| Barrow-in-Furness | |
|---|---|
 Clockwise from the upper left:Central Barrow with the skyline ofBlackpool also visible,Barrow Island,Walney Bridge andFurness College,Furness Abbey,Ramsden Square,Dock Museum andDDH,Barrow Town Hall andSt. Mary's Church | |
 | |
  Barrow-in-Furness Location withinCumbria | |
| Population | 55,489 (2021 Census) |
| Demonym | Barrovian |
| OS grid reference | SD198690 |
| • London | 297 mi (478 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BARROW-IN-FURNESS |
| Postcode district | LA13, LA14 |
| Dialling code | 01229 |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| 54°06′39″N3°13′34″W / 54.1108°N 3.2261°W /54.1108; -3.2261 | |
Barrow-in-Furness is aport town andcivil parish (as just "Barrow") in theWestmorland and Furness district ofCumbria, England.Historically inLancashire, it was incorporated as amunicipal borough in 1867 and merged withDalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form theBorough of Barrow-in-Furness. The borough was merged into the new Westmorland and Furness district in 2023. At the tip of theFurness peninsula, close to theLake District, it is bordered byMorecambe Bay, theDuddon Estuary and theIrish Sea. In 2021, Barrow's population was 55,489, making it the second largest urban area in Cumbria afterCarlisle, and the largest in the Westmorland and Furness unitary authority.
Natives of Barrow, as well as the local dialect, are known asBarrovian.[1] In theMiddle Ages, Barrow was a smallhamlet within the parish of Dalton-in-Furness withFurness Abbey, now on the outskirts of the town, controlling the local economy before itsdissolution in 1537. The iron prospectorHenry Schneider arrived in Furness in 1839 and, with other investors, opened theFurness Railway in 1846 to transport iron ore and slate from local mines to the coast. The Furness Railway (company) commenced construction of an enclosed system of docks in 1863 which now form theRoyal Port of Barrow. Furtherhematite deposits were discovered, of sufficient size to develop factories for smelting and exporting steel. For a period in the late 19th century, theBarrow Hematite Steel Company-owned steelworks was the world's largest.[2]
Barrow's location and the availability of steel allowed the town to develop into a significant producer of naval vessels, a shift that was accelerated duringWorld War I and the local yard's specialisation in submarines. The original iron- and steel-making enterprises closed down afterWorld War II, leavingVickers shipyard as Barrow's main industry and employer. SeveralRoyal Navyflagships, the vast majority of itsnuclear submarines as well as numerous other naval vessels,ocean liners andoil tankers have been manufactured at the facility.
The end of theCold War and subsequentdecrease in military spending saw high unemployment in the town through lack of contracts; despite this, theBAE Systems shipyard remains operational as the UK's largest by workforce (12,000 employees in 2024)[3] and is now undergoing a major expansion associated with theDreadnought-class submarine programme.[4] Furthermore, in 2023 it was announced that anew class of nuclear submarine, associated with the trilateralAUKUS military alliance, will be designed and principally constructed in Barrow.[5]
Today Barrow is also a hub for energy generation and handling. Offshore wind farms form one of the highest concentrations of turbines in the world, includingthe second largest offshore farm, with multiple operating bases in Barrow.[6]
The name was originally that of an island, Barrai, which can be traced back to 1190. This was later renamed Old Barrow, recorded as Oldebarrey in 1537, and Old Barrow Insula and Barrohead in 1577. The island was then joined to the mainland and the town took its name. The name itself seems to mean "island with promontory", combining Britishbarro- and Old Norseey, but it is more likely thatScandinavian settlers simply acceptedbarro- as a meaningless name, and so added an explanatoryOld Norse second element.[7]
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Barrow was nicknamed "the EnglishChicago" because of the sudden and rapid growth in its industry, economic stature and overall size.[8] More recently the town has been dubbed the "capital ofblue-collar Britain" byThe Guardian, reflecting its strong working class identity.[9] Barrow is also often jokingly referred to as being at the end of the longestcul-de-sac in the country because of its isolated location at the tip of the Furness peninsula.[10]
Barrow and the surrounding area has been settled non-continuously for several millennia with evidence ofNeolithic inhabitants onWalney Island. Despite a rich history ofRoman settlement across Cumbria and the discovery of related artefacts in the Barrow area, no buildings or structures have been found to support the idea of a functioning Roman community on theFurness peninsula.[11] TheFurness Hoard discovery ofViking silver coins and other artefacts in 2011 provided significant archaeological evidence ofNorse settlement in the early 9th century. Several areas of Barrow includingYarlside andOrmsgill, as well as "Barrow" and "Furness", have names ofOld Norse origin. TheDomesday Book of 1086 recorded the settlements of Hietun, Rosse and Hougenai, which are now the districts ofHawcoat,Roose andWalney respectively.
In theMiddle Ages the Furness peninsula was controlled by theCistercian monks of the Abbey of St Mary of Furness, known asFurness Abbey. This was in the "Vale of Nightshade", now on the outskirts of the town.[12] Founded for theSavigniac order, it was built on the orders ofKing Stephen in 1123. Soon after the abbey's foundation the monks discovered iron ore deposits, later to provide the basis for the Furness economy. These thin strata, close to the surface, were extracted through open cut workings,[13] which were then smelted by the monks.[14] The proceeds from mining, along with agriculture and fisheries, meant that by the 15th century the abbey had become the second richest and most powerful Cistercian abbey in England, afterFountains Abbey in Yorkshire.[15] The monks of Furness Abbey constructed a wooden tower on nearbyPiel Island in 1212 which acted as their main trading point; it was twice invaded by the Scots, in 1316 and 1322. In 1327King Edward III gave Furness Abbey alicence tocrenellate the tower, and amotte-and-bailey castle was built. However Barrow itself was just a hamlet in the parish ofDalton-in-Furness, reliant on the land and sea for survival. Small quantities of iron and ore were exported from jetties on the channel separating the village from Walney Island. Aside from Furness Abbey and Piel Castle the oldest surviving buildings in Barrow are cottages and farmhouses inNewbarns andOrmsgill which date back to the early 17th century; as well asRampside Hall, aGrade I listed building and the best-preserved in the Barrow area from the 1600s. Even as late as 1843 there were still only 32 dwellings, including two pubs.[16]
In 1839Henry Schneider arrived as a young speculator and dealer in iron, and he discovered large deposits ofhaematite in 1850. He and other investors founded theFurness Railway, the first section of which opened in 1846, to transport the ore from the slate quarries atKirkby-in-Furness and haematite mines atLindal-in-Furness andAskam and Ireleth to a deep-water harbour nearRoa Island.[17] The crucial and difficult link acrossMorecambe Bay betweenUlverston andCarnforth on the main line was promoted, as theUlverston and Lancaster Railway, by a group led byJohn Brogden and opened in 1857. It was promptly purchased by the Furness Railway.[18][19]
The docks built between 1863 and 1881 in the more sheltered channel between the mainland andBarrow Island replaced the port at Roa Island. The first dock to open wasDevonshire Dock in 1867, and Prime MinisterWilliam Ewart Gladstone stated his belief that "Barrow would become another Liverpool". The increasing quantities of iron ore mined in Furness were then brought into the centre of Barrow to be transported by sea.
