Broughton-in-Furness
Encyclopedia
Broughton in Furness is a small town
on the southern boundary of England
's Lake District
National Park
. It is located in the Furness
region of Cumbria
, which was part of Lancashire
before 1974. It lies near the River Duddon
, just inland from the coastal village of Foxfield
.
Broughton is mentioned in the Domesday Book
as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig. Dating from around the eleventh century, the original settlement grew to become the local market town
for both fishing and agriculture. The central obelisk in the town square was constructed to mark the Jubilee
of King George III
in 1810.
In 1859, the Coniston
branch of the Furness Railway
, which passed through the town, was opened. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1958, the line was closed and dismantled. Broughton's nearest railway station is now Foxfield railway station
, 2 miles (3.2 km) south west of the town.
The creation of the National Park in the 1950s created some tourism, though most tourists still head further north or east. The diversion of the A595 road
in the 1990s improved the environment of the town and helped it retain its rural feel.
The mostly organic Broughton Bakery (Broughton Village Bakery) holds a good food award. The Broughton square hosts the famous Beswick's restaurant named after Joyce and Ian Beswick, who established the restaurant in 1978 in one of the Georgian properties forming this unique square. The kitchen uses fine cuts of meat from the Berkshire Boar and Galloway cow, amongst others.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
on the southern boundary of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
. It is located in the Furness
Furness
Furness is a peninsula in south Cumbria, England. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of North Lonsdale, that part of the Lonsdale hundred that is an exclave of the historic county of Lancashire, lying to the north of Morecambe Bay....
region of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, which was part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
before 1974. It lies near the River Duddon
River Duddon
The Duddon is a river of north-west England. It rises at a point above sea level near the Three Shire Stone at the highest point of Wrynose Pass . The river descends to the sea over a course of about before entering the Irish Sea at the Duddon Sands. For its entire length the Duddon forms the...
, just inland from the coastal village of Foxfield
Foxfield, Cumbria
Foxfield is a village on the west coast of Cumbria, in the Furness district that was part of Lancashire from 1182 to 1974. It lies on the Duddon Estuary, just outside of the Lake District National Park, around ten miles to the north-east of Barrow-in-Furness and one mile out of Broughton-in-Furness...
.
Broughton is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig. Dating from around the eleventh century, the original settlement grew to become the local market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
for both fishing and agriculture. The central obelisk in the town square was constructed to mark the Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
of King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
in 1810.
In 1859, the Coniston
Coniston railway station
Coniston is a closed railway station at the terminus of a branch line in Coniston, Cumbria, England.- History :Authorised by Parliament in August 1857 the line to Coniston was open less than two years later in June 1859. The station building was designed by the Lancaster architect...
branch of the Furness Railway
Furness Railway
The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...
, which passed through the town, was opened. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1958, the line was closed and dismantled. Broughton's nearest railway station is now Foxfield railway station
Foxfield railway station
Foxfield Railway Station serves the villages of Foxfield and Broughton-in-Furness in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a request stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line. Some through trains to the Furness Line stop here...
, 2 miles (3.2 km) south west of the town.
The creation of the National Park in the 1950s created some tourism, though most tourists still head further north or east. The diversion of the A595 road
A595 road
The A595 is a primary route in Cumbria, in northern England that starts in Carlisle, passes through Whitehaven, and goes close to Workington, Cockermouth and Wigton. It passes Sellafield and Ravenglass before ending at the Dalton-in-Furness by-pass, in southern Cumbria, where it joins the A590...
in the 1990s improved the environment of the town and helped it retain its rural feel.
The mostly organic Broughton Bakery (Broughton Village Bakery) holds a good food award. The Broughton square hosts the famous Beswick's restaurant named after Joyce and Ian Beswick, who established the restaurant in 1978 in one of the Georgian properties forming this unique square. The kitchen uses fine cuts of meat from the Berkshire Boar and Galloway cow, amongst others.