Pooley Bridge

Pooley Bridge is a village in the Eden District of the northwestern English county of Cumbria, within the traditional borders of Westmorland.

Pooley Bridge
Pooley Bridge
Pooley Bridge Location in Eden, Cumbria Show map of the former Eden District Pooley Bridge Location within Cumbria Show map of Cumbria
OS grid reference	NY471244
Civil parish	Barton and Pooley Bridge
District	Eden
Shire county	Cumbria
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PENRITH
Postcode district	CA10
Dialling code	017684
Police	Cumbria
Fire	Cumbria
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Westmorland and Lonsdale
List of places UK England Cumbria 54°36′43″N 2°49′14″W / 54.61197°N 2.82058°W / 54.61197; -2.82058

The village takes its name from a bridge over the River Eamont at the northern end of Ullswater. The bridge, erected in 1764 and replacing an earlier bridge from the 16th century,^[1] collapsed on 6 December 2015 when Cumbria was hit by heavy flooding as a result of Storm Desmond. A temporary replacement bridge was opened on 20 March 2016.^[2] A new stainless steel bridge was lifted into place in May 2020,^[3] and opened in October 2020.^[4]

There is a pier from which ferries (known as the Ullswater 'Steamers') provide connections to Glenridding and Howtown. Pooley Bridge was formerly known as Pooley or Pool How meaning the hill by the pool or stream. The name Pool How was derived from the Old English word pollr plus the Old Norse haugr meaning hill or mound.^[5]

Pooley is mostly situated in the civil parish of Barton and Pooley Bridge, of which it is the main settlement. The few houses on the northern or Cumberland side of the bridge are in Dacre parish.^[6] The village is popular with tourists, especially during the summer, and has several hotels, guest houses and camping sites.