Traditional Blacksmithing and Skills from the Viking Age. Have you ever wondered what it would have been like living in the Viking age? Well now is your chance with a new Viking settlement that has been created at Moorforge near Wigton. Moorforge Viking settlement is a project undertaken by David Watson and is a not for profit community interest company. After building a Viking era Icelandic style forge and wood workshop, plans are to finish off the site with an animal barn, a smokehouse and a Viking longhouse.
Gosforth, Seascale, Beckermet, St Bees,Workington, Dacre, Penrith, Cumwhitton.
What do they all have in common? The Vikings, and it’s not just limited to these places.
Throughout Cumbria we see the Norse language forming the names of our Towns and Villages. Kirk (from Old Norse Kirkja) means church, Ulverston from Ulfrs tun ('Ulfr's farmstead'), Kendal from Kent dalr ('valley of the River Kent') and Elterwater from eltr vatn (‘Swan Lake').
The Vikings are here and were here just as prominently, if not more so, than the Romans. Fantastic insights into Viking culture are right in front of us, for example, the carvings on the Gosforth cross show the importance of maintaining the stories and saga's of their pagan past even after converting to Christianity.
The Vikings have a rich history in Cumbria and the site wishes to bring this to life offering living history experiences and multiple events throughout the year. We want to see the site used for local schools and groups, offering them a unique insight into Dark Age life. The site can also be used as a performance space or a venue for workshops.
Source text & image: Moorforge