The investors in the burgeoning mining and railway industries decided that greater profits could be made by smelting the iron ore and converting the resultant pig-iron into steel, and then exporting the finished product. Schneider andJames Ramsden, the railway's general manager, erectedblast furnaces at Barrow that by 1876 formed the largest steelworks in the world.[20] Its success was a result of the availability of local iron ore and coal from theCumberland mines and easy rail and sea transport. The Furness Railway, which counted local aristocratsthe 7th Duke of Devonshire and theDuke of Buccleuch as investors, kick-started theIndustrial Revolution on the peninsula. The railway brought mined ore to the town, where the steelworks produced large quantities of steel. It was used for shipbuilding, and derived products such as rails were also exported from the newly built docks.[17]
Barrow's population grew rapidly. Population figures for the town itself were not collected until 1871,[21] though sources suggest that Barrow's population was still as low as 700 in 1851.[22] During the first half of the 19th century, Barrow formed part of the parish ofDalton-in-Furness, the population of which shows some of Barrow's early growth from the 1850s:
Population of the Parish of Dalton-in-Furness[21]
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,954 | 2,074 | 2,446 | 2,697 | 3,231 | 4,683 | 9,152 |
In 1871 Barrow's population was recorded at 18,584 and in 1881 at 47,259, less than forty years after the railway was built.[21] The majority of migrants originated from elsewhere in Lancashire although significant numbers settled in Barrow fromIreland andScotland, which represented 11% and 7% of the local population in the 1890s.[23][24] By the turn of the 20th century, the Scottish-born population had increased to form the highest portion anywhere in England. Other notable immigrant groups included Cornish people who represented 80% of the district of Roose's population at the time of the 1881 census. In an attempt to diversify Barrow's economy James Ramsden founded the Barrow and Calcutta Jute Company in 1870 and theBarrow Jute Works was soon constructed alongside the Furness Railway line inHindpool. The mill employed 2,000 women at its peak and was awarded a gold medal for its produce at the 1878 ParisExposition Universelle.[25]
The sheltered strait between Barrow and Walney Island was an ideal location for the shipyard. The first ship to be built, theJane Roper, was launched in 1852; the first steamship, a 3,000-ton liner namedDuke of Devonshire, in 1873. Shipbuilding activity increased, and on 18 February 1871 the Barrow Shipbuilding Company was incorporated. Barrow's relative isolation from the United Kingdom's industrial heartlands meant that the newly formed company included several capabilities that would usually be subcontracted to other establishments. In particular, a large engineering works was constructed including a foundry and pattern shop, a forge, and an engine shop. In addition, the shipyard had a joiners' shop, a boat-building shed and a sailmaking and rigging loft.[26]
During these boom years, Ramsden proposed building aplanned town to accommodate the large workforce which had arrived. There are few planned towns in the United Kingdom, and Barrow is one of the oldest. Its centre contains a grid of well-built terraced houses, with a tree-lined road leading away from a central square. Ramsden later became the first mayor of Barrow,[27] which was givenmunicipal borough status in 1867, and county borough status in 1889.[28] The imposing red sandstonetown hall, designed by W.H. Lynn, was built in a neo-gothic style in 1887.[29] Prior to this, the borough council had met at the railway headquarters: the railway company's control of industry extended to the administration of the town itself.
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The Barrow Shipbuilding Company was taken over by theSheffield steel firm ofVickers in 1897, by which time the shipyard had surpassed the railway and steelworks as the largest employer and landowner in Barrow. The company constructedVickerstown, modelled onGeorge Cadbury'sBournville, on the adjacent Walney Island in the early 20th century to house its employees.[30] It also commissionedSir Edwin Lutyens to designAbbey House as a guest house and residence for its managing director, Commander Craven.[31]
By the 1890s the shipyard was heavily engaged in the construction of warships for the Royal Navy and also for export. The Royal Navy's first submarine,Holland 1, was built in 1901,[32] and by 1914 the UK had the most advanced submarine fleet in the world, with 94% of it constructed by Vickers. Vickers was also famous for the construction ofairships andairship hangars during the early 20th century. Originally constructed in a large shed at Cavendish Dock, production later relocated toBarrow/Walney Island Airport.HMA No. 1, nicknamed the Mayfly is the most notable airship to have been built in Barrow. The first of its kind in the UK it came to an untimely end on 24 September 1911 when it was wrecked by wind during trials. Well-known ships built in Barrow includeMikasa, the Japanese flagship during the 1905Russo-Japanese War, the linerSS Oriana and the aircraft carriersHMS Invincible andHMAS Melbourne. It should also be noted that there was a significant presence of Vickers' armament division in Barrow with the hugeHeavy Engineering Workshop on Michaelson Road supplying ammunition for theBritish Army andRoyal Navy throughout both world wars. World War 1 brought significant temporary migration as workers arrived to work in the munitions factory and shipyard, with the town's population reaching to an estimated peak of around 82,000 during the War.[21] Thousands of local men fought abroad during World War I, 616 were ultimately killed in action.[33]
During World War II, Barrow was a target for theGerman air force looking to disable the town's shipbuilding capabilities (seeBarrow Blitz).[34] The town suffered the most in a short period between April and May 1941. During the war, a local housewife,Nella Last, was selected to write a diary of her experiences on the home front for theMass-Observation project. Her memoirs were later adapted for television asHousewife, 49 starringVictoria Wood. The difficulty in targeting bombs meant that the shipyards and steelworks were often missed, at the expense of the residential areas. Ultimately, 83 people were killed and 11,000 houses in the area were left damaged. To escape the heaviest bombardments, many people in the central areas left the town to sleep in hedgerows, with some being permanently evacuated. Barrow's industry continued to supply the war effort, withWinston Churchill visiting the town on one occasion to launch theaircraft carrierHMS Indomitable.[35] Besides the dozens of civilians killed during World War II, some 268 Barrovian men were also killed whilst in combat.[33]
Barrow's population reached a second peak in of 77,900 in 1951;[36] however, by this point the long decline of mining and steel-making as a result of overseas competition and dwindling resources had already begun. The Barrow ironworks closed in 1963,[37] three years after the last Furness mine shut. The by then small steelworks followed suit in 1983,[38] leaving Barrow's shipyard as the town's principal industry. From the 1960s onwards it concentrated its efforts in submarine manufacture, and the UK's first nuclear-powered submarine,HMS Dreadnought, was constructed in 1960.HMS Resolution, theSwiftsure,Trafalgar andVanguard-class submarines all followed. The last of these are armed withTrident IImissiles as part of the British government'sTrident nuclear programme.
The end of the Cold War in 1991 marked a reduction in the demand for military ships and submarines, and the town continued its decline. The shipyard's dependency on military contracts at the expense of civilian and commercial engineering and shipbuilding meant it was particularly hard hit as government defence spending was reduced dramatically.[39] As a result, the workforce shrank from 14,500 in 1990 to 5,800 in February 1995,[40] with overall unemployment in the town rising over that period from 4.6% to 10%.[4] The rejection by theVSEL management of detailed plans for Barrow's industrial renewal in the mid-to-late 1980s remains controversial.[41] This has led to renewed academic attention in recent years to the possibilities of converting military-industrial production in declining shipbuilding areas to the offshore renewable energy sector.[42]
In a 2002outbreak of legionellosis in the town, 172 people were reported to have caught the disease, of whom seven died. This made it the fourth worst outbreak in the world in terms of number of cases and sixth worst in terms of deaths. The source of the bacteria was later found to be steam from a badly maintained air conditioning unit in the council-run arts centreForum 28.[43]
At the conclusion of the inquest into the seven deaths, the coroner for Furness and South Cumbria criticised the council for its health and safety failings.[44] In 2006, council employee Gillian Beckingham and employerBarrow Borough Council were cleared of seven charges ofmanslaughter. Beckingham, the council senior architect was fined £15,000 and the authority £125,000. Following the trials the contractor responsible for maintaining the plant settled a £1.5 million claim by the council for damages.[45] The borough council was the first public body in the country to face corporate manslaughter charges.[46]
2006 saw the construction ofBarrow Offshore Wind Farm, which has acted as a catalyst for further investment in offshorerenewable energy.Ormonde Wind Farm andWalney Wind Farm followed in 2011, the latter of which became the largest offshore wind farm in the world. The three wind farms are located west of Walney Island and are operated primarily byØrsted (company), contain a total of 162turbines and have a combinednameplate capacity of 607 MW, providing energy for well over half a million homes.West of Duddon Sands Wind Farm was commissioned in 2014 while Walney was extended in 2018 to again become the world's largest such offshore facility.
