Milnthorpe

Milnthorpe is a village[3] and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. It is 7 miles south of Kendal.[4][5] Historically in the county of Westmorland and on the A6, the village contains several old hostelries and hosts a market every Friday. The parish, which includes the village of Ackenthwaite, had a population of 2,199 according to the 2011 Census.[1]

Milnthorpe
Village and parish
Market cross and market square with St Thomas's church behind
Milnthorpe is located in the former South Lakeland district
Milnthorpe
Milnthorpe
Location in the former South Lakeland district
Milnthorpe is located in Cumbria
Milnthorpe
Milnthorpe
Location within Cumbria
Population2,199 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSD496815
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMILNTHORPE
Postcode districtLA7
Dialling code015395
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament

History

Milnthorpe was a market town in the parish of Heversham.[6] The 19th-century Church of St Thomas, which overlooks The Green and The Square, was designed by Kendal architect George Webster.

Milnthorpe became a centre of business and activity because it was originally a port, using the River Bela and estuary (now only navigable to Arnside). and it remains a significant commercial centre for the area.

Tourism and hospitality have always thrived: it had coaching inns[7][8] on the main road north and more recently it has been a convenient stop-off point on the A6 for coaches and cars en route to the Lake District. Just to the north is Levens Hall, famed for its topiary. The village used to be a major traffic bottleneck before the opening of the M6 motorway in 1970, and the A590/A591 Kendal link road a few years later. The nearby Dallam deer park, part of the wider Dallam Tower Estate, is a popular spot for walkers, particularly those en route to the Arnside and Silverdale AONB.

The popular children's drink Um Bongo was made in Milnthorpe by Libby's in the 1980s.[9] Milnthorpe is the home of Duralon Combs, a comb manufacturing business over 300 years old.[10] Big Fish Internet Ltd (formerly BF Internet, now trading as BFI) was founded in Milnthorpe in 1996 and is now located 2 miles away in Sandside;[11] and is the longest-established web design company in the UK.[12]

From 1 April 1974 to 1 April 2023, Milnthorpe was in South Lakeland non-metropolitan district.

Community

Each August from 1990 until 2019 and in 2022 the Friends of the Exhibition held an annual art exhibition in the church, raising funds for local charities.[13] Milnthorpe has two steel bands, one for adults and the other for the town's junior school.

The Grade I listed house Dallam Tower, with an estate known for its deer, stands near to the River Bela just south-west of Milnthorpe, whilst St Anthony's Tower may be seen on the top of St Anthony's Hill to the north-east of the town centre, overlooking the village and the housing estate of Owlet Ash Fields in nearby Ackenthwaite.

It has one secondary school, Dallam School, and one primary school, Milnthorpe Primary School.

There are three public houses in the village.

People

The former Leader of the Liberal Democrats (2015–2017), Tim Farron (MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale) lives in Milnthorpe.[14]

John Taylor, third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887, was born in Milnthorpe and lived there until he emigrated to Canada.

  • Milnthorpe Parish Church
    Milnthorpe Parish Church
  • Cross Keys Hotel
    Cross Keys Hotel
  • Bend in the River Bela
    Bend in the River Bela
  • Deer shelter in Dallam Tower park
    Deer shelter in Dallam Tower park

See also

References
  1. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Milnthorpe Parish (E04002634)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. "Milnthorpe Parish Council". www.milnthorpeparishcouncil.org.
  3. "Milnthorpe". www.milnthorpeparishcouncil.org. Milnthorpe Parish Council. Retrieved 5 April 2023. Milnthorpe is a large market village on the southern border of Cumbria
  4. "Milnthorpe | Cumbria County History Trust". www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  5. "Arnside". www.visitlakedistrict.com. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  6. "Milnthorpe". www.milnthorpeparishcouncil.org. Milnthorpe Parish Council. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  7. "The Cross Keys Hotel". www.robinsonsbrewery.com. Retrieved 29 May 2023. a traditional coaching Inn
  8. "Stay with Us". The Bulls Head Milnthorpe. Retrieved 29 May 2023. a traditional village coaching inn
  9. "1980s Libbys Um Bongo". retrotvads.com. Retro TV Ads. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  10. "About: Brief history of John Dobson". Duralon. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  11. "Home page". BFI. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  12. "Why Milnthorpe has something for everyone". Great British Life. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2023. operations director [says] "We're reasonably sure that, of all the other pioneering website companies in the UK from the early days, we're the only digital specialists still in existence"
  13. "Milnthorpe Annual Art Exhibition - Paintings, Ceramics and Pottery. Milnthorpe, Cumbria. - Home". www.milnthorpe-artexhibition.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
    "Our History". www.milnthorpe-artexhibition.co.uk. Milnthorpe Annual Art Exhibition. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  14. "About Tim Farron". Tim Farron. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
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