Carnforth is a market town and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
City of Lancaster
The City of Lancaster () is a local government district of Lancashire, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, but covers a far larger area, which includes the tow ...
in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, England, situated at the north-east end of
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large estuary in northwest England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of . In 1974, the second larges ...
. The parish of Carnforth had a population of 5,560 in the
2011 census,
an increase from the 5,350 recorded in the
2001 census. The town is situated around 7 miles north of
Lancaster, 17 miles south of
Kendal, 40 miles east (bisected by Morecambe Bay) of
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...
and 28 miles northwest of
Settle
Settle or SETTLE may refer to:
Places
* Settle, Kentucky, United States
* Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England
** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district
Music
* Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania
* ''S ...
. The town is also close to the
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
/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. The
River Keer
The River Keer is a river in England. It flows through the English counties of Lancashire and Cumbria.
For parts of its course, the Keer marks the boundary between Lancashire and Cumbria, as well as the ancient counties of Lancashire and Westmo ...
, the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
(WCML), the
A6 and the
Lancaster Canal
The Lancaster Canal is a canal in North West England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria ( historically in Westmorland). The section around the crossing of the River Ribble was never complete ...
pass through the town. The
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at ...
passes just to the east, linked to Carnforth by the
A601(M).
History
The name "Carnforth" is thought to derive from its old function as a ford of the
River Keer
The River Keer is a river in England. It flows through the English counties of Lancashire and Cumbria.
For parts of its course, the Keer marks the boundary between Lancashire and Cumbria, as well as the ancient counties of Lancashire and Westmo ...
on which it is situated. Over time the descriptive name "Keer-ford" may have morphed into the modern "Carnforth". 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.
[*
]
![Christ Church, Carnforth - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Christ_Church%2C_Carnforth_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2419504.jpg)
Much of the history of Carnforth revolves around the railway and
ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''.
Ironworks succeeded bloomeri ...
. Vast deposits of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
located locally made Carnforth an ideal place for an ironworks, as limestone is a key component of the
smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ch ...
process. In 1846 the Carnforth Ironworks Company established a works, located near the railway station. In the same year a recession occurred in the
Earl of Dudley
Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle in the County of Stafford (now the West Midlands), is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, both times for members of the Ward family.
History
Dudley was first used for a p ...
ironworks in
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
, this 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 called Millhead). In 1864 the Carnforth
Haematite Company took over the works and production was vastly increased due to iron ore that was brought in by rail from the
Furness Peninsula
Furness ( ) is a peninsula and region of Cumbria in northwestern England. Together with the Cartmel Peninsula it forms North Lonsdale, historically an exclave of Lancashire.
The Furness Peninsula, also known as Low Furness, is an area of vill ...
. By 1872 steel production became the main focus for the works using the new
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace. The key principle is steelmaking, removal of impurities from the iron by ox ...
. By 1889 this process had failed. Iron production continued at the works until 1929 when it eventually closed down. The site was taken over by the
War Department War Department may refer to:
* War Department (United Kingdom)
* United States Department of War (1789–1947)
See also
* War Office, a former department of the British Government
* Ministry of defence
* Ministry of War
* Ministry of Defence
* D ...
as an
ordnance
Ordnance may refer to:
Military and defense
*Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment.
**The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...
depot and remained as such until the 1960s. From then to the present the site is now an
industrial estate
An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...
housing several businesses.
![The Carnforth Bookshop, Market Street, Carnforth - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/The_Carnforth_Bookshop%2C_Market_Street%2C_Carnforth_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2073115.jpg)
In the 19th century, Carnforth grew from a small village into a
railway town
A railway town, or railroad town, is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site.
North America
During the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, temporar ...
when it became the junction of three major railways.
Carnforth Motive Power Depot was located to the west of the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
and was one of the last to retain an allocation of
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s until mid-1968. The buildings are now occupied by
West Coast Railways
West Coast Railways (WCR) is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator based at Carnforth MPD in Lancashire. Using buildings and other facilities previously owned by the Steamtown Carnforth visitor attraction, in June 1998 the com ...
who still maintain and overhaul steam locos in their premises. The concrete locomotive
coaling tower
A coaling tower, coal stage, coaling plant or coaling station is a facility used to load coal as fuel into railway steam locomotives. Coaling towers were often sited at motive power depots or locomotive maintenance shops.
In the early years of ...
is a rare survivor.
With the closure of Carnforth MPD in 1968,
Carnforth railway station
Carnforth is a railway station on the Bentham and Furness Lines, north of Lancaster, England, which serves the market town of Carnforth, Lancashire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
History
Carnforth railway stati ...
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 the
Furness line
The Furness line is a British railway between and , joining the West Coast Main Line at . A predominantly passenger line, it serves various towns along the Furness coast, including Barrow-in-Furness, Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands. It runs th ...
and the
Leeds–Morecambe line
The Leeds–Morecambe line, also known as the Bentham line, is a railway line running between Leeds, Skipton, Lancaster and Morecambe in northern England. The service is operated by Northern. The route covered by the service was historicall ...
