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Revision as of 15:56, 13 January 2007
Template:Infobox England place with map
Barrow-in-Furness or simply Barrow is a town in the county of Cumbria, in North West England. Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, it is the largest town in the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness[1] and the largest town in the peninsula of Furness.
Barrow, as it is colloquially known, is a coastal town along Morecambe Bay and is bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. Barrow expanded rapidly from a small hamlet in 1840s to become a large town by 1880. The original impetus came with the development of the Furness Railway Company, but by the late 19th century it had also developed the world's largest steel-making facility, besides becoming the major shipbuilding centre that it remains today.[2]
Geography and administration
Barrow-in-Furness is situated at the tip of the Furness peninsula on the north-western edge of Morecambe Bay. To its west lies Walney Island, which is connected to the mainland by Jubilee Bridge, a lifting bridge of the Bascule type. Twenty miles to the north-east is the English Lake District. Barrow's O.S. grid reference is SD198690, and the dialling code is 01229. Barrow is at the very south-western tip of the shire county of Cumbria, but originally was part of Lancashire. Furness is often described as the 'largest cul-de-sac in England' and is fairly isolated. The possibility of a bridge link over Morecambe Bay is occasionally raised, with fesability studies currently underway.
Wards
Barrow Borough Council and Cumbria County Council are the two local authorities that are responsible for services in the area. Within the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, the town is divided into wards for election purposes. The thirteen wards and their populations are shown below:
Barrow Island Ward 2,606
Central Ward 5,585
Dalton North Ward 6,599
Dalton South Ward 6,200
Hawcoat Ward 5,308
Hindpool Ward 5,515
Newbarns Ward 5,913
Ormsgill Ward 5,961
Parkside Ward 5,742
Risedale Ward 5,663
Roosecote Ward 5,501
Walney North Ward 5,604
Walney South Ward 5,784
Barrow is surrounded by numerous isles, all of which fall into the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. Walney Island is reached by a bridge from Barrow Docks. It is a 10 mile long island, reputedly the windiest lowland site in Britain, containing two important Nature Reserves. The North Nature Reserve has an area for preserving Britain's rarest amphibian, the Natterjack Toad. Over 130 species of bird have also been recorded there. The South Nature Reserve has the largest nesting ground of Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gull in Europe.
Between Walney Island and Barrow is the tiny Piel Island, on which is Piel Castle, built by the monks of Furness Abbey to protect their harbour from the Scots. It can be reached by a ferry from Roa Island, a few miles south-east of Barrow
Demographics
Barrow changed from a small village with a population of a few hundred in 1842, to a peak population of around 100,000 (Including the surrounding urban areas) after World War One. Since then the population of the town itself has decreased to around 60,000. The Barrow council district, which includes the surrounding area, had a population 71,980 (2001 census), out of which 35,092 were male, and 36,888 were female. Barrow-in-Furness can be regarded as the largest town in Cumbria, since Carlisle in the north has city status - owing to its cathedral and larger size. So Barrow is the second largest settlement in the county. Infant mortality in the town is at an all time low with 4 deaths per 1,000 births, whilst 1911 saw 110 per 1,000 and 180 in 1851. The people of Barrow are known as 'Barrovians'.
