The Sun Shines Fair on Carlisle Wall – Volume One: King Arthur to Walter Scott

Carlisle, with its troubled Border history, has played a larger role in English literature than most English cities.

The city was described by travellers such as Celia Fiennes and Thomas Pennant. William Gilpin, that champion of the Picturesque, portrayed the area with the affection of a native son. A wig-less James Boswell detested the city. Josiah Relph and Susanna Blamire celebrated its rural life in their dialect verse.