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MY WALNEY

The Isle of Walney lies west of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria's southwest corner at the end of the Furness peninsular, between the Duddon estuary and Morecambe Bay. It is the eighth largest marine island in England and was formed as the last ice age ended when rock, clay, and sand were deposited by the melting of the Lake District Glasiers. Find out what Wikipedia has to say about walney.

The Island is eleven miles long and is less than one mile wide at its widest point with total land area of 5.01 square miles (12.99 km²). Walney officially became a borough of Barrrow-in-Furness in 1872. The original settlements on the Island were Biggar Village and North Scale which date back to the Norse invations and were settled by Normans/Vikings. Walney was later re-invaded by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd when they built Vickerstown as housing for the workers in the then expanding industry.

Walney now boasts approximately 13,000 people lining on the Island with large estates such as West Shore, Bigger Bank and Central Walney, making it the 7th most populated island in England. Walney Island has a small airport (Barrow/Walney Island Airfield) located at the northern end of the island, home to the Lakes Gliding Club.

Even with the current population of Walney there is only one road bridge linking the Island with the mainland. Jubilee Bridge, which opened in 1908, provided an impetus for the growth of residences on the island. Before the bridge, a ferry brought passengers the short distance across the water. The recent 100th anniversary of the brigde occured this year (2008) and was an astounding success. See **HERE** for coverage of this event. Walney has four primary schools (North Walney, South Walney, St Columba's and Vickerstown) and a secondary school, Walney Comprehencive School.

The island is said to be the windiest lowland site in England. Recently an offshore wind farm has been built 7km off the West coast of the island. The wind farm consists of 30 windmills. Construction was completed in September 2006. There are plans for more wind farms with up to 100 wind turbines off the coast. These ideas have been met with opposition among most locals as the Island is famous for its sunsets and views off the West coast and if the proposed number are built this may affect its popularity.

In the 19th century salt production began near Biggar. An evaporating plant with six chimneys and 24 pans was built, but the grand plans fell through a dozen years later in 1909 due to intimidation from businessmen with Cheshire salt investments. Sand and gravel extraction are ongoing industries in the area.

St Marys Anglican Church near Vickerstown dates from the end of the 16th century, but the current building was completed in 1930. A one room Methodist church on Vickerstown and St Columbs Catholic Church also serve the communities of Walney.

On Haws Point (South end of the Island) is Walney Lighthouse, first built of wood in 1790. It burned in 1803 and was rebuilt in stone in 1804. The island is home to two nature reserves, North and South Walney, which include important flora and fauna. They are administered by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

The Doomsday Book calls Walney Island "Hougenai" perhaps referring to the Manor of Hougon. In the Doomsday book Walney was listed due to its rich fishing and the Mussel beds which are still present at North Scale. The name of the Island underwent many revisions since that time before ending up as Walney.

Location Map of Walney Island Walney Island is located on the A590 from Barrow-In-Furness on the Furness Peninsula. Multi Map Link here...

Walney Island information is available from Barrow-in-Furness Tourist Information Centre, Forum 28, Duke St. Tel. 01229 870156.

ADDITIONS, ERRORS OR OMISSIONS?

If you have any suggestions for additions, errors or omissions, or if you would like to contribute to the site in any way (With a regular feature or maybe just some one off stories, etc.) contact Jason Tomkinson, Home & Business Web Services, Barrow-in-Furness.

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