- Barrow-in-Furness makes up around 71.9% of the population of Furness
- Barrow-in-Furness makes up around 14.4% of the population of Cumbria
- Barrow-in-Furness makes up around 1.1% of the population of North West England
- Barrow-in-Furness makes up around 0.001% of the population of The United Kingdom
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1801 (Census) | 1,958 |
| 1850 (Approx.) | 5,000 |
| 1901 (Census) | 67,354 |
| 1950 (Approx.) | 77,000 |
| 2001 (Census) | 71,980 |
| P.O.B | Total of Population |
| UK | 70,343 |
| Outside of European Union | 1,071 |
| In The EU, including Ireland | 566 |
Around 99% of Barrovians are classified as white, but this includes White British and White Europeans The largest minority ethnic group in the town are Chinese which make up 0.13% of the population (roughly 100), and there has been an increase in people from the eastern European Union since 2002. There are small but distinct Kosovan and Filipino populations in the town, as well as South Asians and Blacks/ Afro-Caribbean. Over the last 10 years, the ethnic minority population in Barrow has doubled from around 0.5% in 1991. [1]
2001 Census of Ethnicity in Barrow
| Ethnic Group | Percentage (%) | Total of population (approx.) |
| White | 99.2 | 71,400 |
| Of which White Irish | 0.5 | 360 |
| Multiracial/ Mixed | 0.3 | 215 |
| Asian or Asian British | 0.2 | 215 |
| Chinese or other ethnic group | 0.2 | 140 |
| Black or Black British | 0.1 | 140 |
| Age Range | Total | Males | Females |
| 0 - 4 | 4,125 | 2,173 | 1,952 |
| 5 - 9 | 4,872 | 2,452 | 2,420 |
| 10 - 14 | 5,021 | 2,590 | 2,431 |
| 15 - 19 | 4,361 | 2,155 | 2,206 |
| 20 - 24 | 3,263 | 1,600 | 1,663 |
| 25 - 29 | 4,248 | 2,051 | 2,197 |
| 30 - 34 | 5,332 | 2,603 | 2,729 |
| 35 - 39 | 5,452 | 2,717 | 2,735 |
| 40 - 44 | 5,012 | 2,592 | 2,420 |
| 45 - 49 | 4,545 | 2,224 | 2,321 |
| 50 - 54 | 5,244 | 2,686 | 2,558 |
| 55 - 59 | 4,443 | 2,261 | 2,182 |
| 60 - 64 | 4,047 | 2,039 | 2,008 |
| 65 - 69 | 3,350 | 1,677 | 1,673 |
| 70 - 74 | 2,906 | 1,282 | 1,624 |
| 75 - 79 | 2,449 | 984 | 1,465 |
| 80 - 84 | 1,936 | 644 | 1,292 |
| 85 - 89 | 955 | 273 | 682 |
| 90 and over | 419 | 89 | 330 |
| Totals | 71,980 | 35,092 | 36,888 |
Religion Total Population Christian 58,322 No Religion 7,769 Religion not stated in survey 5,465 Muslim 182 Other 93 Buddhist 72 Hindu 46 Jewish 25 Sikh 6
History
Etymology
The name "Barrow" is possibly a corruption of the Old Norse meaning "Barren Island", which would have originally referred to Barrow Island (now subsumed into the mainland). Another theory says that the name came from Old Norse Barrey = "Barr Island", where barr is the Celtic word meaning "promontory".[citation needed]
Early history
During the Middle Ages the area was dominated by the powerful monks of Furness Abbey, just outside the modern Barrow. By the 15th century the abbey had become the second richest and most powerful Cistercian abbey in England, after Fountains Abbey. Until 1845, Barrow was one of several small hamlets on the Furness peninsula, within the parish of Dalton-in-Furness, being dependent on agriculture and occasional fishing.
Growth from a hamlet to a town
In 1839 H.W. Schneider (who later had a home at Bowness-on-Windermere and commuted to Barrow via steam yacht and rail) came as a young speculator and dealer in iron. In 1846 the earliest portion of the Furness Railway was constructed and a rail ferry from Roa Island connected it to the national network at Fleetwood. In 1850, Schneider finally discovered large deposits of iron ore, and he erected blast furnaces at Barrow, which by 1876 formed the largest steelworks in the world. The mining and steelworks caused Barrow to grow from a sleepy hamlet to have a population of to 47,000 by 1881, just forty years after the railway was built.
During the boom years of the 19th century, Sir James Ramsden, superintendent of the Furness Railway, devised a plan for the town. There are few planned towns in the United Kingdom, and Barrow is one of the oldest. Its town centre contains a grid of well-built terraced houses, with long tree-lined roads leading away from central squares. Ramsden later became the first mayor of Barrow, which had become a municipal borough in 1867, and a county borough in 1889. [2] The Town Hall was built in a neo-gothic style in 1887. Prior to this , the Borough Council had met at the railway headquarers: the railway company also operated the local docks and provided many of the local houses.
Submarine and shipbuilding
The Barrow Docks, supported by Ramsden, were largely constructed between 1867-1881, using the channel facing across to Barrow Island. They came to be largely used for shipbuilding. The Barrow Iron Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1870 and a first steamship was launched in 1873. In 1897 the shipyard was taken over by the Yorkshire firm of Vickers, soon to become the town's best-known employer. They developed the Vickerstown area of Barrow for their workers. During the two world wars, Barrow yard continued to grow, with the town's population peaking at 74,000 in 1931. Following World War II, the town's fortunes remained linked to those of the shipbuilders.
The town also began to specialise in submarines. The Royal Navy's first submarine had been built in Barrow in 1901 [3], and by 1914 the UK had the most advanced submarine fleet in the world, with 94% of it constructed by Vickers. The first nuclear submarine in the UK, HMS Dreadnaught, was also built in Barrow, as was the entire Astute class of submarines and the UK's current nuclear submarine fleet.
