# Timeline of Barrow-in-Furness

The following is a timeline of the history of Barrow-in-Furness, England, United Kingdom.

## Prior to 19th century

* Neolithic period - Earliest known habitation within present-day Barrow
* 9th century - Viking settlement of the Furness peninsula
* 1086 - The Doomesday Book records settlements in Hietun, Rosse and Hougenai (now Hawcoat, Roose and Walney)
* 1123 - Furness Abbey is established
* 1190 - Barrow Island from which Barrow takes its name is first recorded as being named Barrai
* 1327 - The current Piel Castle is completed
* 1537 - Furness Abbey is destroyed in the English Reformation

## 19th century

* 1801 - Population of village of Barrow stood at 1,958 during 1801 UK Census
* 1804 - Walney Lighthouse is completed
* 1839 - Henry Schneider arrives to exploit local iron ore
* 1846
** Furness Railway is opened
** Roa Island causeway is completed
* 1847 - Population: 325.
* 1850 - Expansive haematite deposits are discovered in the area
* 1852 - Jane Roper is the first ship to be built in Barrow
* 1858 - St. Mary of Furness Roman Catholic Church is built
* 1859 - Schneider Hannay & Co is founded.
* 1860 - Barrow Co-operative Society is established
* 1861 - St. George's Church is built
* 1863 - Construction begins on Barrow's dock system
* 1865
** A magnitude 3.0 earthquake causes extensive damage to the Rampside area
** Schneider Hannay & Co becomes the Barrow Hematite Steel Company.
* 1867
** Barrow is granted municipal borough status
** Sir James Ramsden becomes first mayor of Barrow
** Devonshire Dock opens.
** Cases' Brewery opens
* 1869 - St. James' Church is built
* 1870 - Barrow Jute Works are completed
* 1871
** The Barrow Shipbuilding Company is established
** Barrow Corn Mills are built
* 1872 - Furness Golf Club is founded
* 1873 - Duke of Devonshire is the first steamship to be built in Barrow
* 1875
** Barrow Football Club, the forerunner of Barrow Raiders is established
** Devonshire Buildings are built
* 1876 - Barrow's steelworks become the world's largest
* 1877 - St. James' Church installs a ring of 8 bells - first rung on St James' day (25th July)
* 1879 - Ramsden Dock completed.
* 1881
** The autonomous Barrow-in-Furness Borough Police force is established
** SS City of Rome is launched, briefly the world's largest liner
* 1882 - Barrow Central railway station is opened
* 1884 - Michaelson Road Bridge is opened
* 1885
** The Barrow and Furness parliament constituency is established
** Barrow-in-Furness Tramways Company commences operation.
* 1886 - Ottoman submarine Abdül Hamid is launched in Barrow and becomes the first submarine to fire a live torpedo underwater
* 1887
** Barrow Town Hall is opened by Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire
** North Lonsdale Hospital is opened
* 1888 - Town becomes a county borough.
* 1889 - Co-operative Building built.
* 1891 - Population: 51,712.
* 1896 - Death of Sir James Ramsden mechanical engineer, industrialist, and first mayor of Barrow.
* 1897 - The Barrow Shipbuilding Company becomes Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering after being purchased by Vickers Limited
* 1898 - The North-Western Daily Mail first begins publishing
* 1899 - Barrow-in-Furness power station commissioned.

