Millom

Coordinates: 54°12′35″N 3°16′13″W / 54.20964°N 3.27019°W / 54.20964; -3.27019

Millom
Millom  Millom shown within Cumbria
Population	7,132 (2001)
OS grid reference	SD172802
Parish	Millom
District	Copeland
Shire county	Cumbria
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MILLOM
Postcode district	LA18
Dialling code	01229
Police	Cumbria
Fire	Cumbria
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Copeland
List of places: UK • England • Cumbria

Millom is a town and civil parish on the estuary of the River Duddon in the southwest of Cumbria, England. The name is Cumbrian dialect for "At the mills".^[1] The town is accessible both by rail and an A class road. The parish had a population of 7,132 in 2001^[2] and is divided into four wards, Holborn Hill, Newtown North, Newtown South and Haverigg.^[3]

History

Millom is mentioned in the Domesday Book as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig.^[4]

Millom Castle is now a grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument. It is the ruins of a former castle or moated manor house which was given a licence to crenellate in 1335. The great tower dates from the 16th or 17th century and is now a farmhouse.^[5] The castle was built by Godard de Boyvill, owner of the Manor of Millum, but it came into the Hudleston family's ownership when de Boyvill's granddaughter married John Hudleston. By 1739 the castle walls were in dilapidated condition.^[6]

In 1251 a market charter was granted by King Henry III of England to John de Huddleston, Lord of Millom. A charter for an Easter fair at Holy Trinity Church was also granted at the same time.^{[citation needed]}

Millom was once the most southerly town in the historic county of Cumberland.^{[citation needed]}

The Whitehaven & Furness Junction Railway opened a station here in 1850. It was taken over by the Furness Railway in 1866.

A map of 1862 shows that all that existed here was a small hamlet by the name of Holborn Hill on the northwest side of the railway line. It had a railway station, inn and a tile and brick works.^[7] By 1899 a small town had grown up here, with terraced streets on either side of the railway, a public library, police station, banks, hotels, school, market square and allotments.^[8]

In the intervening years, the Hodbarrow iron mines began extracting haematite from deposits between the town of Millom and the seashore. The first shafts were sunk in the 1850's and the first furnaces were completed in 1866.^[9] In 1881 there were seven pits operated by The Hodbarrow Mining Company.^[10] The Hodbarrow Outer Barrier (sea wall) was completed in 1905 to protect the mines from the sea. It took five years to construct at a cost of almost £600,000.^[11] The ironworks closed in 1968.^[12]

Throughout its history, the town has struggled with socio-economic problems, especially after the Industrial Revolution, thus being infamously called by the Mayor of Copeland, 'a place of despair'.^{[citation needed]} However it was noted that the people who came to work in the mines in the late 1800s endured poor living conditions on the marshes that later became Millom New Town, with great fortitude and good humour. To this day Millomites exhibit the same attributes as their forefathers.

Governance

Millom has a town council and is part of the Borough of Copeland. With the local government changes of county boundaries in 1974, the administrative county of Cumberland was abolished and Millom formed part of the new county of Cumbria.

Millom is within the Copeland UK Parliamentary constituency and the North West England European Parliamentary constituency.

Economy

Millom's economy is mainly based around retail, services and tourism.

It owes it existence to the discovery of iron ore and the opening of mines and iron works in the 19th century. At the peak of production some half a million tons of iron ore were transported from here for smelting.^{[citation needed]} By the 1970s the importance of this had declined and the town suffered economic depression. A film in the This England series was made about Millom and broadcast in 1979 by Granada Television.^{[citation needed]}

Millom was granted the status of a Fairtrade town in 2004.^[13]

Culture and community

Millom Palladium (a theatre, bar and full multi-functional venue) is a historic part of the town. Completed in 1911, it has stood on the site for over 100 years. This locally treasured building and entertainments venue is home to Millom Amateur Operatic Society (MAOS) and has been saved from demolition as part of redevelopment plans and is currently an on-going project run and managed by a registered charity and group of volunteers with hopes to re-instate the cinema facility within the building. The facility currently hosts music festivals and can be hired for weddings, balls, private parties etc. It has a full in-house 30KW PA with independent on stage monitor mixing and a full theatre Lighting system.

The Beggar's Theatre is a multi-function arts base with several activities, performing-arts based, for local talent and provides a venue for touring theatres, stand-up comedians etc. Run by Jakki Moore, the venue also offers a series of drama, dance and drumming workshops for children. They put on a "Summer Arts Festival" every year.

Millom Network Centre, based in the grounds of Millom School, offers Adult Education, business and public meeting space, and other business services.

The town also has organisations providing services for the elderly in a number of venues. A number of sports organisations operate in the town; notably rugby and cricket as well as a thriving judo club. For the less physically active, a chess club exists as does a Scrabble club.

Nightlife

The area has a number of pubs, a Conservative club, a working men's club and a nightclub. A travelling funfair visits annually around the end of September.

Landmarks

St. George's Church stands proud within the town on a small hill and with its steeple is the biggest landmark of the town being visible from quite a distance.

The area's bigger landmark is the significant hill of Black Combe standing 1970 ft (600 m) above sea level. It forms a grand panoramic viewing platform of the south west Lake District area and offers view of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales - but only on a clear day.

Millom Heritage Museum And Visitor Centre presents a snapshot of past times in Millom, paying particular attention to the historical development of the area brought about by the significant iron ore mining and iron works.

Millom Rock Park is situated high on the north rim of the nearby Ghyll Scaur Quarry in the parish of Millom Without. A viewpoint in the Rock Park permits views into the working quarry and overlooks the processing machinery. There is an avenue of 15 large rock specimens with detailed interpretation panels.

