Carnforth | |
---|---|
Carnforth station in 2005 | |
Location within Lancashire | |
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 and civil parish in the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England, situated at the north-east end of Morecambe Bay. The parish of Carnforth had a population of 5,560 in the 2011 census, [1] an increase from the 5,350 recorded in the 2001 census. [2] 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 and 28 miles northwest of Settle. The town is also close to the Cumbria/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 West Coast Main Line (WCML), the A6 and the Lancaster Canal pass through the town. The M6 motorway passes just to the east, linked to Carnforth by the A6070 (formerly the A601(M)) which was originally part of the Lancaster bypass before the M6 was extended north.
The name "Carnforth" is thought to derive from its old function as a ford of the River Keer 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. [3]
Much of the history of Carnforth revolves around the railway and ironworks. Vast deposits of limestone located locally made Carnforth an ideal place for an ironworks, as limestone is a key component of the smelting 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 ironworks in Worcestershire, 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. By 1872 steel production became the main focus for the works using the new Bessemer process. By 1889 this process had failed.[ citation needed ] Iron production continued at the works until 1929 when it eventually closed down. The site was taken over by the War Department as an ordnance depot and remained as such until the 1960s. From then to the present the site is now an industrial estate housing several businesses. [4]
In the 19th century, Carnforth grew from a small village into a railway 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 was one of the last to retain an allocation of steam locomotives until mid-1968. The buildings are now occupied by West Coast Railways [5] who still maintain and overhaul steam locos in their premises. The concrete locomotive coaling tower is a rare survivor.
With the closure of Carnforth MPD in 1968, Carnforth railway station 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 and the Leeds–Morecambe line (the Bentham 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 a mill but a factory making blouses and other garments. [6] [7]
In 1945, Carnforth railway station was used as a location for the David Lean film Brief Encounter , starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. 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. [8] There are also exhibitions and a heritage centre which is now run by the Carnforth Station Trust. [9] The 2018 novel Past Encounters by local writer Deborah Swift is set, in part, in Carnforth during the filming of Brief Encounter. [10]
An electoral 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 of Morecambe and Lunesdale, represented since 2024 by Lizzi Collinge of the Labour Party. [12]
Carnforth is on the A6 road 7 miles (11 km) north of Lancaster, Lancashire, to the west of the M6 motorway. [13]
The River Keer runs through the north-north-west of the town with the mouth of the river flowing into Morecambe Bay. 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. [13]
The Office for National Statistics recognises an area described as Carnforth Built-up area, [14] defined algorithmically, which includes Carnforth and Warton. 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 a general practice surgery in the town with eleven partners and four associate GPs. It has smaller surgeries in Arnside, Bolton-le-Sands, Halton, and Silverdale, to serve patients in outlying villages. [19] It is within the North Lancashire clinical commissioning group and patients are served by the University 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 lies on the A6 road, which is served by buses southwards to Lancaster and Morecambe and northwards to Milnthorpe, Kendal and Keswick, including the 555 bus, described as one of the longest and most scenic bus routes in England. The M6 motorway passes to the east of the town, and its junction 35 is on the outskirts of Carnforth, connected by either the A601(M) motorway or the B6254 road.
The West Coast Main Line railway from London to Scotland passes through Carnforth railway station 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 and the Furness line.
The Lancaster Canal 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 and the Bay 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 by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Lancaster relay TV transmitter. [22]
Local radio stations are BBC 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 and Beyond Radio, a community based station which broadcast from its studios in Lancaster 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. [29]
The Anglican parish church of Christ Church, on Lancaster Road, was built in 1875 with later additions, and is a grade II listed building. [30] It worships in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. [31] It is in the Deanery of Tunstall in the Diocese of Blackburn. [32]
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church, on Kellet Road, is a small building in modern romanesque style, which opened in 1967, replacing a temporary church which had opened in 1926. [33] It is a joint parish with St Mary's Church, Yealand Conyers and St Mary's Church, Bolton-le-Sands, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster. [34]
Emmanuel Congregational Church, on Hawk Street, was established in 1884 and is a member of the Congregational Federation. [35]
Carnforth Free Methodist Church was established in 1995. It holds services at Carnforth High School on Kellet road and has a community centre adjacent to the school. [36]
The Salvation Army have a church in Preston Street and also run a charity shop on Market Street. [37]
The Jehovah's Witnesses have a Kingdom Hall on the outskirts of Carnforth at Mill Lane, Warton. [38]
The town is home to Carnforth RUFC rugby union club, [39] Carnforth Rangers football club [40] and Carnforth Cricket Club. [41]
The Conservative Party politician Cecil Parkinson was born in Carnforth in 1931 and became Baron Parkinson of Carnforth in 1992. [42]
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 and builder of Hengrave Hall, Sir Thomas Kitson who was born in 1485 and died in 1540 was born in Warton/Carnforth.
