Ulverston

Ulverston is a market town in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is in the Furness area 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Barrow-in-Furness, 4 miles (7 km) south of the Lake District and just north-west of Morecambe Bay. Nearby places include Swarthmoor, Pennington and Rosside. The most visible landmark is the limestone Hoad Monument built in 1850 to commemorate statesman and local resident Sir John Barrow.[2] It offers views that include Morecambe Bay and parts of the Lake District. Ulverston Canal, no longer navigable but once vital to the town's economy, is marked by an art installation.

For the town in Tasmania, Australia, see Ulverstone.

Ulverston

Market Street, Ulverston
Ulverston
Location within Cumbria
Population11,678 (2011)[1]
DemonymUlverstonian
OS grid referenceSD2878
Civil parish
  • Ulverston
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townULVERSTON
Postcode districtLA12
Dialling code01229
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament

Geography

Ulverston is a comparatively large civil parish. It is bounded in the east by the Leven estuary, Crake, Coniston Water and Yewdale Beck. To the west the boundary follows a chain of hills, and beyond that lie the towns of Kirkby-in-Furness and Askam and Ireleth. To the south is relatively low land, which rises quickly. In the north are hills such as Coniston Old Man. The settlements of the parish are mainly concentrated in the eastern part.[3]

Earthquake

On 28 April 2009, Ulverston was near the epicentre of an earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter magnitude scale. Tremors were felt across south Cumbria and parts of north Lancashire at 11.22 BST, although virtually no damage was caused by them. A spokesman for the British Geological Survey said that earthquakes of around that magnitude occur roughly once a year in Britain.[4] It was the largest seismic event in the region since a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Lancaster in 1835.[5][6]

History
Hoad Hill and the Hoad Monument, a near replica of the third Eddystone Lighthouse

The name Ulverston, first recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as Ulurestun, is derived from two elements. The first is either an Old Norse personal name, Úlfarr, or the Old English Wulfhere. The second element is the Old English tūn, meaning farmstead or village.[7] The personal names Úlfarr and Wulfhere both translate roughly as "wolf warrior" or "wolf army",[8] which explains the presence of a wolf on the town's coat of arms. The loss of the 'W' in Wulfhere can be attributed to the historical Scandinavian influence in the region.[3] Locally, the town has traditionally been known as Oostan.[9] Other variations of the name recorded throughout history include Oluestonam (1127), and Uluereston (1189).[3]

The town's market charter granted in 1280 by Edward I[10] was for a market every Thursday. Modern Ulverston retains its market-town appearance. Market days are now held on Thursdays and Saturdays.[11] The charter also allowed all public houses to open from 10:30 am to 11:00 pm, regardless of any other statute on the books. The present-day Saturday market includes in the summer months craft stalls, charity stalls and locally produced wares on "Made in Cumbria" stalls.

Town Bank grammar school was established in the town in 1658 from a benefaction by Thomas Fell.[12] The Victoria Road drill hall was completed in 1873.[13]

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy Statue; Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston in 1890, and named Arthur Jefferson.
Laurel & Hardy Museum

Historically, the parish included other chapelries or townships that later became separate civil parishes: Blawith, Church Coniston, Egton with Newland, Lowick, Mansriggs, Osmotherley, Subberthwaite and Torver. From 1894 to 1974 the town served as an urban district in the administrative county of Lancashire. Under the Local Government Act 1972 it became a successor parish in the Cumbria district of South Lakeland.[14]

Education
Entrance to Croftlands Infant School

Ulverston Victoria High School (UVHS) is the town's secondary school, with some 1,200 pupils. It includes a sixth form college that draws around 400 students from Ulverston and the surrounding areas.[15] The town has three main primary schools: St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary, Church Walk Church of England Primary School, and Sir John Barrow Primary School.[16] In addition it has a special education school for the disabled, near Sandside.[17]

Transport

Ulverston railway station, a short walk from the town centre, lies on the Furness Line between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster, which ultimately leads on to Manchester Airport. All services are operated by Northern. The town is served by several bus services, including the X6 between Kendal and Barrow-in-Furness, via Grange over Sands. The X12 runs from Coniston and passes through the village of Spark Bridge. Other services include the X31 to Tarn Hows and the 6A and 6 to Barrow-in-Furness, the region's largest town.

