Wigton Tourist Information

Wigton, a thriving market town, lies at the edge of the Lake District National Park between the Caldbeck Fells and the Solway coast. This ancient settlement on the Solway Plain boasts a pre-medieval layout.

Wigton received a market charter in 1262 and its marketplace became town's centre.  The buildings around this triangular open space are mainly Georgian and many of the upper storeys remain unchanged.

The King's Arms Hotel was once a coaching inn and Charles Dickens stayed here with Wilkie Collins in 1857.  In the marketplace is an elaborate granite fountain, erected in 1872 by George Moore in memory of his wife.  The memorial features four fine bronze reliefs, depicting the Acts of Mercey, by the Pre-Raphaelite sculptor Thomas Woolner.

Lord Melvyn Bragg, the writer and broadcaster, was born in Wigton in 1939.