Post Cold War collapse
Gas found in Morecambe Bay and the Irish Sea has been piped to Barrow since 1985, entering the National Transmission System in the Roosecote area of Barrow. Wind turbines currently being built in the Irish Sea off the coast of Walney Island will send their electricity to Heysham, rather than Barrow, due to a lack of capacity at the Barrow terminus.
The end of the Cold War marked a reduction in the demand for military submarines and ships, and the town entered a period of decline. Emplyoment figures for the shipyard fell from over 20,000 at the start of the 1980s to just 3,000 in 2000. However, it remains a key employer and any renewal of the Trident submarines would occur in Barrow. The dock area has also seen development with retail parks, new industrial estates and Furness College constructed in them. A new marina development is in its early stages.
In 2002 Barrow suffered the UK's worst outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease. Six women and one man died as a result of the illness, another 172 people also contracted the disease. The cause was found to be faulty air conditioning at the town's Forum 28 Arts Centre.
Industry and commerce
The industrialisation of Barrow began in 1846 when the Furness Railway was constructed and a rail ferry connected this to the national network at Fleetwood. Though shipbuilding is now the major industrial employer, a number of other industries have been involved in the area.
Iron & steel
Iron ore, mined in Roose, Dalton-in-Furness and Lindal-in-Furness, was brought to Barrow to be transported by sea. Steelworks soon followed, making use of coal from the Cumberland mines. The iron and steel works were the largest in the world and from being a sleepy hamlet, Barrow's population grew to 47,000 by 1881, just forty years after the railway was built. The steel works grew on the back of the ship building industry, but post World War II and particularly the end of the Cold War, the iron and steelworks, suffering from overseas competition and dwindling resources, continued to decline. The ironworks closed in 1963, three years after the last Furness mine shut. The then small steelworks followed suit in 1984.
Shipbuilding
The docks were built, overseen by Ramsden on Barrow Island, to export iron ore. The first steamship was produced in 1870. Ramsden also founded the Barrow Shipbuilding Company, which became Vickers in 1897. The shipyard took over from the railway and steelworks as the largest employer and landowner in Barrow, constructing Vickerstown on the adjacent Walney Island in the early twentieth century and building Abbey House as a guest house and residence for the managing director.
During the two world wars, Barrow shipyard continued to grow, with the town's population peaking at 74,000 in 1931. Following World War II, the town's fortunes remained linked to those of the shipyard. Famous ships built in Barrow include the Mikasa, Japanese flagship during the Russo-Japanese War and the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, though the yard gradually specialised in submarines. The Royal Navy's first submarine, Holland 1, was built in Barrow in 1901, and newer ones such as HMS Resolution were developed from the 1960s. The Vanguard-class and Trafalgar-class submarines, were all built in Barrow. Several of the new Astute class attack submarines have been scheduled to be built in Barrow.
-
Vanguard-class of four Trident ballistic missile submarines
-
Trafalgar-class of seven nuclear attack submarines
-
HMS Manchester, one of three Type 42 destroyers built by VSEL.
-
HMCS Chicoutimi, Victoria-class attack submarine -
HMS Invincible
.jpg)
_Type_42_destroyer.jpg){kind=link}
- See also: VSEL
- BAE Systems Submarines
- BAE Systems Naval Ships
- Vickers Armstrong
- BAE Systems
- Barrow built ships
Nature
Walney Island is reached by a bridge from Barrow Docks. It is a 10 mile long island, reputedly the windiest lowland site in Britain, containing two important Nature Reserves. The North Nature Reserve has an area for preserving Britain's rarest amphibian, the Natterjack Toad. Over 130 species of bird have also been recorded there. The South Nature Reserve has the largest nesting ground of Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls in Europe.
Transportation
By Road
Barrow's principal road link is the A590, linking it to Ulverston, the Lake District and to the M6 motorway. This road enters Barrow's northern edge and runs south into the town centre and on to Walney Island, its terminus. Just north of Barrow is the southern terminus of the A595, linking the town to Whitehaven, Workington and eventually Carlisle. The other A road in the town is the A5087, which goes south out of Barrow to Rampside and then along the northern coast of Morecambe Bay into Ulverston via Bardsea.
