Broughton in Furness is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria.[2] Dating from around the eleventh century, the original settlement grew to become the local market town for both fishing and agriculture. Wool was particularly important for the town's development. The town was given a charter in 1575.
The Market Square was formally laid out in 1760 by John Gilpin Sawrey, the Lord of the Manor, who lived at Broughton Tower, a large mansion just a short distance from the Square. Key developments around the Market Square included the Old Town Hall.[3]
In the 1990s the A595 road was diverted in an attempt to improve the environment of the town and help it retain its rural feel.[4]
It lies near the River Duddon, just inland from the coastal hamlet of Foxfield. Duddon Mosses is a site of special scientific interest with deer, lizards, adders and barn owls.
With just 529 residents, in terms of population, Broughton-in-Furness ranks 5,721 of the 7,727 towns in the UK according to the 2011 census.[5]
Economy
Traditionally the economy was based on fishing and agriculture; there is a regular livestock market. The creation of the National Park in the 1950s produced some tourism for the area, though most tourists still head further north or east into the central lakes. There is a Tourist Information Centre located in the main square.
Culture and community
The Victory Hall has been recently refurbished with Lottery funding and puts on plays and musical events. The town contains, amongst other shops, a Post Office/newsagents, a grocer/butcher, a bakery and a number of pubs/restaurants.
The central obelisk in the town square was constructed to mark the Jubilee of King George III in 1810. Syke House on the western approach is an attractive listed building with datestones of 1655 and 1740.
There is a thriving tennis club with two outdoor courts and there is sailing on Coniston Water. Eccle Riggs is a Victorian manor house to the south of town that is now a leisure club.
Signage on C5009 into Broughton-in-Furness with the old A595 designation still visible
The Furness Railway opened the line from Kirkby to Broughton station in 1848;[8] the
Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway - which amalgamated with the Furness Railway in 1866 - opened its line from Whitehaven into Broughton station in 1850.[9] In 1859, the nominally independent Coniston Railway - which amalgamated with the Furness Railway in 1862 - extended the line through Broughton to Coniston.[10] Nearly 100 years after the opening of the Coniston line, in 1958, the line closed to passengers, goods traffic continuing until 1962, at which point the line was closed and dismantled, the route of which is now a public bridleway for approximately 1.3 miles (2.1 km) towards Coniston.[11] Broughton's nearest railway station is now Foxfield railway station, 2 miles (3.2 km) south west of the town.
The main west-coast road, the A595, used to pass through Broughton until the road along Duddon Mosses through Foxfield was designated as the A595.[12] The stretch of road through Broughton has been designated the number C5009, although A595 can still be seen on older road signage.
Education
There is a Church of England primary school[13] in the town. The old school house, now a private residence, can still be seen on Church Street, close to the pathway to the church.
^Andrews, Michael (2012). "Chapter Three: The Furness Railway Early Years 1846-1857". The Furness Railway, A History. Barrai Books. pp. 35–36. ISBN978-0-9569709-0-9.
^Andrews, Michael (2012). "Chapter Five: The Whitehaven & Furness Junction Railway". The Furness Railway, A History. Barrai Books. p. 51. ISBN978-0-9569709-0-9.
^Andrews, Michael (2012). "Chapter Eleven: Lines into Lakeland". The Furness Railway, A History. Barrai Books. pp. 114–115. ISBN978-0-9569709-0-9.
^Andrews, Michael (2012). "Chapter Twenty-seven: Epilogue". The Furness Railway, A History. Barrai Books. p. 227. ISBN978-0-9569709-0-9.