During the initial wave of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Barrow had the highest rate of infection of any local authority in the United Kingdom. This was attributed to various socio-economic factors and a high level of testing also seen in the neighbouring authorities of South Lakeland and Lancaster.[47] Rates fluctuated throughout the year and towards the end of 2020 infection rates were amongst the lowest in country.
From the mid 2010's to present, significant investment has taken place at BAE Systems' shipyard in Barrow with an expansion to accommodate the newDreadnought-class programme. Further to this, commitments associated with theAUKUS submarine programme will safeguard the shipyard's long-term future. Significant investment in renewable energy is also taking place with emerging proposals to repurpose Rampside Gas Terminals to facilitate the storage of carbon in the depleted Morecambe gas fields.
In 2023 media reported that Barrow was "torn apart" byfalse grooming gang allegations, with public demonstrations targeting thelocal newspaper, the Asian community and police.[48][49]The scandal was the subject of the 2024 BBC documentaryLiar: The Fake Grooming Scandal and the perpetratorEleanor Williams was duly convicted and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.[50]
Barrow is the largest town in the district ofWestmorland and Furness. Previously the town was in the borough ofBarrow-in-Furness, which had directly inherited the municipal and county borough charters given to the town in the late 19th century.[51] Historically it is part of the hundred ofLonsdale 'north of the sands' in thehistoric county boundaries ofLancashire.[52]
From the 1974 local government reforms until 2023, the town was within the administrative county ofCumbria. On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished[53] and became anunparished area. It still forms a part of theDuchy of Lancaster. TheBarrow-in-Furness Borough Council formed the 'lower' tier of local government underCumbria County Council.[54] Since the2011 local election, theLabour Party has had overall control of the borough council, while the Borough elected six Labour and five Conservative Party councillors at the2017 Cumbria County election. Until 2023 the town, along withWalney Island, was unparished and formed the bulk of the wards which made the entire borough's area. The mayor and deputy mayor of Barrow were elected annually, and held the roles of chairman and vice-chairman of Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council.[55] The borough and former county borough of Barrow-in-Furness were served by 107 mayors, beginning withSir James Ramsden in 1867 and continuing through to incumbent 2022 mayor Helen Wall.[55]
| Council/ Electoral wards of Barrow-in-Furness (up to April 2023) |
Barrow Island |Central |Hawcoat |Hindpool |Newbarns |Ormsgill |Parkside |Risedale |Roosecote |Walney North |Walney South |
On 1 April 2023, both Barrow Borough Council andCumbria County Council ceased to exist when the districts of Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland merged to formWestmorland and Furness. A civil parish was formed named just "Barrow" from the unparished area.[56][57][58]
At the same time, ward boundaries within Barrow were redrawn, combining previously independent wards. These include: 'Old Barrow' (comprising the existing Barrow Island, Central and Hindpool wards), Hawcoat and Newbarns, Ormsgill and Parkside, Risedale and Roosecote and Walney Island.
The Barrow-in-FurnessUK Parliament constituency first came into existence during the1885 United Kingdom general election, withDavid Duncan of theLiberal Party becoming the firstMember of Parliament (MP) for the town. The seat was won by the Conservative Party in1892, before being won for the first time by Labour in1906. In the subsequent 40 years the seat swung between Conservative and Labour, but since 1945 it has been generally considered a Labour safe seat.[59] In 1983, the constituency was expanded to include several commuter towns such as Dalton-in-Furness and Ulverston and was renamedBarrow and Furness. It was subsequently won by the Conservatives, with the victory attributed to Labour's stance against the nuclear-powered submarines that were being constructed in Barrow.[59] Following a change in Labour policy the party won Barrow and Furness in 1992.John Woodcock was the MP for the constituency between the2010 and2019 general election, when ConservativeSimon Fell succeeded as MP for the Borough. In the 2024General Election, Labour candidateMichelle Scrogham became MP for Barrow and Furness, with 18,537 votes.
Barrow is situated at the tip of theFurness peninsula on the north-western edge ofMorecambe Bay, south of theDuddon Estuary and east of theIrish Sea.Walney Island, surrounds the peninsula's Irish Sea coast and is separated from Barrow by the narrowWalney Channel. Both Morecambe Bay and the Duddon Estuary are characterized by large areas ofquicksand and fast-movingtidal bores. Areas ofsand dunes exist on coasts surrounding Barrow, particularly atRoanhead andNorth Walney. The town centre and major industrial areas sit on a fairly flat coastal shelf, with hillier ground rising to the east of the town, peaking at 94 metres (310 ft) at Yarlside. Barrow sits on soils deposited during the end of theIce Age, eroded from the mountains of theLake District National Park, 10 miles (15 km) to the north-east. Barrow's soils are composed of glacial lake clay andglacial till, while Walney is almost entirely made up of reworked glacial morraine.[60][61] Beneath these soils is asandstone bedrock, from which many of the town's older buildings are constructed.[61]
Barrow town centre is located to the north-east of the docks, with suburbs also extending to the north and east, as well as onto Walney. Barrow is the only major urban area in South Cumbria, with the nearest settlements of a similar size beingLancaster andMorecambe. Other towns nearby includeDalton-in-Furness,Askam-in-Furness,Ulverston,Millom,Grange-over-Sands,Kendal andWindermere.
Most of the town is sheltered from the Irish Sea byWalney Island, a14 mile (22.5 km) long island connected to the mainland by thebascule typeJubilee bridge. About 13,000 live on the isle's various settlements, mostly inVickerstown, which was built to house workers in the rapidly expanding shipyard. Another significant island which lay in the Walney Channel wasBarrow Island, but following the filling of the channel to create land for the shipyard it is now directly connected to the town. Other islands which lie close to Barrow arePiel Island, whosecastle protected the harbour from maraudingScots,Sheep Island,Roa Island andFoulney Island.
There are numerous natural and managed public parks and open spaces within Barrow. Walney North andSouth Nature Reserves are protected as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, as isSandscale Haws. Formal woodland areas within the town include Hawcoat/Ormsgill Quarry, How Tun Woods,Abbotswood, Barrow Steel Works & Slag Bank and Sowerby Wood. The 45-AcreBarrow Park is the largest and most centrally located man-made park in the town with smaller parks including Channelside Haven, Hindpool Urban Park and Vickerstown Park. There are also 25 council-owned playgrounds and 15 allotments.
| Climate data forWalney Aerodrome (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.1 (44.8) | 7.5 (45.5) | 9.3 (48.7) | 12.1 (53.8) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 18.9 (66.0) | 18.8 (65.8) | 17.1 (62.8) | 13.8 (56.8) | 10.3 (50.5) | 7.9 (46.2) | 12.9 (55.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.0 (37.4) | 2.9 (37.2) | 3.9 (39.0) | 5.8 (42.4) | 8.4 (47.1) | 11.2 (52.2) | 13.1 (55.6) | 13.2 (55.8) | 11.3 (52.3) | 8.7 (47.7) | 5.9 (42.6) | 3.5 (38.3) | 7.6 (45.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 91.2 (3.59) | 75.6 (2.98) | 73.2 (2.88) | 54.1 (2.13) | 57.4 (2.26) | 68.2 (2.69) | 79.3 (3.12) | 89.9 (3.54) | 94.2 (3.71) | 117.8 (4.64) | 112.6 (4.43) | 113.3 (4.46) | 1,027 (40.43) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1 mm) | 15.6 | 12.4 | 13.0 | 10.6 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 11.3 | 12.2 | 12.0 | 15.2 | 16.8 | 16.6 | 155.4 |
| Source:Met Office[62] | |||||||||||||
TheBarrow council district, which included adjacent urban areas, had a population of 67,407 according to the 2021 census. This is -0.25% less than the 2011 figure and one of only five district which saw a decline in population, although the rate of decline is much lower than the 4% reduction seen between 2001 and 2011.[63][64] The Office for National Statistics states Barrow's population as being in long term decline with a projected population of around 65,000 by 2037. This is largely a result of negativenet migration although is based on historic trends thus does not take account of investment at BAE Systems and associated substantial job creation.[65] The population within the town of Barrow itself was 55,489 as at 2021.