By Rail
Barrow-in-Furness railway station provides connections to Whitehaven, Workington and Carlisle to the north, via the Cumbrian Coast Line, and to Ulverston, Grange-over-Sands and Lancaster to the east, via the Furness Line, and anually handles 1/2 a million passengers (approximately 4 return journeys per citizen of Barrow per year). Barrow has a second railway station, called Roose railway station, which serves the suburb of Roose.
By Air
Barrow is also home to a regional airfield (Barrow/Walney Island Airfield), owned and operated by BAE Systems(IATA airport code: BWF, ICAO: EGNL). It is one of two airports in the county, the other being Carlisle Airport.
By Sea
Barrow-in-Furness is one of England's major ports, and after the major shipbuilding industry, and the opening of Vickers (Now BAE Systems Submarines) the town has become even more linked with the sea. Currently there is no ferry system between Ireland etc, but in the future there are plans to create a new cruise ship terminal, along with the new Barrow marina village.
Sport
Football
Barrow is home to Barrow A.F.C., a former football league club who have traditionally been one of the best supported non-league football teams in the UK since their demotion in the 1970s. Barrow A.F.C. was founded in the year 1901 and the team are known by their fans as "The Bluebirds", owing to their blue and white kit. In 1990 they won their most prestigious competition, the FA Trophy, beating Leek Town 3-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium, London. Their current manager is Phil Wilson and they play in the Conference North.
Rugby
Barrow is a stronghold of rugby league, its team Barrow Raiders play in National League Two.
Until 1995 the team was simply titled Barrow RLFC, but they adopted the nickname Barrow Braves to coincide with rugby league’s switch to a summer season. In 1997 they merged with Cumbrian rivals Carlisle Border Raiders to form Barrow Border Raiders. The new team played all its matches in Barrow; the merger was essentially a financial arrangement only. In 2002 the Border part of the name, which was never that relevant to Barrow, which is in south Cumbria, was dropped.
Under the coaching of Peter Roe, they were National League Two champions in 2004 and promoted to National League One. However, they were relegated back to National League Two at the end of the 2005 season. The financial situation at the club forced a review of the coaching structure and the position of head coach was made part-time and the club parted company with Peter Roe.
In October 2005 local ex-player Paul Crarey was recently appointed as the new head coach.
Honours
- Challenge Cup - 1954-55
- Division Two Championship - 1975-76
- Division Three Championship - 2003-04
- Lancashire Cup - 1954-55, 1983-84
Cricket
Barrow Cricket Club plays in the Northern League Division Two (1st XI) and Division B West (2nd XI). Their ground is on Abbey Road next to Furness General Hospital, and is the town's main cricket team. The President is Dr. Okell Esq. and the Chairman is Nick Bell.
Media
Radio
Barrow is served by two commercial radio stations - The Bay at 96.9FM and Abbey FM. The Bay is available around the Morecambe Bay area, and serves Lancaster, Morecambe, Kendal and Ulverston. Abbey FM is a recently launched station at 107.3 FM. This broadcasts solely around Barrow and the Furness area. The BBC's local radio service is BBC Radio Cumbria.
TV
Barrow is in the Granada TV/ North West England region, and the television available in the area is usually transmitted from Manchester and Liverpool.
Newspapers
As well as national newspapers, the regional newspaper for Furness is called the North West Evening Mail. There is also a free shorter version of it called the Advertiser, which is delivered to most households. This contains mainly advertisements, but is run and owned by the North West Evening Mail.
Culture and attractions
Venues
- Forum 28- Forum 28 is Barrow's main theatre and arts venue. It is situated directly across from Barrow Town Hall. Forum 28 hosts a lively and varied programme of music, dance, comedy and drama events, staged by touring and local companies.
- The Canteen Media & Arts Centre - known simple as "The Canteen" is a multi-purpose venue facility. It is a new media and arts centre venue for Barrow-in-Furness.
Tourism
Situated at the tip of the Furness peninsula, and only 20 minutes from the English Lake District, Barrow-in-Furness projects into the Irish Sea with Morecambe Bay to the south and the Duddon Estuary to the north.
