HERITAGE
FROM A FARMING VILLAGE TO AN ADVANCED ENGINEERING TOWN
There’s More Heritage Than Meets The Eye
Barrow is renowned for building some of the most advanced Nuclear Submarines in the World, but also offers visitors ‘more than meets the eye’. Surrounded by sea on three sides, Barrow has a rich maritime heritage centred round its ship-building history, but its coastal location also offers a whole lot more. With over 60km of coastline, Barrow boasts its very own island complete with a castle and a king, the only grey seal colony in Cumbria, a range of beaches fit for sport and leisure and is ranked number one in England for its diversity of nature.
The arrival of the Furness Railway in 1846 was to be the turning point in Barrow’s history. Over the following decades it was transformed from a farming village of 30 houses into a bustling industrial town. The people behind the story of Barrow’s remarkable history include dukes, lords, engineers and entrepreneurs and the name that stands out particularly is James Ramsden. The opportunities offered by “the English Chicago” brought thousands of people looking for work and it was their efforts that made the town unique.
Discover Barrow’s heritage by visiting the Dock Museum, which delves into Barrow’s past as far back as the Viking Settlements, the Cistercian Monks of the 12th Century, the birth of modern day Barrow and how Barrow was instrumental in the war efforts during World War I & World War II.
History lovers can’t visit Barrow without heading to Furness Abbey, but why not combine history with a walk and undertake the Cistercian Way which was the route taken by the Monks in the 12th Century and takes in Piel Island and the Piel Castle in Dalton.