Ulverston

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
UK Parliament	Barrow and Furness
European Parliament	North West England
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, currently desperately in need of renovation, is an excellent building and from the top of the hill you can see wonderful views of the town and beyond. Ulverston Canal, which is no longer in use, but maintained by town council, is claimed to be the deepest, widest and shortest canal in the United Kingdom at 1¼ miles.^[1] At the foot of the canal is a hotel/pub which has excellent views across the bay. The town boasts many shops and pubs, some of which are 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.

History

Coat of arms of Ulverston Town Council

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 ^[2]. The names Úlfarr and Wulfhere both translate roughly as 'wolf warrior' or 'wolf army' ^[3], which explains the presence of a wolf on the town's coat of arms. Locally, the town has traditionally been known as Oostan^[4].

Hoad Hill and the replica of the Eddystone Lighthouse, Ulverston

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, who represented Britain at the Nuremberg Trials; Maude Green, the mother of Rock and Roll music legend, Bill Haley;^[5] Norman Gifford, the England test cricketer, Francis Arthur Jefferson VC and comedian Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy fame. The Laurel & Hardy Museum, situated in Ulverston, claims to be the only one of its kind in the world. 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. 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.^[6]

Education

Ulverston Victoria High School (UVHS) is the town's secondary school with approximately 1300 pupils and many excellent school bands. The school has a Sixth Form which draws students from Ulverston as well as the surrounding areas. There are also three infant schools, one junior school, one primary school and one disabled school in the town's proximity. The closest access to private education is Chetwynde School in Barrow-in-Furness.

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. The most renowned being the Lantern Procession, which involves hundreds of Ulverstonians 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, to be organised by the community themselves for the first time this year. 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.

Gallery

Market Street, Ulverston	View over to Hoad Hill	Side door of Ulverston Protestant Church	Town Clock of Ulverston, 1845
Lanternhouse, headquarters of Welfare State International, a "company of artists"

Twin Town

Ulverston is twinned with:

• Albert, France

References

1. ^ http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/ulverst.htm
2. ^ Mills, A.D. (2003) Dictionary of British Place Names, Oxford University Press, p475
3. ^ http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ONMensNames.shtml#u
4. ^ Rollinson, W. (1997), The Cumbrian Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore, Smith Settle Ltd, p115
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ Youngs, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume 2

• Priestly, Joseph (1831). Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, Throughout Great Britain. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green. 

External links

• The official Ulverston website
• Ulverston history at GENUKI
• Heritage First (formerly Ulverston Heritage Centre)
• Ulverston on the web
• Virtual tour of the town
• Ulverston Victoria High School (UVHS)
• Ulverston International Music Festival
• Ulverston Mind
• Local Estate Agent/ Character (!), regularly updated local info told with charm!