## 20th century

* 1900 - Japanese battleship Mikasa is launched
* 1901
** Population of Barrow stood at 67,354 during 1901 UK Census
** Barrow A.F.C. is established
** The Vickerstown estate is completed
* 1902 - Abbey Road Synagogue is built
* 1903 - The Barrow Technical School is established
* 1904 - Hotel Majestic built.
* 1908
** Jubilee Bridge is opened.
** Barrow Park created.
* 1909
** Brazilian battleship São Paulo and HMS Vanguard are launched
* 1911 - The Mayfly airship disaster
* 1912
** Barrow Central Fire Station is opened
** Japanese battleship Kongō is launched
* 1914
** The outbreak of World War I in which 616 Barrovian men die
** Abbey House is built
** Explosion occurs on Tanker SS Vedra which runs aground off Walney killing 36
* 1919 - Barrow Park Cenotaph is built
* 1922
** Barrow Main Public Library is opened
** Sporadic marches and violence occur over shipyard overtime disputes
* 1929 - Buccleuch Street Electricity Plant opens
* 1931 - RMS Strathaird is launched
* 1932 - Barrow-in-Furness Tramways Company ceases operation
* 1938 - The John Whinnerah Institute is established
* 1939
** Outbreak of World War II in which 268 Barrovian men die
** HMS Illustrious is launched
* 1940
** HMS Indomitable is launched by Winston Churchill
** HMS Upholder the most successful British submarine of the war is launched
** Luftwaffe aerial bombardment of Barrow during World War II begins
* 1941
** Barrow/Walney Island Airport is opened as a Royal Air Force base
** The majority of the Barrow Blitz takes place killing 83 civilians
* 1943 - HMS Colossus is launched
* 1944 - The role of Bishop of Barrow-in-Furness is placed in abeyance
* 1945
** HMAS Melbourne is launched
** RMS Empress of Russia is gutted by fire in Buccleuch Dock
* 1947 - Barrow Hematite Steel Company Limited becomes Barrow Ironworks Limited
* 1951 - Barrow's population peaks at 76,619 during the 1951 UK Census
* 1953 - HMS Hermes the largest naval vessel built in Barrow is launched
* 1954 - The coal-fired Roosecote Power Station opens
* 1955 - First and to date only time Barrow have won rugby league's Challenge Cup
* 1959 - SS Oriana is launched
* 1960 - Queen Elizabeth II launches HMS Dreadnought the UK's first nuclear powered submarine
* 1963 - Iron ore deposits run out and ironworks cease operation
* 1965 - Queen Elizabeth II launches oil tanker British Admiral, the first UK vessel to exceed 100,000 tonnes
* 1967 - Craven House built.
* 1971 - HMS Swiftsure is launched
* 1974
** The Borough of Barrow-in-Furness is formed
** Barrow is annexed from Lancashire to become part of the modern county of Cumbria
* 1977 - HMS Invincible is launched
* 1980 - Barrow's last remaining steelworks close down
* 1981 - HMS Trafalgar is launched
* 1984 - Furness General Hospital is opened
* 1985 - Rampside Gas Terminal first collects gas from the Irish Sea
* 1986 - Devonshire Dock Hall is completed
* 1990 - Barrow A.F.C. win the FA Trophy
* 1992
** Commercial operations cease at Barrow/Walney Island Airport
** HMS Vanguard is launched
** Dalton bypass opens
* 1994 - South Lakes Wild Animal Park opens
* 1995 - GEC buys Barrow's shipyard
* 1997 - Dock Museum opens
* 1998
** Portland Walk Shopping Centre opens
** Queen Elizabeth II names HMS Ocean after being fitted out in Barrow
* 1999 - GEC is merged with BAE Systems and the shipyard becomes part of BAE Systems Marine

## 21st century

* 2000 - RFA Wave Knight is launched
* 2001
** Population of Barrow stood at 71,979 during 2001 UK Census
** HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark are launched
* 2002 - A major outbreak of legionellosis occurs
* 2006
** Local council becomes first public body charged with manslaughter
** Barrow Offshore Wind Farm is completed
* 2007 - HMS Astute is launched
* 2010
** Construction of 'The Waterfront' begins
** Barrow A.F.C. win the FA Trophy
* 2011 - Furness General Hospital scandal comes to light
* 2014 - The 8 bells at St James' Church are restored after being unsafe to ring and silent for 15 years.
* 2016 - UK Government approves construction of the Dreadnought-class submarines in Barrow
* 2021 - AUKUS partnership is established with a 2023 commitment to designing and constructing a new class of submarine in Barrow
* 2024 - Borough of Barrow-in-Furness is abolished upon merging of the district with Eden and South Lakeland to for Westmorland and Furness unitary authority