The 2021 census states 95.7% of the former Borough of Barrow's population (I.e. Barrow, Dalton and villages) asWhite British, and ethnic minority populations in Barrow stood at 4.2%.[66] Other ethnic groups in Barrow includeOther White 1.4%,Asian 1.4%,Mixed Race 0.8%,Black 0.5%,Arab 0.1% andall other ethnic groups represented 0.2% of the population. The first people to settle in what is now Barrow were theCelts andScandinavians followed by theCornish. Most Barrovians however are descended from migrants fromScotland,Ireland and other parts of England who arrived from the late 19th century onwards.
Barrow's Chinese connections were the subject of a documentary on Chinese state television in 2014.[67] The programme covered diplomatLi Hongzhang's fact finding mission to the town's steelworks and shipyard in 1896 as well as the 2012 discovery of a hoard of Chinese coins discovered in Barrow dated around a similar time that have been suggested as having been brought over by sailors or labourers.[67] TheSociety for Anglo-Chinese Understanding is a charity with a branch based in Barrow that aims to develop relations with theBritish Chinese community and the general British population. It was established in 1975 and publishes the quarterlyChina Eye magazine.
In 2021 93.0% of the borough's population was born in England, 2.3% inScotland, 0.5% inWales and 0.4% inNorthern Ireland. 3.8% of the town's 2021 population were born elsewhere in the world. The five most common foreign countries of birth were thePhilippines,India,Nigeria,Germany andPoland.[68]
According to the 2021 census, 98.4% of Barrovians spoke English as a main language, withTagalog, the various Chinese dialects andPolish prevailing as the second, third and fourth most common main languages (0.3%, 0.2% and 0.2% of the population respectively). The Tagalog-speaking population represents the second highest of any district in northern England by percentage of the population.[69]
In the 2021 census 53.1% of the Borough of Barrow's population stated themselves as being Christian. People stating no religion or chose not to state totalled 45.5% combined. Other religious groups represented 1.4% of the population, withIslam andBuddhism prevailing as the first and second most common groups.[70] Conishead Priory, the firstKadampa Buddhist centre in the west, is home to around 100 Buddhists and is located off the Barrow to Ulverston Coast Road.[71] Historically Barrow was home to a notableAshkenazi Jewish community that peaked in size during the 1930s with a synagogue in the town. Nonetheless, it closed in 1974 and less than 20 Jews were recorded by the 2021 census.[72]
Historically Barrow's economy was dominated by the manufacturing sector, with theBarrow Hematite Steel Company andVickers Shipbuilding and Engineering being amongst the most important global companies in their respective fields during the 20th century. In the present day, manufacturing remains the largest employment sector in the town.BAE Systems is the single largest employer with around 12,000 employees as at 2024, anticipated to increase by a further 5,000.[73] However, like most of the UK, employment trends have greatly diversified since the 20th century and there are no other predominant employment sectors in Barrow.
Barrow has played a vital role in global ship and submarine construction for around 150 years.Ottoman submarineAbdül Hamid was built in the town in 1886 and became the first submarine in the world to fire a live torpedo underwater, while oil tankerBritish Admiral became the first British vessel to exceed 100,000 tonnes when launched in 1965. The vast majority of all current and former Royal Navy submarines were constructed in Barrow as well as numerousRoyal Navy Fleet Flagships.
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TheBAE Systems Maritime – Submarines shipyard at Barrow is the largest in the UK by workforce ahead ofBAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships inGovan. It was expanded in 1986 by construction of a new covered assembly facility, theDevonshire Dock Hall (DDH), completed byAlfred McAlpine, on land that was created by infilling part of theDevonshire Dock with 2.4 million tonnes of sand pumped from nearby Roosecote Sands.[74] The main hall has a height of 51 m (167 ft), length of 268 m (879 ft), width of 51 m (167 ft) and an area of 25,000 square metres (270,000 sq ft). An extension to the hall in the late 2010s has taken the total area to over 35,000 square metres (380,000 sq ft), retaining its place as one of the largest shipbuilding construction complex of its kind in Europe.[75][76]
The DDH provides a controlled environment for ship and submarine assembly, and avoids the difficulties caused by building on the slope of traditional slipways. Outside the hall, a 24,300 tonne capacity shiplift allows completed vessels to be lowered into the water independently of the tide. Vessels can also be lifted out of the water and transferred to the hall.[77] The first use of the DDH was for construction of theVanguard-class submarines, and later vessels of theTrafalgar class were also built there. The shipyard is currently constructing theAstute-class submarines, the first of which was launched on 8 June 2007.[78] BAE Systems is currently studying the design of anew class of ballistic missile submarines. BAE Systems also has orders for submarine pressure domes for theSpanish Navy.[79]
The shipyard has been awarded contracts for the construction of submarines which will carry nuclear missiles in asuccessor programme to the currentVanguard class containing theTrident system.[80] BAE Systems is investing £300 million in Barrow's shipyard to construct buildings capable of manufacturing and assembling the new class of submarines. This major development is the largest in 25 years at the shipyard and will see thousands of new jobs created, further cementing its place as the UK's largest shipyard and one of the few to have seen continuous contracts since founding over a century ago.[80]
In 2023 the governments of the United Kingdom,United States andAustralia committed to construction of a new class of nuclear submarine as part of theAUKUS military alliance. The newSSN-AUKUS class of submarines will be designed and predominantly constructed in Barrow securing the shipyard's long term future even beyond Dreadnought. Submarines to be constructed in Australia will also be based on design principles established in Barrow.
The most recent surface vessels to be constructed in Barrow wereWave-class tankerRFA Wave Knight andAlbion-class amphibious assault shipsHMS Albion andHMS Bulwark in the early 2000s when the shipyard was part ofBAE Systems Marine division. It also undertook fitting out and commissioning of helicopter carrierHMS Ocean in the mid-1990s after the ship was built byKvaerner Govan in Glasgow.
Associated British Ports Holdings owns and operates theRoyal Port of Barrow which can berth vessels up to 200 m (660 ft) long and with a draught of 10 m (33 ft). The four main docks includeBuccleuch Dock,Cavendish Dock,Devonshire Dock andRamsden Dock, with the latter handling almost all of the port's cargo. Buccleuch and Devonshire Docks are utilised primarily by BAE Systems, while Cavendish Dock the largest by surface area is now a reservoir. Principal traffic includes the export of condensate by-product from the production of gas at theRampside Gas Terminal, wood pulp and locally quarried limestone which is exported to Scandinavia for use in the paper industry. The port, which has deep water access, also handles the shipment of nuclear fuels and radioactive waste forBNFL's nearbySellafield plant.[81] The port was grantedroyal patronage byKing Charles III in 2025.[82]
James Fisher & Sons, a service provider in all sectors of the marine industry and a specialist supplier of engineering services to the nuclear industry in the UK and abroad,[83] was founded in Barrow in 1847.[84] It is listed on theLondon Stock Exchange and is the largest company to have its headquarters in Cumbria.[85] Annual revenue stood at £307 million in 2012 (up 15% from £268 million in 2011), as well as staff numbers standing at over 1,500 worldwide, with 120 of those in the Barrow headquarters.[85][86] Numerous vessels are registered at the Royal Port of Barrow, with the majority being owned by James Fisher & Sons andInternational Nuclear Services/Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited.