There are two nature reserves near the town, both of which are located on the Duddon Estuary; an internationally important area for wildlife and designated a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest' or SSSI. The Hodbarrow Nature Reserve is owned by the RSPB and is located to the south of the town, which in October 2005, saw the unveiling of its new public aid, with logos produced by local artists Stuart Edwards and Holly Parminter. The Millom Iron Works Local Nature Reserve is located to the east of the town. Both reserves are important for Tern species and a number of wading birds and waterfowl. Hodbarrow is renowned for large numbers of wildfowl during the winter. Various birds of prey can be seen hunting on both reserves throughout the year.

The former RAF Millom Museum closed in 2010.

Transport

Millom railway station

Millom is served by Millom railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line. The A5093 road goes through the town and is itself a loop off of the A595. The town council supports the building of a road bridge across the Duddon estuary between Millom and the Furness peninsular.

Education and health

The secondary school and sixth form college, for pupils from 11–19 years old, houses the adult education centre, swimming pool, an all weather sports pitch and the "Melvyn Bragg Drama Studio" which was opened in 2005.^[14] There are a number of other schools in the town including Millom Infants School, The Nursery, Black Combe Junior School and St James' Catholic School. Millom Network Centre offers services including Adult Education.

Primary health care is provided at the GP/Doctors' Surgery in Waterloo House Surgery, Wellington Street. The town's 'community' hospital provides some clinics - physiotherapy, podiatry and has a small x-ray facility. The inpatients occupy one ward spanning a 6 (now 5) bed bay, a 4-bed bay, twin and single rooms. The hospital does not offer A+E service nor any other 'drop-in' healthcare services. The nearest A+E (Accident and Emergency) service is at Furness General Hospital ~20 miles by road away at Barrow-in-Furness.

Religious sites

St George's Church, Millom

Millom's original parish church is Holy Trinity, a grade I listed building dating to the 12th century.^[15] In 1877 the growth of the town required the building of another church and architects Paley and Austin were commissioned to build St George's, a grade II listed building.^[16] There are also Roman Catholic, Baptist and Methodist churches and a community church. The Jehovah's Witnesses also have a Kingdom Hall in the town.

Sport

Millom Recreation Centre comprises a large sports hall and a small multi-gym and caters for a wide range of different sports. Crown green bowling, tennis and cricket are also played in the town.

Millom Rugby League Club is the oldest existing amateur rugby league club in the world having been founded in 1873. Millom also has a Rugby union team, who train and play at Haverigg. They currently play in the Cumbrian League.

Notable people

Poet and author Norman Nicholson spent his entire life in Millom, living at his father's outfitters shop at 14 St George's Terrace. This has become a health food shop and café with a blue plaque commemorating Nicholson above the door. England international footballer, Jimmy Settle, was born in Millom in 1874.

See also

• Millom Without
• Category:People from Millom
• Millom Rural District

References

1. ^ Readers Digest Atlas of the British Isles, place name index.
2. ^ "Millom CP (Parish)". 2001 Census. Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=793046&c=millom&d=16&e=15&g=432482&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1295388379743&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
3. ^ "Millom CP". neighourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDownNav.do?a=7&b=793046&c=millom&d=16&e=15&g=432482&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1295799509507&enc=1&sampleAreaId=6177731. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
4. ^ "Millom, Cumberland". The Domesday Book Online. domesdaybook.co.uk. http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/cumberland1.html. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
5. ^ "Millom Castle". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=76333. Retrieved 19 January 2011. 
6. ^ "The north-east view of Millum castle, in the county of Cumberland". Print, uncoloured engraving. Samuel and Nathaniel Buck, 1739, reprinted by Hudson Scott and Sons, Carlisle, Cumberland, 1877.. http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/lgaz/bu0114.htm. Retrieved 19 January 2011. 
7. ^ "1862 Cumberland 1:2,500". old-maps.co.uk. Landmark Information Group. http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html?txtXCoord=317377&txtYCoord=480489. Retrieved 19 January 2011. 
8. ^ "1898-1899 Cumberland 1:2,500". old-maps.co.uk. Landmark Information Group. http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html?txtXCoord=317377&txtYCoord=480489. Retrieved 19 January 2011. 
9. ^ "Furness Railway". Cumberland and Westmorland Archives.. http://www.cumberlandarchives.co.uk/content/view/239/48/1/5/. Retrieved 19 January 2011. 
10. ^ Meade, Richard (1882). The coal and iron industries of the United Kingdom. pp. 427. http://books.google.com/books?id=z8FIAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA427. 
11. ^ "DuddonEstuary_Booklet". Duddon Estuary Partnership. http://www.duddon-estuary.org.uk/pdf/DuddonEstuary_Booklet.pdf. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
12. ^ "The Furness Railway". The Cumbrian Railway Association. http://www.cumbrianrailwaysassociation.org.uk/?The_Railways_of_Cumbria_-_A_History:Furness_Railway. Retrieved 19 January 2011. 
13. ^ "Millom". cumbriafairtrade.org.uk. Cumbria Fairtrade Network. http://www.cumbriafairtrade.org.uk/millom.html. Retrieved 20 January 2011. 
14. ^ "Bragg opens namesake drama suite". BBC News. 17 October 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/4348592.stm. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
15. ^ "Church of Holy Trinity". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=76329. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
16. ^ "Church of St George". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=76336. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 

External links

• Millom Town Council
• Information on Millom
• Millom Community website
• The Rotary Club of Millom
• Millom at the Open Directory Project