Situated in the north of Cumbria against the Scottish border, Carlisle is not dissimilar to Barrow & Furness in the south of the county.
The seat is working-class, primarily industrial yet surrounded by dramatic and enchanting countryside.
Throughout the 1980s, the seat remained a compact urban core, with its council estates and textile factories providing Labour with the mainstay of their support.
There is plenty of historical interest in Carlisle. The city has a magnificent cathedral and Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in its castle.
The local museum boasts an impressive array of Roman artefacts and Hadrianís Wall bisects the city. The Leeds-Settle-Carlisle steam railway - the last great railway built in this country - helps boost tourist numbers to the city.
It was not surprising that Carlisle was accorded marginal status prior to the last general election.
After representing the seat since 1964, on occasion by just two and three figure majorities, Labourís 33 year hold on this rural constituency seemed in danger of slipping following the inclusion of three wards from the Conservative seat Penrith and the Border in 1995.
This, however, did not happen in 1997.