Barrow has many well known tourist sites, and is often known as 'the Gateway to the Lakes' The Lake District is one of the most visited places in England, and referring to Barrow as the gateway - mainly by sea - has certainly helped. The new marina complex will definately add to this status, and if the cruise ship terminal is constructed, even more so. Possibly the biggest tourist attraction in the area is the South Lakes Wild Animal Park, this zoo is located just off the A590 road, past Barrow and near Dalton. It is one of the best conservation zoos in the country, and has recently seen new developments, and regeneration of the park. Wildlife and scenery is probably the biggest draw to the area, and the Walney nature reserves contribute to the tourism. There are lots of walks that can be made around the area, along beaches, up mountains etc, and this is another factor that contributes to the tourism. In the Town, Barrow is home to many shopping opportunities on Dalton Road and Portland Walk Shopping Centre, whilst Hollywood Park is home to fast food outlets, a Multiplex Apollo Cinema, a health club (Cannons), a bowling alley and bingo hall. As well as 'The Wacky Warehouse' Custom House on Abbey Road is home to a huge kids indoor adventure playground, the Custom House also house's the Unique tagging game - Lazer Zone.
Nightlife
Barrow is often described as having the best nightlife in the Lakes, Barrow's main entertainment district is to the west of the Town Hall, where Cornwallis and Duke Street hold host to dozens of bars, pubs and clubs. There are many restaurants in and around the Town centre (Dalton Road) such as The Italian favourites: Paulo Giannis and Salvana's and many other Chinese and Indian restaurants: The Diamond and Mithali, to name a few. The Furness Railway and Yates' Winebar are also local favourites. As well as Cornwallis Street (often nicknames 'The Gaza Strip'), a new floating restaurant in the Towns Quay is home to one of the regions most unique nightclubs (The Blue Lagoon). These are only nightlife locations, and there are many other restaurants and bars that are visited throughout the day.
Education
Schools and colleges
The main secondary schools and colleges in Barrow are listed below. These are only the places of further education. In addition to this, some of the University of Cumbria's education will take place in Barrow from 2007, though the university is not to be centred there.
Secondary Schools
- Parkview School (secondary)
- St. Bernard's Catholic High School (secondary)
- Thorncliffe School (secondary)
- Walney School (secondary)
- Alfred Barrow School (secondary)
- Chetwynde School (nursery to sixth form)
Colleges of further education
- Barrow-in-Furness Sixth Form College
- Furness College
Other schools in Furness
- Ulverston Ulverston Victoria High School (secondary & sixth form)
- Dalton Dowdales School (secondary)
- Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands Cartmel Priory CE School (secondary)
- Coniston John Ruskin School (secondary)
Libraries and museums
The town's main library is the Central Library in Ramsden Square, situated near the town centre on the Abbey Road-Duke Street intersection. The present building dates from 1922, when it replaced earlier accommodation within the Town Hall. A branch of the County Archive Service, opened in 1979 and containing many of the town's archives, is located within adjoining premises, whilst until 1991 the library also housed the Furness Museum. Smaller branch libraries are currently provided at Roose, Ormsgill, Barrow Island and on Walney Island. The Dock Museum is now Barrow's leading museum: its displays depict the history of the town and the surrounding areas, with a particular emphasis on shipbuilding and on the iron and steel industry. The museum is situated right next to the dock where HMS Invincible (R05) was launched, and the wall of the old graving dock is still visible within the museum.
Significant employers
The following corporations employ a significant amount of workers:[citation needed]
- BAE Systems in Furness employs 5,000 staff members, and in that respect is the largest employer in the area.
- The National Health Service has approximately 3,000 staff members.
- The Tesco Extra supermarket employs 500 people.
- 470 employees work at the Kimberly-Clark Paper Mill.
- Approximately 400 people are employed by Asda supermarkets.
- Morrisons, another supermarket, has around 380 employees.
Retail
Barrow is one of the major shopping districts of the North West, and is home to many well known high street names as well as local businesses. The main and original shopping street in Barrow is Dalton Road, home to hundreds of stores, banks etc. Portland Walk Shopping Centre is a more recent addition, leading off from Dalton Road. It is home to a Debenhams department store, WH Smith, New Look, JJB and many more large shops. At the bottom end of Dalton Road is one of the area's largest markets. Barrow Indoor Market is home to hundreds of self-owned stalls. In addition to the town centre, there are 4 main retail parks. "Cornerhouse Retail Park" is home to a large Tesco Extra store, Homebase, Halfords and more; a new JJB health club/ fitness centre and B&Q are soon to be built there too. Just opposite is "Hindpool Retail Park" home to Aldi, Blockbusters, NEXT, Brantano and more. The nearby "Hollywood Retail Park" retail and leisure complex is home to a McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, Super Bowl and the six screen Apollo Cinemas. Elsewhere there is a un-named retail park containing an Asda Superstore, and one of the largest furniture stores in the country - (110,000 sq ft.) Stollers. This area also used to have an MFI/Allied Carpets store but this was destroyed in a fire on 5th November 2006. The UK's fourth largest supermarket chain, Morrison's has also opened a branch in Barrow.