Twin towns

Ulverston is twinned with Albert in France.[18] The two towns meet every year to play football at Easter for the Cyril Barker Shield, alternately at Ulverston and Albert.[19] In July 2016 Ulverston, as the birthplace of the film comedian Stan Laurel, was officially twinned with Harlem, Georgia, United States, birthplace of Laurel's screen partner Oliver Hardy.[20]

Festival town

Ulverston has various festivals during the year that entitle it to the description "festival town".[21] Best known is the Lantern Festival, which involves hundreds of local residents creating lanterns out of willow and tissue paper and parading them through the streets. This event culminates in a stage performance and fireworks in Ford Park. It was organised locally for the first time in 2008.

Other popular festivals include:

  • Another Fine Fest[22] is a new festival launched in 2014m of music, comedy, street theatre and art celebrating Ulverston and the birth of Stan Laurel.
  • Beer Festival
  • Charter Festival (including the Lantern Festival)
  • Comedy Festival
  • Dickensian Festival (also known as #DickFest on Twitter)[23]
The Dickensian Festival, held the final weekend of November, sees a range of Christmas stalls and attractions visit Ulverston.[24] People often dress up for it in Victorian attire.
  • Feast of St George
  • Festival of Fashion
  • Flag Festival
  • Furness Festival of Tradition
  • Furness Tradition[25]
  • International Music Festival
  • Print Fest
  • Spring Buddhist Festival
  • Summer Buddhist Festival
  • Summer Music Festival
  • Ulverston Carnival Parade
  • Walking Festival
  • Word Market — including "Pub Scripts"

Sport

Football

Ulverston's football team, Ulverston Rangers,[26] has been in existence since 1945. It currently plays in the West Lancashire Football League and the Furness Football League. It boasts two good grounds and a full-size grass training pitch. It is the only football team within Ulverston itself.

Rugby League

Ulverston A.R.L.F.C., a rugby league team, which plays home games at Dragley Beck, also known as Pain Lane. Players wear a blue with white trim strip with blue shorts and blue socks. The team plays in the North West Counties Rugby League. It has produced several professional rugby players, including Derek Hadley and Andy Whittle.

Hockey

The town's two hockey clubs, South Lakes and Ulverston, are based at Ulverston Leisure Centre.

Orienteering

The town regularly has events run by Lakeland Orienteering Club.

Running

A parkrun event has been held every Saturday at Ford Park since 2018.[27]

Leisure Centre

There is a swimming club at Ulverston Leisure Centre. The triathletes of Ulverston Tri Club are also based there and train there on Saturday mornings.[28]

Notable people

In alphabetical order:

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,[29] who represented Britain at the Nuremberg Trials; Maude Green, the mother of Rock and Roll music legend, Bill Haley;[30] saxophonist Jess Gillam;[31] Norman Gifford,[32] an England test cricketer; Francis Arthur Jefferson, a soldier awarded the Victoria Cross;[33] and a comedian Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy fame.[34]. The Laurel & Hardy Museum is situated in Ulverston.[35] In 2009, the comedian Ken Dodd unveiled a statue of the pair outside Coronation Hall in the town centre.[36] Among Ulverston's lesser known sons is the late Bryan Martin, a BBC Radio 4 newsreader and presenter of the '70s and '80s, who announced on the Today programme the death of Elvis Presley in 1977 and broke the news of the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980. He appeared in The News Quiz, occasionally introduced The Goon Show, and read the spoof "news bulletin" that featured in the middle of the comedy The Men from the Ministry.