In 1899 Barrow Corporation built and operated the coal-firedBarrow-in-Furness power station in Buccleugh Street adjacent to the railway line. This eventually had a generating capacity of 23 MW; it was decommissioned in 1960.[87]
Roosecote power station was a 120 MW coal-fired generating station commissioned in 1953,[87] it was later converted to gas firing and closed in 1986. A 120 MW combined cycle gas turbine station was commissioned in 1991, it was closed in 2012. From 2018 the site has been the location of 49 MW battery storage facility.[88]
In 1985, gas was discovered in Morecambe Bay, and to this day the products have been processed onshore atRampside Gas Terminal in south Barrow.[89] The complex is operated jointly Spirit Energy. Directly adjacent to Rampside Gas Terminal isRoosecote Power Station which was the firstCCGT power station to supply electricity to the United Kingdom's National Grid. Although originally coal-fired, the station became gas-fired until it was mothballed in 2015.
In 2023 with gas reserves in Morecambe Bay depleting, Spirit Energy revealed plans to utilise the former gas fields as a carbon storage cluster capable of storing a gigaton of carbon dioxide. It is anticipated that carbon emitted from industrial uses across the north will be transported via both pipelines and ships.[90]
Barrow and its wider urban area form part of 'Britain's Energy Coast',[91] and has one of the highest concentrations ofwind farms in the world, the vast majority are located offshore and have been built during the early 2010s. All four of these wind farms are located off the coast of Walney Island, including the 189 turbineWalney Wind Farm, 108 turbineWest Duddon wind farm, 30 turbineBarrow Offshore Wind Farm and 30 turbineOrmonde Wind Farm. Walney Wind Farm was the largest offshore wind farm in the world upon completion, in 2015 it received government consent to be trebled in size.DONG Energy andScottish Power maintain a wind farm operations base with 30 full-time staff members at the Royal Port of Barrow.[92]
Sellafield andHeysham nuclear power stations are also located within 25 miles (40 km) of Barrow.
Although it is at the end of a peninsula, Barrow is only around 20 minutes from theLake District,[93] Barrow has been referred to as a "gateway to the lakes" and "where the lakes meets the sea",[94] a status which could be enhanced by the new marina complex and planned cruise ship terminal.[95]
Barrow itself has several tourist attractions that support just over 1,000 jobs; the town saw a higher growth in tourist expenditure during the 2000s than Cumbria as a whole and had about 2.3 million overnight stays during 2008.[96] Barrow's most popular free-entry tourist attraction is theDock Museum. The museum tells the history of Barrow (including the steelworks industry, the shipyard and theBarrow Blitz), as well as offering gallery space to local artists and schoolchildren. It is built upon and around an old graving dock.[97] Walney Island has two world-renowned nature reserves (the 130 hectare (0.5 sq mi) South Walney Nature Reserve[98] and the 650 hectare (2.5 sq mi)North Walney Nature Reserve).[99] Both nature reserves haveSite of Special Scientific Interest designation, as do theDuddon Estuary andSandscale Haws to the north of the borough. Barrow has a number of beaches which are popular in the summer with sunbathers, kitesurfers and caravanners. They includeEarnse Bay, Biggar Bank,Roanhead andRampside. The first two of these provide views of theIsle of Man andAnglesey on exceptionally clear days. The wider borough has more than 60 km of coastline.[100] The Park Leisure Centre is a fitness suite with a pool, set in the 45-acre (18 ha)Barrow Park.[101] The historic ruins ofFurness Abbey andPiel Castle, which are both managed byEnglish Heritage, are also popular tourist destinations.
The town centre is home to a large indoor market[102][103] andPortland Walk Shopping Centre, the latter previously hosting a number of major national retailers although many have since vacated.[104] Barrow has many retail and leisure parks for a town of its size, includingCornmill Crossing,Cornerhouse Retail Park,Hollywood Park,Hindpool Retail Park and Walney Road Retail Park.[105][106] Between them they host a number of supermarkets, electrical, home furnishing, clothing and discount stores, gyms, restaurants and Cumbria's largest cinema. Other modern visitor attractions in Barrow include Lazer Zone in Hindpool Road's formerCustom House and a similar Lazer Quest,escape room and play centre in the former Hitchens building on Buccleuch Street.
Urban regeneration has been ongoing in Barrow since the 1990s.Portland Walk Shopping Centre opened in 1998 anchored byDebenhams as part of a major reconstruction of Barrow town centre. Around the same time theHindpool Retail Parks andDock Museum were constructed over various former industrial sites in Barrow, including thedry dock, theBarrow Jute Works and theBarrow Steel Works.[107] Recent construction projects in the town also include the £43 million expansion ofFurness College's Channelside campus,[108] £22.5 millionFurness Academy new build,[109] £14.5 million central Barrow flood relief scheme,[110] £8.5 million Barrow police station,[111] £5 million town centre redevelopment scheme,[112] £4 million Scottish Power wind farm operations centre[92] as well as the North Central Renewal Area, shake up of the town's residential and retirement homes and a number of large-scale hotel schemes catering for the influx of contractors working for BAE Systems (namelyHoliday Inn Express,Premier Inn andWetherspoon).[113]
The Waterfront is an ambitious ongoing £200 million dockland regeneration project, which began in 2007. The project includes a new Barrow Marina Village which will incorporate an £8 million 400-berth marina, 650 homes, restaurants, shops, hotels and a new state of the art bridge across Cavendish Dock. A large watersports centre is also proposed, with the possibility of a cruise ship terminal. Some cruise ships are already scheduled to dock in Barrow, mainly for tourists to visit the Lake District, although there is no official cruise ship terminal yet.[114] Developments have stalled since 2010 when theNorthwest Regional Development Agency was disbanded and essential government funding was lost. Despite this Barrow Borough Council has since purchased land needed to make the development a reality and currently controls 95% of the site.[115] The executive director of the council has stated construction of the Waterfront could resume by 2017 as economic prospects improve and has pledged funds to conduct a market testing exercise. The allocation of Growth Deal investment (2014–2021) will make improvements to the Barrow Waterfront Enterprise Zone far more secure,[115] whilst the project also receivedLevelling Up funding in 2022. In 2014 a £300 million investment into the shipyard was announced by BAE Systems, in anticipation of thenew generation of UK nuclear submarines.[80][116] Construction will take up to eight years and create thousands of new jobs at the shipyard thereafter.[80] Amongst proposals are an extension to the DDH complex and new buildings in the central yard area off Bridge Road on Barrow Island (a site formerly mooted for a huge construction hall for the construction ofQueen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier sections which the yard failed to win contracts for), these will house pressure hull units ready for shot blasting and painting, and be a place for joining submarine equipment modules.[116] Redevelopment of the 5.8 hectare central yard area was completed in 2018 and is dominated by theCentral Yard Complex Facility which measures 178 m (584 ft) long, 94 m (308 ft) wide and 41 m (135 ft) tall, only 10% smaller than the volume of the pre-expansion Devonshire Dock Hall.
Other large-scale developments associated with BAE include a 30,000 m2 (320,000 sq ft) logistics centre which was constructed in the Waterfront Business Park in 2015 and a 8,100 m2 (87,000 sq ft) central training facility which is proposed at Buccleuch Dock Road.
Other major employers include theNational Health Service, throughFurness General Hospital, which employs 1,800 staff,[117] theKimberly Clark paper mill, which has 400 employees,[118] BAE Systems'Land and Armaments division,Furness Building Society which is one of the 20 largest of its kind andWestmorland and Furness Council. Amongst many retailers that have established themselves in Barrow, the furniture storeStollers is noted as being one of the largest shops of its kind in the UK.
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According to the 2011 census, 78.2% of males aged 16–64 and females aged 16–59 in Barrow were economically active. This figure is higher than the North West and England averages.[119] 73.8% of the population was employed, which again is higher than regional and national averages; the unemployment rate stood at 5.6% which is lower than both averages.[119] Despite this the percentage of people claiming key benefits, which is independent of the unemployment figure, is much higher than both averages at 21.0%, or almost a quarter of all Barrovians of working age.[119] The most common form of benefit received was theIncapacity Benefit, claimed by 11.0% of the adult population, while 4.0% claimedJobseeker's Allowance, which is on a par with the national average.[119]
The list below shows how many people were employed in certain sectors according to the 2011 census. Little change occurred between the 2001 and 2011 census; Barrow still has a much higher percentage of workers in the manufacturing sector than the national average, ranking third in 2011 behindCorby, Northamptonshire andPendle, Lancashire.[120][121] The percentage working in manufacturing has increased further during the 2010s given thousands of new roles created at the shipyard in association with the Trident renewal programme.
