| Carnforth | |
|---|---|
 Carnforth station in 2005 | |
  Carnforth Shown within the City of Lancaster district Show map of the City of Lancaster district | |
| Population | 5,560 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SD499704 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CARNFORTH |
| Postcode district | LA5 |
| Dialling code | 01524 |
| Police | Lancashire |
| Fire | Lancashire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Carnforth is a market town andcivil parish in theCity of Lancaster inLancashire, England, situated at the north-east end ofMorecambe Bay. The parish of Carnforth had a population of 5,560 in the2011 census,[1] an increase from the 5,350 recorded in the2001 census.[2] The town is situated around 7 miles north ofLancaster, 17 miles south ofKendal, 40 miles east (bisected by Morecambe Bay) ofBarrow-in-Furness and 28 miles north-west ofSettle. The town is also close to theCumbria/Lancashire border.
Carnforth grew in the 19th century through the presence of the railway and ironworks. Due to the closeness of the coast and the hills, Carnforth is a popular base for walkers and cyclists exploring the area. TheRiver Keer, theWest Coast Main Line (WCML), theA6 and theLancaster Canal pass through the town. TheM6 motorway passes just to the east, linked to Carnforth by the A6070 (formerly theA601(M)) which was originally part of the Lancaster bypass before the M6 was extended north.
The nameCarnforth is thought to derive from its old function as a ford of theRiver Keer on which it is situated. Over time, the descriptive nameKeer-ford may have morphed into the modernCarnforth. An alternative explanation is that the name derives from 'Chreneforde' and is Anglo-Saxon in origin, as cited in the Victoria County History of Lancashire.[3]
Much of the history of Carnforth revolves around the railway andironworks. Vast deposits oflimestone located locally made Carnforth an ideal place for an ironworks, as limestone is a key component of thesmelting process. In 1846, the Carnforth Ironworks Company established a works near to the railway station. In the same year, a recession occurred in theEarl of Dudley ironworks inWorcestershire, which meant there was a surplus of workers. A number of workers moved to the ironworks and lived in the nearby company village of Dudley (now calledMillhead). In 1864, the CarnforthHaematite Company took over the works and production was vastly increased due to iron ore that was brought in by rail from theFurness Peninsula. By 1872, steel production became the main focus for the works using the newBessemer process; this process had failed by 1879.[citation needed]
Iron production continued at the works until 1929, when it eventually closed down. The site was taken over by theWar Department, as anordnance depot and remained as such until the 1960s. From then to the present, the site is now anindustrial estate housing several businesses.[4]
In the 19th century, Carnforth grew from a small village into arailway town when it became the junction of three major railways.Carnforth Motive Power Depot was located to the west of the West Coast Main Line and, until mid-1968, was one of the last to retain an allocation ofsteam locomotives. The buildings are now occupied byWest Coast Railways[5] who still maintain and overhaul steam locos in their premises. The concrete locomotivecoaling tower is a rare survivor.
With the closure of Carnforth MPD in 1968, the station's facilities were reduced. The main line platforms were closed in May 1970 and subsequently removed when the line was electrified two years later, although services still run on theFurness line and theBentham Line.