(the
Bentham line).
![The Royal Station Hotel, Carnforth - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/The_Royal_Station_Hotel%2C_Carnforth_-_geograph.org.uk_-_846219.jpg)
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 a
mill
Mill may refer to:
Science and technology
*
* Mill (grinding)
* Milling (machining)
* Millwork
* Textile mill
* Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel
* List of types of mill
* Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...
but a factory making blouses and other garments.
''Brief Encounter''
In 1945,
Carnforth railway station
Carnforth is a railway station on the Bentham and Furness Lines, north of Lancaster, England, which serves the market town of Carnforth, Lancashire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
History
Carnforth railway stati ...
was used as a location for the
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
film ''
Brief Encounter
''Brief Encounter'' is a 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play ''Still Life''.
Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey, ...
'', starring
Celia Johnson and
Trevor Howard
Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...
. Fans of this film were one of the major factors in the recent refurbishment of the railway station, including construction of a
refreshment room to match the studio set used in the film. This reopened in 2021 as the Brief Encounter Refreshment Room Bistro and Bar. There are also exhibitions and a heritage centre which is now run by the Carnforth Station Trust. The 2018 novel ''Past Encounters'' by local writer
Deborah Swift
Deborah Swift (born 1955), who has also written as Davina Blake, is an English writer of historical fiction, based in north west Lancashire.
Her first published novel was ''The Lady's Slipper'' (2010), which alludes to the lady's slipper orchid ...
is set, in part, in Carnforth during the filming of ''Brief Encounter''.
;Gallery of film locations
Image:Carnforth Station waiting room.jpg, Carnforth railway station refreshment room - scene for much of the film
Image:Carnforth Station Clock - geograph.org.uk - 642321.jpg, Carnforth railway station clock and ramp from subway under platforms
Governance
An
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
in the same name exists. This ward is smaller than the parish with a total population of 4,439.
Carnforth is in the parliamentary constituency of
Morecambe and Lunesdale, represented by
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
David Morris.
Geography
Carnforth is on the
A6 road This is a list of roads designated A6.
* A006 road (Argentina), a road connecting Las Cuevas with the Christ the Redeemer monument in the border between Argentina and Chile
* ''A6 highway (Australia)'' may refer to :
** A6 (Sydney), a road connec ...
north of
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster (, ) is a city and the county town of Lancashire, England, standing on the River Lune. Its population of 52,234 compares with one of 138,375 in the wider City of Lancaster local government district. The House of Lancaster was a bran ...
, to the west of the
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at ...
.
The
River Keer
The River Keer is a river in England. It flows through the English counties of Lancashire and Cumbria.
For parts of its course, the Keer marks the boundary between Lancashire and Cumbria, as well as the ancient counties of Lancashire and Westmo ...
runs through the north-north-west of the town with the mouth of the river flowing into
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large estuary in northwest England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of . In 1974, the second larges ...
. It forms the parish boundary between Carnforth and
Warton. A bridge between Carnforth and Millhead is the lowest road crossing of the river, although there is a footbridge a little further downstream.
Demography
The
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament.
Overview
The ONS is responsible for th ...
recognises an area described as Carnforth Built-up area,
defined algorithmically, which includes Carnforth and
Warton. It is divided into two parts: Carnforth subdivision,
which includes the Millhead area within Warton parish, and Warton subdivision.
The ONS definition of a built-up area includes built-up land separated by 200m from another settlement.
Health service
There is a
general practice
General practice is the name given in various nations, such as the United Kingdom, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to the services provided by general practitioners. In some nations, such as the US, similar services may be describe ...
surgery in the town with eleven partners and four associate GPs. It has smaller surgeries in
Arnside
Arnside is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, historically part of Westmorland, near the border with Lancashire, England. The Lake District National Park is located a few miles North. Travelling by road, Arnside is to the south of Kendal, ...
,
Bolton-le-Sands,
Halton, and
Silverdale, to serve patients in outlying villages.
It is within the North Lancashire
clinical commissioning group
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were NHS organisations set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to organise the delivery of NHS services in each of their local areas in England. On 1 July 2022 they were abolished and replaced by Integra ...
and patients are served by the
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMB or UHMBT) is an NHS Foundation Trust in North West England, providing services in South Cumbria and North Lancashire in the Morecambe Bay area. It has about 6,000 employees and ...
.
There is also an NHS clinic, adjacent to the GP practice, used for a variety of services.
Transport
![The marina on the Lancaster Canal Carnforth - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/The_marina_on_the_Lancaster_Canal_Carnforth_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3089097.jpg)
Carnforth lies on the
A6 road This is a list of roads designated A6.
* A006 road (Argentina), a road connecting Las Cuevas with the Christ the Redeemer monument in the border between Argentina and Chile
* ''A6 highway (Australia)'' may refer to :
** A6 (Sydney), a road connec ...
, which is served by buses southwards to
Lancaster and
Morecambe
Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea.