South West Cumbria has one of the UK's most self-contained workforces, and Barrow itself has the sixth lowest proportion of people who travel outside of the country for work.[122] In 2001, 76% of the working age population in Barrow commuted within 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) for work, when compared to the England average of 54%.[123] A significant proportion of the town's population are employed at theSellafield nuclear facility.
Barrow's principal road link is theA590. This runs to Barrow from theM6 motorway viaUlverston, skirting the southernLake District.[124] Just north of Barrow is the southern end of theA595, linking the town toWest Cumbria.[124] The A5087 connects Barrow's southern suburbs to Ulverston via a scenic coastal route.Abbey Road is the principal road through central Barrow, whilstWalney Bridge connects Barrow Island toWalney Island.
The possibility of a bridge link overMorecambe Bay is occasionally raised, and feasibility studies have been carried out.[125]
Bus services within the town are operated byStagecoach North West. There is no specifically designated bus station, although many bus routes start and end near the town hall. The original bus station, since demolished, was known for its role in a 1970s television commercial forChewits sweets.[126] As well as local suburban and village services, longer-distance buses run toUlverston,Millom,Bowness,Windermere andKendal.
Barrow-in-Furness railway station provides connections toWhitehaven,Workington andCarlisle to the north, via theCumbrian Coast Line, and toUlverston,Grange-over-Sands andLancaster to the east, via theFurness Line – both of which connect to theWest Coast Mainline. Numerous daily trains run toManchester. The station handles over 600,000 passengers annually. Barrow has a second railway station,Roose, which servesthe suburb of the same name.
Furness Abbey, Barrow's third main line station, closed in 1950. There was also a station onBarrow Island, for commuters between the shipyard and nearby towns served by the Furness Railway. This railway link was severed in 1966 when the famous cradle bridge across the docks was closed permanently for safety reasons. There were also stations atPiel, Rabbit Hill,Rampside,Ramsden Dock andStrand.
Between 1885 and 1932, theBarrow-in-Furness Tramways Company operated adouble-decker tram service over several miles, primarily around central Barrow, Barrow Island and Hindpool.
Barrow/Walney Island Airport (IATA airport code: BWF,ICAO: EGNL) is a former commercial airport andRoyal Air Force base currently owned by BAE Systems which operates twoBeechcraft King Air B200 and one B250 aircraft which fly to various destinations across the UK every weekday, including Bristol, Glasgow, London and Manchester. The airport's runways take on a triangular form, the longest runway is almost 4,000 feet (1,200 m). The airport was expanded by BAE in 2018 including the construction of a new terminal building, hangar and control tower.
Manchester Airport is the closest major airport, with direct links to Barrow railway station and about two hours away by road.
In 2018 aheliport was built on a site adjacent to Park Road, Ormsgill for energy firmØrsted and to support the offshore energy sector.
Despite being one of the UK's leading shipbuilding centres, theAssociated British Ports'Royal Port of Barrow is only a minor port. Historically, theIsle of Man Steam Packet and theBarrow Steam Navigation Company (a subsidiary of the Furness Railway and laterLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway) operated a number of steamers and passenger ferry services between Rampside andRamsden Dock andArdrossan (Scotland),Belfast (Northern Ireland),Blackpool,Douglas (Isle of Man),Fleetwood andHeysham.[127] All services had ceased operation by the mid-20th century.
For a short period during the early 1880s, transatlantic travel was possible from the town.The Anchor Line operated a fortnightly service utilising three of its steamships,Alexandria,Caledonia andColumbia, between Barrow andNew York City viaDublin. There are proposals to construct a cruise ship terminal in Barrow as part of the Waterfront redevelopment project.[128]
Barrow are inEFL League Two, the fourth tier of English football and are the town's only professional sports team.[129] The team, founded in 1901, are nicknamed the Bluebirds and play their home games at theHolker Street stadium.[130] The side were members of theFootball League until they failed to be re-elected in 1972.[130] In 1990, they won theFA Trophy beatingLeek Town 3–0 in the final atWembley Stadium, London.[131] Twenty years later, on 8 May 2010,Barrow repeated the feat, beatingStevenage Borough 2–1 after extra time.[132]
After 48 years in non-league football, Barrow were crowned champions of theNational League on 17 June 2020, sealing their return to theFootball League.
Football players born in Barrow include England internationalsEmlyn Hughes[133] andGary Stevens,[134] as well asHarry Hadley,[135] andVic Metcalfe.[136]Of current professional footballers,Georgia Stanway ofBayern Munich,Wayne Curtis,[137]Morecambe striker,Bolton Wanderers midfielderGeorge Thomason and Iran Under-20 andHibernian winger Shana Haji[138] hail from the town.
Holker Old Boys, based at Rakesmoor Lane, are an amateur football team that play in theNorth West Counties Football League Division One.
The town is considered one ofrugby league's traditional heartlands at semi-professional and amateur levels.[139]Barrow Raiders, the town's semi-professional team, whose home games are atCraven Park, currently operate in the second-tierRFL Championship.[140]
In the 1950s the side played in threeChallenge Cup finals, winning the last of these againstWorkington Town. In the 1997 reorganisation of the sport the original Barrow RLFC team merged withCarlisle Border Raiders to form Barrow Border Raiders,[141] with the word "border" later dropped. Players who were born in the town and played at a professional level include brothersAde[142] andMat Gardner[143] andWillie Horne.[144] The latter captained Barrow to their Challenge Cup victory and represented Great Britain at an international level. He was inducted into the "Barrow Hall of Fame" along with former Barrow playersPhil Jackson andJimmy Lewthwaite.[145]
At an amateur level, eight rugby league teams participate in the Barrow & District League. They include Askam, Barrow Island, Dalton, Hindpool, Millom, Roose Pioneers, Ulverston and Walney.
Barrow is home to two large golf clubs. Barrow Golf Club, founded in 1922, is inHawcoat and covers some 6,209 yards (5,678 m) with 18 holes.[146] Furness Golf Club, founded in 1872, is the sixth oldest golf club in England and is possibly the more famous of the two. It is located onWalney Island, just 50 yards (46 m) from theIrish Sea. It also offers an 18-hole course, a shop and other facilities.[147] The Furness Golf Centre is located on the outskirts of Barrow close to Roanhead and is home to a 14-bay driving range, golf shop, swing studio and the Fairway Hotel.[148] The hoaxerMaurice Flitcroft, known as the "world's worst golfer" lived and worked in the town.[149]
Barrow has stagedspeedway racing at three venues since the pioneer days in the late 1920s. The first track was at Holker Street. This venue had a revival for a short spell in the early to mid-1970s being utilised by the short-livedBarrow Bombers. In 1930 the sport moved to Little Park but this a somewhat hazy venue. The sport had a revival in 1978 at Park Avenue Industrial Estate but this was relatively short lived.
Barrow has produced a number of noteworthy motorcyclists throughout the years, such as Manx Grand Prix winner Eddie Crooks, TT Rider Dan Stewart, Speedway aceAdam Roynon and multiple British Sandtrack Champion John Pepper.
Kart racer Kristian Brierley[150] received national attention after successfully winning the internationally televised TKM Karting Festival in 2015.[151] He followed this up by winning the opening round of the British Championship in 2016 and ultimately went on to finish the season in 6th place.