From the 1920s to the 1980s, Morphy's Mill, in Oxford Street, was a major employer of women in Carnforth. Contrary to its name, it was not amill but a factory making blouses and other garments.[6][7]
In 1945,Carnforth railway station was used as a location for theDavid Lean filmBrief Encounter, starringCelia Johnson andTrevor Howard. Fans of this film were one of the major factors in the recent refurbishment of the railway station, including construction of arefreshment room to match the studio set used in the film. This reopened in 2021 as theBrief Encounter Refreshment Room Bistro and Bar.[8] There are also exhibitions and a heritage centre, which is now run by the Carnforth Station Trust.[9] The 2018 novelPast Encounters by local writerDeborah Swift is set, in part, in Carnforth during the filming ofBrief Encounter.[10]
Anelectoral ward in the same name exists. This ward is smaller than the parish with a total population of 4,439.[11]
Carnforth is in the parliamentary constituency ofMorecambe and Lunesdale, represented since2024 byLizzi Collinge of theLabour Party.[12]
TheRiver Keer runs through the north-north-west of the town with the mouth of the river flowing intoMorecambe Bay. It forms the parish boundary between Carnforth andWarton. A bridge between Carnforth and Millhead is the lowest road crossing of the river, although there is a footbridge a little further downstream.[13]
Destinations from Carnforth | |
|---|---|
TheOffice for National Statistics recognises an area described as Carnforth Built-up area,[14] defined algorithmically, which includes Carnforth andWarton. It is divided into two parts: Carnforth subdivision,[15] which includes the Millhead area within Warton parish, and Warton subdivision.[16] The ONS definition of a built-up area includes built-up land separated by 200m from another settlement.[17]
| Named area | Population | Area | Population density | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnforth civil parish[1] | 5,560 | 6.09 km2 (2.35 sq mi) | 910/km2 (2,400/sq mi) | |
| Carnforth ward[18] | 4,439 | 5.33 km2 (2.06 sq mi) | 830/km2 (2,100/sq mi) | Excludes Crag Bank area |
| Carnforth Built-up area[14] | 7,920 | 2.33 km2 (0.90 sq mi) | 3,400/km2 (8,800/sq mi) | Comprises Carnforth and Warton Built-up area subdivisions |
| Carnforth Built-up area subdivision[15] | 6,115 | 1.75 km2 (0.68 sq mi) | 3,480/km2 (9,000/sq mi) | Includes Millhead area |
| Warton Built-up area subdivision[16] | 1,805 | 0.575 km2 (0.222 sq mi) | 3,140/km2 (8,100/sq mi) | Excludes Millhead area |
There is ageneral practice surgery in the town, with eleven partners and four associate GPs. It has smaller surgeries inArnside,Bolton-le-Sands,Halton, andSilverdale, to serve patients in outlying villages.[19] It is within the North Lancashireclinical commissioning group and patients are served by theUniversity Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
There is also an NHS clinic, adjacent to the GP practice, used for a variety of services.[20][21]
Carnforth railway station is served byNorthern Trains on three lines:[22]
TheWest Coast Main Line passes through the station, butAvanti West Coast trains do not stop here; passengers must travel south to Lancaster or north toOxenholme for destinations betweenLondon Euston andGlasgow Central.
Bus services in the town are provided byStagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire and Kirkby Lonsdale Coaches. Routes connect the town with Lancaster andMorecambe to the south, and toMilnthorpe, Kendal and Keswick in the north.[23] The555 bus, which connects Lancaster with Keswick, is described as one of the longest and most scenic bus routes in England.[24]
Carnforth is on theA6 road 7 miles (11 km) north of Lancaster.[13] TheM6 motorway passes to the east of the town; theA601(M) motorway and the B6254 road connect the town centre to junction 35.
TheLancaster Canal passes through the town; there is a marina for pleasure boats. Historically, the canal connected Lancaster to Kendal, but it is now closed beyondTewitfield, north of Carnforth.
Both theLancashire Coastal Way and theBay Cycle Way skirt the western side of Carnforth, crossing the River Keer by the footbridge north-west of the town.
Local TV coverage is provided byBBC North West andITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Lancaster relay TV transmitter.[25]
Local radio stations areBBC Radio Lancashire on 104.5 FM,Heart North West on 96.9 FM,Smooth North West on 100.4 FM,Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire on 96.5 FM andBeyond Radio, a community based station which broadcast from its studios inLancaster on 107.5 FM.[citation needed]
The town is served by these local newspapers:
Primary schools:
Secondary schools:
There is also a public library branch in the town.[32]
TheAnglicanparish church ofChrist Church, on Lancaster Road, was built in 1875 with later additions, and is a grade IIlisted building.[33] It worships in theAnglo-Catholic tradition.[34] It is in the Deanery of Tunstall in theDiocese of Blackburn.[35]
Our Lady of LourdesCatholic church, on Kellet Road, is a small building in modern romanesque style, which opened in 1967; it replaced a temporary church that had opened in 1926.[36] It is a joint parish withSt Mary's Church, Yealand Conyers andSt Mary's Church, Bolton-le-Sands, in theRoman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster.[37]
Emmanuel Congregational Church, on Hawk Street, was established in 1884 and is a member of theCongregational Federation.[38]
CarnforthFree Methodist Church was established in 1995. It holds services atCarnforth High School on Kellet road and has a community centre adjacent to the school.[39]
The Salvation Army have a church in Preston Street and also run acharity shop on Market Street.[40]
TheJehovah's Witnesses have a Kingdom Hall on the outskirts of Carnforth at Mill Lane, Warton.[41]
The town is home to Carnforth RUFCrugby union club,[42] Carnforth Rangersfootball club[43] andCarnforth Cricket Club.[44]
| International | |
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| National | |
