News

At the end of January 2024 the society held its AGM. There were no nominations for the vacant roles of Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer. It was agreed by the Committee that monthly meetings would no longer be held. There has been a fall in numbers of people attending the meetings for some time and it has become more difficult to cover the cost of rent, insurance and speakers’fees. We will still continue to maintain the websites for as long as possible. They contain a wealth of information about local history and are freely available to everyone. Since the society was […]

The guest speaker at our October meeting was Stephe Cove who talked about “A Short History of Walking the Fells.” Stephe has been a member of Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team for 50 years and is now involved in fundraising and promoting the organisation. He traced the settlement of the area from the early hunter gatherers of 10,000 years ago and explained that the Langdale Axe Factory had produced stone axes which have been found as far away as Poland. The stone circles in the Lake District indicate a well organised society, where people shared jobs and tasks were

Our monthly meetings this year have involved a variety of subjects. Our guest speaker In March was John Calvert and the title of his talk was “The Last Two Furlongs.”  It was a light-hearted look at life in later years, but it gave everyone the chance to reflect on the changes which have come about in the name of progress. The importance of family life and respect for others are just as important now as ever before. John Calvert’s talk contained humour and anecdotes, which were very much appreciated by the audience. Our April meeting was a celebration of the

We began the 2023 programme with our AGM at the monthly meeting in January. The Chairperson/Secretary was re-elected and then the Chairperson’s report for 2022 was given. This outlined the events of the previous twelve months, which included details of the meetings and guest speakers. The year had been a busy one for the Society and arrangements had gone well to relocate to Beacon Hill Methodist Church Hall after the closure of Trinity Church Centre. The report outlined the Society’s involvement with local history initiatives and members were reminded that the Sunset Series of online talks are available during the

Historic England and Cumbria County History Trust are looking for volunteers to help with a new project, starting in January 2023. The project involves research into the listed buildings in Barrow-in-Furness. The volunteers will work as part of a team to check the accuracy of information held on the National Heritage List for England and to undertake contextual research into those buildings. The listed buildings to be surveyed lie in four wards of the town: Central Ward, Salthouse Ward, Ramsden Ward and Barrow Island. Some of the volunteer roles will be desk based while other roles will involved site visits.

Our programme of talks went well during 2022. We held our final meeting at the Trinity Church Centre in April and arrangements were then made to hold the monthly meetings at Beacon Hill Methodist Church hall, starting in September. Our guest speaker at the end of November was Alan Cleaver who explained that he likes “paths with a bit of a story.” In 2016 he and Lesley Park set about researching the corpse roads of Cumbria and their book, “The Corpse Roads of Cumbria” won the Lakeland Book of the Year Award in 2019.    Alan’s talk was very informative

Our guest speaker at the end of October was Neil Honeyman . “A Tale of Beatrix Potter” was the title of his talk which traced the story of the life of the famous author born into a wealthy family in 1866. Her days were spent at home in London where she was taught by a governess, with only her younger brother for company. As a child she kept small animals in her schoolroom and made sketches of them. Her family spent several months in Scotland every summer and Beatrix enjoyed the chance to be in the countryside. She spent hours

Our guest speakers at the September meeting were Rhona Teale and Shirley Waters from the charity “Boxes of Hope, Cumbria.” This year is the 10th Anniversary of the charity which sends gift-filled shoeboxes to Romania at Christmas. The children who receive the boxes live in abject poverty without access to the most basic needs, including water. Many of the children do not go to school and never learn to read and write. The charity helps deprived communities by supporting educational projects and it is hoped to expand this programme . The shoeboxes are donated throughout Cumbria by schools, churches, community

Programme of Meetings: September to November 2022 Our meetings will now be held at Beacon Hill Methodist Church hall starting at 2pm. Members and visitors will have the use of the adjacent car park. Public transport is available on the Number 3 Stagecoach route (Ormsgill / Newbarns) and the nearest bus stop is Harrel Lane Terminus. Friday September 30th    Shirley Waters: “Shoe Boxes for Romania” Friday October 28th             Neil Honeyman:  “A Tale of Beatrix Potter” Friday November 25th      Alan Cleaver:  “The Corpse Roads of Cumbria” Admission, including refreshments, is £2.50 for members and £3.00 for visitors. Everyone is very welcome

Like many other community groups who have used the Trinity Church Centre, we are sad to hear the news that the building is going to close. We have held our meetings there for many years and enjoyed all the benefits that the building offered. We are very grateful to everyone who has worked tirelessly to keep the Trinity Centre open for members of the community. Our April meeting was sadly the last time we will meet there. From September, our meetings will be held at Beacon Hill Methodist Church Hall. Details of dates and speakers will be posted on our