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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

See also

• History of Cumbria
• Listed buildings in Barrow-in-Furness
• List of ships and submarines built in Barrow-in-Furness
• List of people from Barrow-in-Furness

References

1. ^ Britannica 1910.

Further reading

• "Barrow-in-Furness" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1910. p. 443.

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