Sir John Barrow's Cottage, Ulverston | Snapshot Series

Sitting on the junction of two Ulverston roads stands a small building once home to Sir John Barrow.

Sir John Barrow, as mentioned in an early post about Hoad Monument, was born in Ulverston during the 18th Century and went on to be a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society.

This small cottage at Dragley Beck was where he was born on 19th June 1764.

It would have looked a little different back then, for a start the roof would have likely been made from thatch and there would have been a garden wall sweeping round the front of the building.

At the time Dragley Beck was also a small village in the parish of Ulverston. It certainly wouldn't have been as busy as it is today. Of course as time moved on the village was fully enveloped by the growing town.

John grew up in the area and went to school at Town Bank Grammar School in Ulverston. John left at the age of 13 though to set up a Sunday School for the poor, before moving to Liverpool where he found work at an iron foundry.

This building is a wonderful remnant of the past and it is excellent that it is still standing today.

The building is now looked after by Greenlane Archaeology who open it at various times throughout the year. You can find out more on their website here.

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The Snapshot Series is a series of short posts on singular locations, features or artefacts found in the Furness area. Not large enough to warrant a long blog post we will explore these sites in snapshots!

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