Public services
The area is home to dozens of health centres, but the main hospital which serves the area is now the Furness General Hospital (FGH), which is one five University Hospitals of Morecambe owned by the NHS. There are two fire stations in Barrow, the new principal fire station, opened in 1997, being located on Park Road, at the end closest to the town centre. A smaller fire station is situated on Walney Island. The main police station is situated opposite the Town Hall on Duke Street.
Energy - Power
Parts of Barrow (including Walney Island) are some of the windiest places in Britain, and it is because of this that there are vast amounts of wind-farms across the region. There are wind-farms in the surrounding mountains, and a new 30 unit wind-farm has just been built in the Irish Sea off Walney Island. There has also been talk of building a bridge across Morecambe Bay between Rampside and Heysham, that would produce tidal power. Renewable energy is one of the main priorities energy wise, as currently the main energy source in the area is gas from the Irish Sea and Morecambe Bay gas fields. These come onshore at the National Grid Gas Terminal at Rooscote, often called Rampside Gas Terminal. Barrow is also around 25 miles from Sellafield Nuclear Power Plant, one of the largest nuclear plants in the country. Previously owned by BNFL, it is now owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Sellafield houses the Thorp Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plant, the Magnox Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plant, the inactive Calder Hall Magnox Nuclear Power Station — the world's first commercial nuclear power station and other older nuclear facilities.
Notable residents and births
Births
- Television Newsreader and Journalist Steve Dixon
- Great Britain stand-off and Barrow RLFC rugby football captain Willie Horne
- England defender and Liverpool F.C. football captain Emlyn Hughes
- England and Everton Football Club defender Gary Stevens
- Actor and scriptwriter Nigel Kneale
- Scientist and radio pioneer William Eccles
Residents
- Barrister and judge at the Nuremberg Trials William Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett
- Author and florist Constance Spry
- Swedish inventor and industrialist Thorsten Nordenfelt
- Actor and television presesnter Peter Purves lived and worked in Barrow when he began his acting career
Trivia
- Barrow is home to the largest marine shipbuilding hall in Europe (BAE Devonshire Dock Hall).
- By the 1870s Barrow had the world's largest steel-making industry.
- By the fifteenth century Barrow's Furness Abbey was the second richest, most powerful and grandest Cistercian monastery in the UK.
- Barrow Borough Council became the first public body in the UK to be charged with corporate manslaughter, as a result of the UK's worst Legionnaires' Disease outbreak. With 7 deaths (ranking 6th worst outbreak in the world) and 172 cases (ranking 4th worst outbreak in the world).
- Barrow is the busiest shipyard in England.
- Walney Island is reputed to be the windiest lowland site in Britain.
- Walney's South Nature Reserve has the largest nesting ground of Herring Gulls and Lesser Black Backed Gulls in Europe.
- Sir James Ramsden was the first mayor of Barrow, and served five successive terms in the town from 1867 onwards. The British civil engineer, industrialist, and civic leader, played a dominant role in the development of Barrow, including the Furness Railway and many other industrial projects.
- In 1851 around 1,900 vessels entered and cleared the port of Barrow. The first ship to be built in Barrow was the 'Jane Roper' which was launched in 1852.
- Around 160,000 tons of iron ore, copper and slate were handled in one year of the 1850s.
- Barrow bus depot was known for its role in a 1960's commercial for Chewits sweets
- Barrow was a major British target for the Germans in World War 2. Vickers Ship building yards (now BAE) were the main target, and parts of the town were devastated by the bombs. The small town of Grange-over-Sands which is around 20 miles from the docks, was mistaken for Barrow and was also bombed in WWII.
- ITV's Housewife, 49, starring Victoria Wood, was set and filmed in Barrow based on the Second World War diary of Nella Last who lived in Barrow.
- In December 2006, Steve Beall caused outrage by describing the town of Barrow-in-Furness as a s***hole in his online MySpace blog. Mr. Beall's comments, who had been relocated from his native Tyneside to Barrow to manage the new Thornton's chocolate shop, gained significant local media coverage and led to him being driven out of town by the local population, some of whom had prompted Mr. Beall's outburst by burgling £1000 worth of stock a day before the shop had even opened.
References and notes
- ^ Cumbria's Population in Urban Areas 2003. URL accessed December 11, 2006.
- ^ Barrow Museum Mission Statement, The Dock Museum Website. URL accessed December 11, 2006.