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
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
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
* 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, whilst Barrow Town Council is established
2025 - King Charles III grants royal patronage to the Port of Barrow and a mark of royal favour to the town itself.