Piers, Wall And Railings To South Of The Sands Sports Centre

The piers, wall, and railings to the south of the Sands Sports Centre were likely constructed around 1895 and originally served the Cattle Market. The low sandstone wall features a chamfered design with a coping, topped by heavy cast-iron railings. Each alternate rail has a speared ball finial, supported by interval columns. The red sandstone piers have squared shafts with rounded moulded angles, resting on moulded bases and topped with modillioned segmental capitals.

Historically, the Sands were a series of islands between the two channels of the River Eden, used for a cattle market since medieval times. A new market was established in 1816, and by 1895, it was enclosed with railings. The market continued operating until the 1950s, after which the area became a car park, and in the 1980s, the Sports Centre was built on the site. The Carlisle Journal from April 1894 notes that the contract for the railings was awarded to Messrs Raybold & Co of Workington for £1,112.4s, while The Lion Foundry Co Ltd supplied the railings for the Cattle Market in 1895. A photograph from 1898 shows these railings in place.