Multiple other 'Barrovians' have also competed at national level in karting such as Max Davis, Daniel Pepper,[152] Kieran Pepper, Mark Fell, Oliver Dilks and Jake Calvert.[153]
In 2020 Max Davies became the first person from the Barrow area to be selected to represent Team GB at the ROK World Finals where he finished 29th overall out of 75 competitors from 25 competing countries, he was also the youngest member of Team GB to compete that year.[154]
In 2021 Max Davies was selected for Team GB again as was fellow 'Barrovian' Daniel Pepper after Pepper had finished that years British championship in 2nd with Davies placing in 3rd.
Pepper's 2nd place finish in the 2021 British Championship gave him the highest placed seeding of a Barrow born driver in the 21st century, breaking the record of his own brother Kieran Pepper who had been seeded 3rd the previous year.
Mark Fell remains the only driver from the Barrow area to have won a British Championship which dates back to the early 1990s.
Barrow is home to theWalney TerriersAmerican Football club, formed in 2011 the club originally trained at Memorial Fields on Walney Island before establishing training grounds elsewhere in Barrow and Ulverston. The Terriers play in the North West conference of theBAFA's National League alongside the likes of theManchester Titans andMerseyside Nighthawks.
One of the town's most notable annual sporting events is theKeswick to Barrow (K2B), a 40-mile (60 km) walking and running event that has taken place every year since 1967 betweenKeswick and Barrow. The event has raised millions for charity and regularly sees in excess of 3,000 participants.[155]
Barrow Born Orienteer and Fell Runner Carl Hill was selected to carry the olympic torch for a stage through Morecambe in the buildup to the 2012 summer Olympics. He was nominated for this honor by his father David Hill who was proud of his sons accomplishments in running for England and Great Britain in Orienteering whilst also provided a large portion of his time to getting kids into sport.
Barrow, although one of the country's smallest local authorities, contains a wealth of natural and built heritage assets, which includes 274Listed Buildings and fourSSSIs. The 2016 Heritage Index formed by theRoyal Society of Arts and theHeritage Lottery Fund placed the borough as sixth highest of 325 English districts for 'assets' with especially high scores relating to nationally important landscape and natural heritage assets and industrial heritage assets.[156]
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Barrow is one of Britain's few planned towns, and the spacious tree-lined avenues within the oldest parts of the town (including Central Barrow, Hindpool and Salthouse) are more akin to the layout of a much larger city.[157] The town centre is distinguished by itsVictorian andEdwardian era civic buildings, such as theTown Hall,Main Public Library, formerTechnical School, formerCentral Fire Station,Salvation Army Building,Custom House,National Westminster Bank,The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel,St. George's Church,St. Mary's RC Church andSt. James' Church. Oppositely, several distinctive buildings have been demolished in Barrow since the mid-20th century as a result of neglect or war damage, amongst the most iconic areAbbots Wood,Barrow Central Railway Station,Infield House,North Lonsdale Hospital,Scotch Buildings and the Waverley Hotel. Lancaster architectsSharpe, Paley and Austin were prolific throughout the development of Barrow. A number of Barrow's landmark buildings were constructed from locally sourced sandstone, evident from the high number of brown and red coloured stone buildings in the town. Similar materials were used in a number of local buildings in the early 20th century, and often accompanied by terracotta. There are also an increasing number of modern office buildings as well as the shipyard's construction halls which dominate much of Barrow's skyline. Despite much of Barrow having been constructed from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, architectural styles vary greatly across the town from theArt DecoJohn Whinnerah Institute to theByzantine styleSt. John's Church,Neo-ElizabethanAbbey House andTudor RevivalVickerstown estate.
Barrow has 8Grade I listed buildings, 15Grade II* and 249Grade II buildings. The majority of Grade I listed buildings and structures are in and around the Furness Abbey complex while many Grade II* listed buildings in the town are 19th century tenements on Barrow Island including theDevonshire Buildings.[158] There are a number ofConservation Areas across Barrow named as such for their architectural or historical significance, they includeBarrow Island,Biggar,Central Barrow,Furness Abbey,North Scale, North and SouthVickerstown andSt. George's Square.[159] Historically Barrow's skyline was dominated by shipyard cranes and industrial chimneys, although little evidence of this remains in the present day with the lasthammerhead crane – the iconic yellow crane ofBuccleuch Dock – being dismantled in 2011, despite calls for listing status like the smallerTitan Clydebank in Glasgow. The tallest building in Barrow isDevonshire Dock Hall at 51 metres (167 ft). Also worthy of note are the turbines ofOrmonde Wind Farm located just off the coast of Barrow which stand at 152 metres (499 ft).
In terms of housing, the majority of dwellings in Barrow are Victorianterraces. At 47.0% of local housing stock in 2011, the figure is much higher than England's average of 24.5%. 29.7% of dwellings aresemi-detached, 12.09%detached and 10.2% flats, maisonettes or apartments.[160] Great variety in housing styles is a feature across central Barrow, Barrow Island, Hindpool, and Vickerstown. Most were built around agrid design in accordance with plans drawn up by James Ramsden.
Barrow has produced several musical performers of note. They includeThomas Round, a singer and actor in D'Oyly Carte productions ofSavoy Opera[161] as well asGlenn Cornick, the original bass guitarist in the rock bandJethro Tull.[162] Paul MacKenzie, bass player with 1980sPreston-based thrash metal bandXentrix, is from Barrow.[163] Stephen Fitzpatrick (1994/95-2019),[164] lead singer and guitarist of the late indie duoHer's, was also from Barrow.[165] More recently, hip-hop DJ and record producerAim has had considerable commercial success.[166]
Several notables in Art and Literature have come from Barrow. ArtistKeith Tyson, the 2002Turner Prize winner, was born in nearbyUlverston, attended the Barrow-in-Furness College of Engineering and worked at the thenVSEL shipyard.[167]Constance Spry, the author and florist who revolutionised interior design in the 1930s, and 1940s, moved to the town with her son Anthony during World War I to work as a welfare supervisor.[168]Peter Purves, later aBlue Peter presenter, began his acting career with 2 years as a member of the Renaissance Theatre Company at the town's Her Majesty's Theatre.[169]
During the mid-20th century, Barrow contained a wealth of theatres/cinemas including the Coliseum, Electric Theatre, Essoldo, Her Majesty's Theatre, Hippodrome, Pavilion,Ritz,Roxy, Royalty Theatre and Tivoli. All but the Pavilion and Roxy have since been demolished, most recently in 2004 with the demolition of the Apollo (formerly the Ritz). The Canteen Media & Arts Centre – known simply as "The Canteen" – andThe Forum are now the main venues for theatre, while theVue Cinema inHollywood Park is the only cinema in the town.
There is one paid-for evening daily paper,The Mail.
Barrow and the Furness area is served by local community radioCandoFM. CandoFM broadcasts to the Barrow and Furness area on 106.3FM, Ulverston and surrounding areas on 107.3FM plus globally available online. CandoFM is at 15-17 Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness and run by 50+ volunteers providing local news, local information as well as an eclectic mix of shows.
Barrow is served by one commercial radio station,Heart North West, which broadcasts from Manchester and serves the area aroundMorecambe Bay. Another commercial station,Abbey FM, ceased broadcasting in February 2009 when it went into administration.[173] The BBC's local radio service isBBC Radio Cumbria.[174]
Barrow lies in theITV Granada –BBC North West region with the main signal coming from theWinter Hill transmitter nearBolton. There is also a relay transmitter atMillom whose signal can be received in the northern end of the town.
