered down an embankment killing 84-year-old Margaret Masson and injuring 22 others. As the rear of the train was crossing the Docker Viaduct, the front of the train was derailed, just beyond the bridge. Thermal imagery equipment was used to detect any trapped survivors.[8] Following the crash, the points that caused the derailment were removed and the line is now welded continuously including the segment on the Docker Viaduct.[9]

Local Amenities

Docker is 6.5 miles South East of the popular holiday destination of the Lake District which is famous for its picturesque lakes, forests and mountains. The tallest Mountain in England Scafell Pike is located within the National Park.[10]

The Primary School closest to Docker is the Grayrigg CofE school which is 1.5 miles North West of Docker. The nearest Secondary School is the Queen Katherine School in Kendal which is a coeducational academy for 11- to 16-year-olds. It is 3.1 miles away.[11]

The nearest hospital is Westmorland General Hospital which is 6.3 km away from Docker on Burton Road in Kendal.[12]

The nearest major shopping area to Docker is the Westmoreland Shopping Centre in Kendal which is 4.7 miles South West of Docker.

References

1. "BT Phone book". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
2. Wilson, John Marius (1870). Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. South Lakeland and Westmorland: A. Fullerton & Co. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
3. "Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
4. "Occupation 2011". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
5. "Neighborhood Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
6. "Highways England, Driving Forward". Highways England. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
7. "Virgin Rail Routes and stations". London Euston. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
8. "Virgin train crashes in Cumbria". The Guardian. 23 February 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
9. "One dead in Cumbria train crash". BBC NEWS. 24 February 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
10. "Whats so special?". Lake District National Park. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
11. "QSK". The Queen Katherine School. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
12. "HOSPITALS IN DOCKER, KENDAL, CUMBRIA". The West Morland Gasette. Retrieved 23 April 2015.