Sedbergh has a narrow main street lined with shops. From all angles, the hills rising behind the houses can be seen. Until the coming of the Ingleton Branch Line in 1861, these remote places were reachable only by walking over some steep hills. The line to Sedbergh railway station ran from 1861 to 1954. The civil parish covers a large area, including the hamlets of Millthrop, Catholes, Marthwaite, Brigflatts, High Oaks, Howgill, Lowgill and Cautley, the southern part of the Howgill Fells and the western part of Baugh Fell. George Fox, a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, spoke in the churchyard of St. Andrew's Church and on nearby Firbank Fell during his travels in the North of England in 1652. Briggflatts Meeting House was built in 1675. It is the namesake of Basil Bunting's long poem Briggflatts. Sedbergh School is a co-educational boarding school in the town; Settlebeck School is its main state-funded secondary school.
History
Sedbergh's parish church, dedicated to St Andrew, dates from the 12th century, although restored periodically since then. There is at least one house in the village dating from the 14th century, and there are remains of a motte and bailey castle believed to date from Saxon times. Sedbergh's main industries for many years were farming and the production of woollen garments. Wool was taken to mills for spinning into yarn, from which people in their homes knitted clothing such as hats and socks. The garments were sold, for instance, to the coal miners of the North-East England. This trade of long ago is remembered at Farfield Mill, just outside the town, which has an exhibition of weaving equipment and workshops for a number of artists and crafts workers.
Personal incomes now come from a range of sources: the schools are major employers. Sedbergh is also England's official book town. Though smaller than these, it has several independent bookshops and dealers. It is possible that the employment in small to medium manufacturing and wholesale companies matches or exceeds that of schools – a growing feature of the economy. Other major sources of income are farming, retail and tourism. The profile of Sedbergh rose considerably after it featured in a BBC documentary series, The Town that Wants a Twin, airing for twelve episodes in January and February 2005. One result was for Sedbergh to twin with Zreče in north-eastern Slovenia. The town suffered an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001. As livestock farming declined, it has been promoted as a destination for walkers and ramblers. In 2015 the town was accepted as a Walkers are Welcome town. The town golf club is located at Catholes-Abbott Holme. A monthly booklet "Sedbergh and District Lookaround" gives details of events and activities in the town and its organisations, along with times of buses and religious services. It is available at local shops for a suggested donation of £1. Online copies are available from its website.