Various television personalities were born in the district. Dave Myers was a biker born in Barrow, and found fame as one half of television cookery duothe Hairy Bikers.[175]Karen Taylor is a TV comedian best known for her BBC Three sketch showTouch Me, I'm Karen Taylor.[176]Steve Dixon is a newsreader for Sky News,[177] whileNigel Kneale was a well-known film and television scriptwriter.[178]
Wartime diarist and local housewifeNella Last's memoirs were adapted for television, with parts of the town used in filming. The resulting programme,Housewife, 49, written by and starring comedianVictoria Wood, was broadcast by ITV in 2006. It won twoBAFTA awards – one for Best Single Drama, the other for Best Actress (Wood).[179][180]CITV children's showThe Treacle People had two villains named Barrow and Furness.[181]
Furness is unique within Cumbria and the local dialect and accent is fairlyLancashire-orientated. Until 1974 Furness was anexclave of Lancashire, however as withLiverpool, for example, theBarrovian dialect has been influenced by large numbers of settlers from various regions. During the town's rapid growth from 1860 onward, thousands came to Barrow fromScotland,Ireland,Wales and elsewhere in northern England. AsGlaswegian andGeordie dialects mingled in Barrow numerous more migrated from Lancashire and other parts of England which in effect created the noticeablyNorthernBarrovian dialect. In general theBarrovian accent tends to drop certain letters (includingH andT).
There are many pubs andworking men's clubs in Barrow. Barrow has fourteen of the latter, one of the highest number per capita of any British town.[182] Bars and clubs are found primarily inBarrow town centre along Cavendish Street and Dalton Road. Cornwallis Street and Duke Street were, during much of the late 20th/early 21st centuries, the centre of the town's nightlife, however the closure of around a dozen venues has left a cluster of vacant buildings and only one remaining bar. Between 2004 and 2010 Barrow was home to one of North West England's largest nightclubs, the 2,500-capacity Blue Lagoon occupied the entire hull of the former Danish ferryPrincess Selandia, which has now left the town.[183] Barrow's largest nightclub is nowManhattans, which opened on Cavendish Street in late 2011.
A traditional favourite food in Barrow is thepie, and particularly themeat and potato pie.[184]Pie shops are common, and Green's of Jarrow Street is noted as a favourite of Barrow-born celebrity chefDave Myers[185] and journalist Martin Tarbuck, who declared them to be Britain's best pies in a book dedicated to the subject.[186]
Barrow was also the home ofsoft-drink company Marsh's, which produced a distinctivesarsaparilla-flavoured fizzy drink known asSass.[187] Marsh's was purchased by Purity Soft Drinks of Birmingham in 1993, and the company stopped producing Sass in 1999. Remaining bottles have subsequently sold for high prices as a collector's item.[188] A new product, labelled "Barrow Sass", was launched in 2014 in a bid to replicate traditional Sass.[189] The coasts around Barrow have richcockle beds from which cockles have traditionally been gathered, although numbers have been low following intensive gathering during the early 2000s, in the run-up to the2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.[190][191] One of England's few remainingoyster farms is in theBiggar area of Walney. TraditionalCumberland sausages are less associated with Barrow itself than the rest of Cumbria, but are readily available from the surrounding rural area.[192] Cumbria has produced a number of famed dishes and is home to countlessMichelin Guide restaurants, one of which is in Dalton.
Having emerged as mixture of working-class cultures from across Britain and Ireland in the 19th century, subsequent low levels of migration and a continued tradition of industrial employment mean that Barrow's culture still reflects many of the traditions of the Britishworking class.[193] In September 2008, Barrow was named as the most working-class location in the United Kingdom, based on a series of measures devised to judge the lifestyle of the people.[194] The research was carried out by Locallife.co.uk which determined that there is afish and chip shop,working men's club,bookmakers ortrade union office for every 2,917 people (Crewe,Doncaster,Wolverhampton andPreston completed the top five of 'the most working class places in Britain').[195] This is in direct contrast to the 1870s, when a developing Barrow had morearistocrats per head of the population than anywhere else in the country.[194]
In the 2019Indices of Deprivation, Barrow was ranked as the 44th most deprived district in England (out of a total of 326).[196] The equivalent figures for 2007, 2010 stood at 29th, 32nd and 44th most deprived respectively.[197] The Indices of Deprivation is based on income, employment, education, health, crime and barriers to housing and services and living environment. Within these subcategories, most notably Barrow ranked as the 4th most deprived in terms of health deprivation and disability, and in huge contrast, 316th most deprived in terms of access to housing and services (i.e. 10th least deprived).[196] In the 2019 Indices of Deprivation, sevenLower Super Output Areas across Barrow Island, Central and Hindpool were amongst the 1% most deprived areas in the country, while large parts of suburban Barrow including Newbarns and Roose were amongst the 25% of least deprived areas in England.[197]
The principal hospital in Barrow isFurness General Hospital, operated by theUniversity Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and located on the outskirts of the town. As of December 2023 there were 10 NHS GP practices/doctors' surgeries in Barrow.[198] Thelife expectancy for males in Barrow is 76.6 years (compared to the England average of 78.7) and 80.6 years for females (compared to the national average of 82.8).[199] A 2021NHS in depth publication on health in Barrow (the former district) indicated that the population of Barrow is by most measures in a worse state than the national average.[199] Indicators such as rate of cardiovascular disease, self-harm and suicide, alcoholism and excessive weight are worse than the England average. However, a number of indicators are similar to the average or are significantly better, including the percentage of children in absolute low income families.[199]
Policing is byCumbria Constabulary, which alongside the county of Cumbria was formed in 1974. TheMinistry of Defence Police maintain a presence on Barrow Island around the shipyard also. Previously the town was policed by Barrow-in-Furness Borough Police. Barrow previously had one full-time police station in Market Street in theCentral ward. A new multi-million pound building was built on James Freel Close on Channelside inHindpool and is the town's only police station, with extra jail cells and improved facilities. Several consecutive annual publications by Cumbria Constabulary entitled the 'Cumbria Community Safety Strategic Assessment' have stated that overall crime in Barrow is declining, with some indicators far better than the national average.[200]
Since November 2019Ministry of Defence Police have been based at theBAE Systems Shipyard.
Education in the state-funded sector includes fifteenprimary schools, fiveinfant schools, fivejunior schools and many nurseries. The threesecondary schools in the town are:Furness Academy,St. Bernard's Catholic High School andWalney School.Chetwynde School is an all-through school for children aged 4 to 18. Formerly aprivate school, Chetwynde became a state-fundedfree school in 2014.
In the further education sector there is one college,Furness College. Furness College merged withBarrow Sixth Form College in 2016 forming the largest college in Cumbria.[201] Technical and professional qualifications are delivered at the Channelside campus, with A levels delivered at the Rating Lane campus, the home of the former sixth form college. Although there are currently nohigher education institutions based in Barrow, Furness College offers several higher apprenticeships,foundation degrees,Bachelor's andMaster's programmes accredited by theUniversity of Cumbria,University of Lancaster and theUniversity of Central Lancashire.[202] In March 2023 plans were approved for a 1,400-capacity campus of the University of Cumbria on Barrow Island which is expected to be open for Autumn 2024. The university campus would be situated adjacent to BAE's Submarine Academy and form a new 'Learning Quarter' for the town.
The town's main library is theCentral Library inRamsden Square, situated near the town centre.[203] The library was established in 1882 in a room near the town hall, and moved to its current premises in 1922. A branch of the County Archive Service, opened in 1979 and containing many of the town's archives, is located within adjoining premises,[204] whilst until 1991 the library also housed the Furness Museum, a forerunner of the Dock Museum.[205] Smaller branch libraries are currently provided atWalney,Roose andBarrow Island. Known librarian Michael Wilson originates in Barrow-in-Furness. Michael Wilson is currently leader of the Collection Logistics Alpha Team at Cambridge University Library.[203]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Now Carlisle's decision to move in with Barrow, a traditional hotbed of league where the amateur game remains as strong as ever, may be followed by a new club fromSouth Wales entering Super League next year.
CARLISLE and Barrow have decided to merge into a new club, Barrow Border Raiders, with repercussions extending well beyond the Second Division and Cumbria.
Mat, brought up in Barrow with Ade, said: "It's always been a dream of mine to play against my elder brother and this could be the time it becomes a reality. There's also a big chance we could be meeting head-on on the wing and that would be fantastic. I was pleased with my performance atWakefield Trinity, I just hope Jon Sharp was pleased too – that's obviously the key to me playing against Saints."
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