Name
The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
and northwards to
Milnthorpe
Milnthorpe is a small market town on the southern border of Cumbria, 7 miles south of Kendal, civil parish and electoral ward are in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. Historically in the county of Westmorland and on the A6, ...
,
Kendal and
Keswick, including the
555 bus, described as one of the longest and most scenic bus routes in England. The
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at ...
passes to the east of the town, and its junction 35 is on the outskirts of Carnforth, connected by either the
A601(M) motorway
The A601(M) is a motorway in Carnforth, Lancashire, England. It is long, and meets the M6 at Junction 35. The A601(M) is not the A601 under motorway restrictions, as is the usual explanation for such a classification in the UK. The A601 its ...
or the B6254 road.
The
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
railway from London to Scotland passes through
Carnforth railway station
Carnforth is a railway station on the Bentham and Furness Lines, north of Lancaster, England, which serves the market town of Carnforth, Lancashire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
History
Carnforth railway stati ...
but the trains do not stop there: passengers must travel south to
Lancaster or north to
Oxenhoime for connections to that line. Trains from Carnforth serve the
Leeds–Morecambe line
The Leeds–Morecambe line, also known as the Bentham line, is a railway line running between Leeds, Skipton, Lancaster and Morecambe in northern England. The service is operated by Northern. The route covered by the service was historicall ...
and the
Furness line
The Furness line is a British railway between and , joining the West Coast Main Line at . A predominantly passenger line, it serves various towns along the Furness coast, including Barrow-in-Furness, Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands. It runs th ...
.
The
Lancaster Canal
The Lancaster Canal is a canal in North West England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria ( historically in Westmorland). The section around the crossing of the River Ribble was never complete ...
passes through Carnforth; there is a marina for pleasure boats. Historically the canal connected Lancaster to Kendal, but it is now closed beyond
Tewitfield, north of Carnforth.
Both the
Lancashire Coastal Way
The Lancashire Coastal Way is a long-distance footpath following the coast of the county of Lancashire in the north west of England. Its end points are Silverdale in the north and Freckleton in the south. Its length is variously asserted to ...
and the
Bay Cycle Way
The Bay Cycle Way is an cycling route around Morecambe Bay in Lancashire and Cumbria in north west England. Most of it forms National Cycle Route 700 (NCN 700), while other sections are waymarked as NCN 6 (London to the Lake District), NCN 69 (H ...
skirt the western side of Carnforth, crossing the River Keer by the footbridge north west of the town.
Education
Primary schools:
*Carnforth Community Primary School, North Road
*Christ Church C of E Primary School, North Road
*Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Kellet Road
Secondary schools:
*
Carnforth High School
There is also a public library branch in the town.
Sport
The town is home to Carnforth RUFC
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club, Carnforth Rangers
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club and
Carnforth Cricket Club
Carnforth Cricket Club is based in the North-West of England and play their home games at Lodge Quarry, Carnforth
Carnforth is a market town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England, situated at the north-east end of ...
.
Notable people
The
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
politician
Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Edward Parkinson, Baron Parkinson, (1 September 1931 – 22 January 2016) was a British Conservative Party politician and cabinet minister. A chartered accountant by training, he entered Parliament in November 1970, and was appointed a ...
was born in Carnforth in 1931 and became Baron Parkinson of Carnforth in 1992.
The birthplace of Rugby League player
Robert Wilson, born in the first quarter of 1879 and died in 1916.
Wealthy English merchant,
Sheriff of London
Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery company, livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have ...
and builder of
Hengrave Hall
Hengrave Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house in Hengrave near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England and was the seat of the Kitson and Gage families 1525–1887. Both families were Roman Catholic recusants.
Architecture
Work on the ho ...
,
Sir Thomas Kitson who was born in 1485 and died in 1540 was born in
Warton/Carnforth.
Musician
Steve Kemp
Steven F. Kemp (born August 7, 1954) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers.
Profession ...
attended
Carnforth High School.
Myers Danson was
Dean of Aberdeen and Orkney from 1907 to 1909, he was born in Carnforth in 1845.
Adam Thistlethwaite, born in 1988, is from Carnforth, and is a member of the band
Massive Wagons
Massive Wagons are a British jazz combo/rock band from Lancaster founded in 2009.
The band are currently signed to Nottingham-based independent record label Earache Records (having inked their deal in October 2017) and in 2018 released their f ...
See also
*
Listed buildings in Carnforth
*
Carnforth War Memorial
References
External links
Visit Carnforth Website– Tourism Website for Carnforth
Carnforth Town Council– Official Website for the Town (parish) Council of Carnforth
*
Carnforth IronworksHistory of Carnforth Haematite Ironworks.
{{authority control
Towns in Lancashire
Geography of the City of Lancaster
Populated coastal places in Lancashire
Morecambe Bay