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Village: Kirkby in Furness
OS grid ref: SD228853
Coordinates: 54° 15′ 28″ N, 3° 11′ 08″ W
Nearest lake/tarn: Coniston Water
Kirkby in Furness
Kirkby in Furness, which is situated approximately 10 miles north of Barrow in Furness, approximately 5 miles south of Broughton in Furness and north west of Ulverston, is a village in the Furness region of Cumbria. This village, which is one of the largest villages on the north western coast, looks out over the mountains of the Lake District and over the Duddon estuary.
The smaller hamlets of Soutergate, Wall End, Beck Side, Sand Side, Marshside and Chapels form part of the cluster called Kirkby. It was this name, which was used by the Furness Railway company while building the Cumbrian Coast Line, that was given to the station which serves these smaller hamlets.
The Burlington Slate Quarries, which are owned by the Cavendish family of Holker Hall and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, is responsible for much of the housing and infrastructure in Kirkby. Apparently the presence of Methodism in this area was brought in by the immigrants, which were drawn in by the expanding mines and new iron works.
The Marshside Chapel, which was founded in 1870, is testament to this. However, the present day Kirkby in Furness, which is primarily a commuter village but which still provides a work force for the slate and agricultural work, has an increasingly aged population because of the rise in house prices and the lack of suitable homes for first time buyers. This has, sadly, led to young families seeking cheaper housing in surrounding villages and towns.
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Windermere Bowness on Windermere Ambleside Coniston Hawkshead Keswick
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