boxing day 1869 a sunday snow lay thick on the ground cathedral roof stout castle ramparts for days bitter east wind had blown from pennines across eden plain scudding heavily swollen waters of river caldew splitting opaque black surface into even darker ripples there was snow-muffled silence in this night-time city carlisle except boom bells every four hours most sombre sounds which carried far outside boundaries to outlaying cumberland villlages dawn that crude violent red sky lurid against startling white new grim many factories and mills district caldewgate all wide church street one mass unbroken crusty side streets leading off it were silted up with sheltered spots cobbles showed through glistened ice