Ulverston

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Ulverston
Ulverston (Cumbria)
Ulverston

Ulverston shown within Cumbria
Population 11,210 (2001 census)
OS grid reference SD288780
District South Lakeland
Shire county Cumbria
Region North West
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ULVERSTON
Postcode district LA12
Dialling code 01229
Police Cumbria
Fire Cumbria
Ambulance North West
European Parliament North West England
UK Parliament Barrow and Furness
List of places: UK • England • Cumbria

Coordinates: 54°11′35″N 3°05′26″W / 54.1931, -3.0906

Ulverston is a market town in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is set on the Furness Peninsula, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay.

Ulverston railway station, which serves the town, is located on the Furness Line from Barrow-in-Furness to Lancaster, ultimately leading on to Manchester Airport. The railway station is a short walk from the town centre.

Arguably Ulverston's most disguishing feature is Hoad Monument, a concrete structure built in 1850 to commemorate statesman and local resident Sir John Barrow.[1] The monument provides scenic views of the surrounding areas, including Morcambe Bay and parts of the Lake District.

Ulverston Canal, which is no longer in use, is claimed to be the deepest, widest and shortest canal in the United Kingdom at 1¼ miles.[2] The canal was once a vital component of the town's economy.[3]

The town is home to many shops and pubs, some of which are located on the cobbled main street, Market Street. At the head of the street is the war memorial to local soldiers who died in World War I.

Contents

[edit] History

The name Ulverston, first recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as Ulvrestun probably means 'Úlfarr's farm' from the Old Norse personal name Úlfarr and tun, 'farm, homestead' or the equivalent Old English Wulfhere + tūn.[4] The names Úlfarr and Wulfhere both translate roughly as 'wolf warrior' or 'wolf army',[5] which explains the presence of a wolf on the town's coat of arms. Locally, the town has traditionally been known as Oostan.[6]

A journal written in 1851 records the oldest orthography of the town as being Olvaston or Ulvaston; these notes also corroborate the pronunciation of the town as Oustan.[7]

Hoad Hill and the replica of the Eddystone Lighthouse, Ulverston
Hoad Hill and the replica of the Eddystone Lighthouse, Ulverston

The town's Market Charter was granted in 1280 by Edward I. This was for a market every Thursday; modern Ulverston keeps its old market town appearance, and market days are now held on both Thursdays and Saturdays.[8] The charter also allowed for all public ale houses to open from 10:30 am until 11:00pm irrespective of any other statute on the books. During the summer months the market day (on the Saturday) is themed with craft stalls, charity stalls and locally produced wares on Made in Cumbria stalls.

Historically, the ancient parish included several other chapelries or townships which later became separate civil parishes: Blawith, Church Coniston, Egton with Newland, Lowick, Mansriggs, Osmotherley, Subberthwaite and Torver. From 1894 to 1974 the town constituted an urban district in the administrative county of Lancashire. It became a successor parish in the Cumbria district of South Lakeland under the Local Government Act 1972.[9]

Over the years the town has been the birthplace of several famous people. Sir John Barrow, born at Dragley Beck, Ulverston, was the Admiralty's Second Secretary: a much more important position than First Secretary. A monument to him — a replica of the third Eddystone Lighthouse — stands on Hoad Hill overlooking the town. Famous Ulverstonians include Norman Birkett,[10] who represented Britain at the Nuremberg Trials; Maude Green, the mother of Rock and Roll music legend, Bill Haley;[11] Norman Gifford,[12] the England test cricketer; Francis Arthur Jefferson VC;[13] and comedian Stan Laurel,[14] of Laurel and Hardy fame. The Laurel & Hardy Museum, situated in Ulverston, claims to be the only one of its kind in the world.[15]

[edit] Education

Ulverston Victoria High School (UVHS) is the town's secondary school with approximately 1200 pupils. The school has a Sixth Form which draws students from Ulverston as well as the surrounding areas; the numbers of students attending the sixth form is roughly 200.[16] There are also three infant schools, two junior schools, five primary schools,[17] and one disabled school in the vicinity. The closest access to private education is Chetwynde School in Barrow-in-Furness.

[edit] Festival town

Ulverston calls itself a 'Festival Town' in reference to the many and varied festivals which take place in Ulverston over the course of the year.[18] The most renowned being the Lantern Procession, which involves hundreds of local residents creating lanterns out of willow and tissue paper and parading them through the town in winding rivers of light. The annual event culminates in a lively display of theatrical performance and fireworks in Ford Park, and was organized by the community themselves for the first time in 2007.

Other popular festivals include:

  • Flag Festival
  • Dickensian Festival
  • Beer Festival
  • Charter Festival
  • International Music Festival
  • Folklore Festival
  • Comedy Festival
  • Word Market — including 'Pub Scripts'
  • Walking Festival
  • Spring Buddhist Festival
  • Print Fest
  • Summer Buddhist Festival
  • Ulverston Carnival Parade
  • Furness Festival of Tradition
  • Summer Music Festival
  • Festival of Fashion
  • The Feast of St George

Details and dates of the festivals can be found on the Ulverston.net website.

[edit] Notable people

[edit] Gallery

Market Street, Ulverston

View over to Hoad Hill

Side door of Ulverston Protestant Church

Town Clock of Ulverston, 1845

The Lanternhouse, headquarters of Welfare State International, a "company of artists"

[edit] Twin Town

Ulverston is twinned with:

[edit] References

  1. ^ UK Attraction Hoad Monument
  2. ^ Ulverston
  3. ^ Priestly, Joseph (1831). Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, Throughout Great Britain. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green. 
  4. ^ Mills, A.D. (2003) Dictionary of British Place Names, Oxford University Press, p475
  5. ^ Viking Answer Lady Webpage - Old Norse Men's Names
  6. ^ Rollinson, W. (1997), The Cumbrian Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore, Smith Settle Ltd, p115
  7. ^ Historical notes on Ulverston
  8. ^ Ulverston Case Study Case Study in to Ulverston market
  9. ^ Youngs, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume 2
  10. ^ Antiqbook Biography of Norman Birkett
  11. ^ Classic Bands Bill Haley entry
  12. ^ Norman Gifford profile at cricinfo.com
  13. ^ Lancashire Fusiliers Profile of Francis Arthur Jefferson
  14. ^ Stan Laurel at the Internet Movie Database
  15. ^ Laurel and Hardy Museum
  16. ^ 2007 Ofsted report
  17. ^ FURNESS LPG – ULVERSTON PRIMARY SCHOOLS LIST
  18. ^ Ulverston home

[edit] External links

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