Memorials & monuments · Scottish Lowlands
The Bishop of Barf
The Bishop of Barf is a memorial in the United Kingdom.

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Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 15 min–45 min
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
The Bishop of Barf is a public memorial or monument in the United Kingdom. Coordinates: 54.6271°, -3.2127°. This entry is part of The Great Britain Guide, a free, ad-free, open-data tourist directory.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Bassenthwaite Lake SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: River Derwent and Tributaries SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Barf and Thornthwaite SSSI
- National Nature Reserve: BASSENTHWAITE LAKE
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Barf is a fell in the north-western Lake District in Cumbria, UK. It stands on the south-western shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. Barf is well known for a whitewashed pillar of rock on the lower slopes, the so-called "Bishop's Rock" or "Bishop of Barf". The name is thought to be a derivative of "burgh".
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Description
On a rocky site at 700 ft and clearly visible from the Cockermouth to Keswick road, is the "Bishop of Barf", a white painted stone marking the spot where, according to local legend, the Bishop of Derry was killed falling from his horse in 1783, after drunkenly betting he could ride up the hill. Both the Bishop and his horse are said to be buried near a smaller stone, the Clerk, at the base of the hill. Sadly, the story, although imaginative, forgets that the Bishop of Derry of the time died 20 years later in Italy. However, this Bishop's colourful life no doubt inspired a tale capable of capturing the imagination. The stone was whitewashed each year by staff at the nearby Swan Hotel, until…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.6271, -3.2127
- District
- Cumberland
- Parish
- Above Derwent
- Postcode
- CA12 5SQ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Penrith and Solway
Sources
- osm: n3311638825 (ODbL)
- wikipedia: Barf (Lake District) (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Barf LD.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is The Bishop of Barf?
- The Bishop of Barf is in the Scottish Lowlands, United Kingdom (postcode CA12 5SQ), in the parish of Above Derwent.
- Is The Bishop of Barf a protected site?
- Yes — The Bishop of Barf is part of the Bassenthwaite Lake SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the River Derwent and Tributaries SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- Is The Bishop of Barf free to visit?
- Yes, The Bishop of Barf is free to enter.
- How do I get to The Bishop of Barf?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode CA12 5SQ. It sits within the Penrith and Solway parliamentary constituency.