Musician Steve Kemp 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,[ citation needed ] is from Carnforth, and is a member of the band Massive Wagons. [43]
Lancashire is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west.
Lancaster is a city in Lancashire, England, and the main cultural hub, economic and commercial centre of City of Lancaster district. The city is on the River Lune directly inland from Morecambe Bay. Lancaster is the county town although Lancashire County Council has been based at County Hall in Preston since its formation in 1889.
Heysham is a coastal village in the Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations.
Grange-over-Sands is a town and civil parish on the north side of Morecambe Bay in Cumbria, England, a few miles south of the Lake District National Park. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 4,114, increasing at the 2021 census to 4,279. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the town became administered as an urban district in 1894. Though the town remains part of the Duchy of Lancaster, since 2023 it has been administered as part of the Westmorland and Furness Council area.
The City of Lancaster, or simply Lancaster, is a local government district with city status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, and also includes the towns of Carnforth, Heysham and Morecambe and a wider rural hinterland. The district has a population of 144,446 (2022), and an area of 219 square miles (567 km2).
Bolton-le-Sands is a large village and civil parish of the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. The parish had a population of 4,098 recorded in the 2001 census, increasing to 4,127 at the 2011 Census.
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The North Western Railway (NWR) was an early British railway company in the north-west of England. It was commonly known as the "Little" North Western Railway, to distinguish it from the larger London and North Western Railway (LNWR).
Carnforth is a railway station on the Bentham and Furness Lines, 6 miles (10 km) north of Lancaster, England, which serves the market town of Carnforth, Lancashire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Silverdale is a village and civil parish within the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. The village stands on Morecambe Bay, near the border with Cumbria, 4.5 miles (7 km) north west of Carnforth and 8.5 miles (14 km) of Lancaster. The parish had a population of 1,519 recorded in the 2011 census.
Morecambe and Lunesdale is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2024 general election by Lizzi Collinge for Labour.
Wennington is a civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. The 2001 Census recorded the parish's population as 102, and the 2011 Census recorded it as 178.
Yealand Redmayne is a village in the civil parish of The Yealands, in the Lancaster district, in the county of Lancashire, England. In 2011 the former parish of Yealand Redmayne had a population of 326.
Arkholme-with-Cawood is a civil parish of the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. The parish of Arkholme-with-Cawood had a population of 334 recorded in the 2001 census, falling marginally to 333 at the 2011 Census. The parish is north east of Lancaster and lies on the B6254 road.
Warton is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. The village is close to the boundary with Cumbria, and approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Carnforth, which was originally part of the parish of Warton. The village had a population of 2,315 at the 2001 census, and 2,360 at the 2011 census. The parish covers an area in excess of 11,000 acres (45 km2) and is predominantly rural.
Morecambe is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768.
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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 historically part of the Midland Railway. The line is electrified at 25 kV AC overhead between Leeds City and Skipton- this section is known as the Airedale line.
Lancaster bus station serves the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The bus station was funded by both the Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council. The station, situated in the centre of the city, was re-built and opened in 2001, is staffed full-time, completely covered and consists of 20 stands, a travel centre, a refreshment kiosk, on site toilet facilities and an electronic passenger information board. Directly outside the bus station is Lancaster's main taxi rank.
The Lancaster/Morecambe Built-up area is an urban area which comprises the city of Lancaster and the towns of Morecambe and Heysham in Lancashire, England. The urban area covers an area which has a population of 97,150. The urban area includes the suburbs of both Lancaster and Morecambe. It has three subdivisions: Heysham, Lancaster and Morecambe. The built-up area and its subdivisions are entities defined algorithmically by the Office for National Statistics, which considers built-up land separated from another settlement by 200 metres (660 ft).