Despite being entitled The Royal Norwegian Honorary Consulate in Barrow-in-Furness, one of the numerous consulates of Norway is actually located on the outskirts of Ulverston.[37]

The town of Ulverstone in Tasmania, Australia is named after Ulverston and similarly built at the mouth of a Leven River.

Freedom of the Town

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Ulverston.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Individuals
  • Peter Winston: 15 May 2019[38]

Military units
  • Market Street, Ulverston
  • Market Place in 1860
  • View over to Hoad Hill
  • Hoad Hill with Sir John Barrow monument
  • Side door of Ulverston Church of England
  • Town Clock of Ulverston, 1845
  • The Lanternhouse, formerly the home of the arts companies Welfare State International and Lanternhouse International.
  • Ulverston Canal

See also

References
  1. "Town Population 2011". Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  2. UK Attraction Hoad Monument
  3. Eilert Ekwall (1922). The Place-Names of Lancashire. Manchester University Press.
  4. "Tremor strikes north-west England". BBC News. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  5. "Biggest earthquake in 174 years hits South Cumbria". North-West Evening Mail. 30 April 2009. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  6. "Earthquake Shakes Buildings in Cumbria". Sky News. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  7. A. D. Mills (2003). Dictionary of British Place Names. Oxford University Press. p. 475.
  8. Viking Answer Lady. "Viking Answer Lady Webpage – Old Norse Men's Names". Retrieved 4 November 2007.
  9. Rollinson, W. (1997), The Cumbrian Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition and Folklore, Smith Settle Ltd, p115
  10. "Ulverston, Cumbria". Visit Cumbria. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  11. "Ulverston Street Markets". South Lakeland District Council. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  12. "Ulverston". Cumbria County History Trust. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  13. "Former drill hall including sergeant's house, administration and entrance blocks and boundary walling". Historic England. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  14. Frederic A. Youngs. Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume 2. Boydell & Brewer.
  15. "Ofsted inspection report (2007)". Ofsted. 29 November 2007. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  16. "FURNESS LPG – ULVERSTON PRIMARY SCHOOLS LIST" (PDF). Cumbria County Council. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  17. Schools Insight. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  18. "Ulverston-Albert Twinning Association | Ulverston Town Council". www.ulverstoncouncil.org.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  19. "Bonjour from Blackpool Airport!". News Powered by Cision. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  20. AP, Chris Thelen / (3 October 2008). "Ga. town keeps Laurel and Hardy's legacy alive". msnbc.com. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  21. "Ulverston home". ulverston.net. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  22. "Another Fine Fest 2020 | 20th -21st June | Ulverston". www.anotherfinefest.co.uk.
  23. "Ulverston Dickensian Christmas Festival is proud of their #dickfest". The Poke. 27 November 2015.
  24. "Ulverston Dickensian Christmas Festival". Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  25. "Festival 2020". Furness Tradition.
  26. "FOOTBALL | GSK Sports". Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  27. "First Ulverston Parkrun gets off to perfect start". The Mail. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  28. "Home". www.ulverstontriclub.com.
  29. Norman Birkett: The Life of Lord Birkett of Ulverston. ASIN 0140113452.
  30. "Bill Haley and his Comets". Classic Bands. Retrieved 18 January 2006.
  31. Ovens, Eleanor (27 April 2019). "Sax prodigy Jess Gillam returns to Ulverston to celebrate album launch". The Mail. Barrow-in-Furness. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  32. "Norman Gifford". cricinfo.com. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  33. "Feature Page of Francis Arthur Jefferson VC". Lancashire Fusiliers. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  34. "Stan Laure l". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  35. "Laurel and Hardy Museum". lakedistrictletsgo.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  36. "Statue honours Laurel and Hardy". BBC News. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  37. "The Norway Portal - Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Norgesportalen.
  38. https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/17642292.peter-winston-makes-history-as-first-winner-of-freedom-of-the-town-award-in-ulverston/
  39. "Freedom of the Town honour for Air Training Squadron". The Westmorland Gazette.
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