Barrow Jute Works

The Barrow Jute Works was a jute and flax mill located in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire (now Cumbria), England during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The mill was built for the Barrow and Calcutta Jute Company which was founded by James Ramsden in 1870 in an attempt to diversify Barrow's economy which was heavily focused on iron and steel production. The Jute Works itself was designed by architects Paley and Austin and occupied over 12-acres with a 580 feet (177 m) facade on Hindpool Road and 360 feet (110 m) along Abbey Road. The mill was served by its own railway station on a branch of the Furness Railway which connected it to the town's docks, steelworks and cornmill. The mill's all female workforce peaked at 2,000, many of whom were Irish immigrants. The jute fabrics produced were used for a wide range of items including telegraph cables, ropes and artificial hair, later including the production of Kalemeit for carpets, rugs and window drapery. The quality of produce was acknowledged in 1878 at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, France where the Barrow and Calcutta Jute Company was awarded a gold medal in the field. Two fires damaged the works during its history - 1879 and 1892, the latter occasion destroying half of the mill that was never rebuilt. Competition from the Indian jute trade as well as the large jute works in Dundee led to the mill's ultimate demise. Barrow Jute Works' iconic chimney was demolished in 1930, followed by the offices in 1948. The site is now occupied by Hindpool Retail Park having also previously contained the Barrow Corporation Bus Depot up until its demolition in the 1980s. The southernmost part of the site fronting Abbey Road contains the former John Whinnerah Institute and Lakeland Laundry building.

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Custom House, Barrow-in-Furness

The Custom House in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England is a former government building, having housed the customs offices for trade handled at the Ports of Barrow and Lancaster. Initially constructed as a hotel around 1870, it took on its most notable role as a custom house in 1880, regulating custom from the Port of Lancaster. The four-storey Italianate style building stands on the corner of Abbey Road and Hindpool Road. The Custom House was granted Grade II listed building status in 1976 when it was a social club. It has since been converted to contain a number of restaurants and leisure facilities, including LazerZone

Abbey Road, Barrow-in-Furness

Abbey Road is the principal north to south arterial road through Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.

Barrow-in-Furness Central Fire Station

The Central Fire Station on Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England is a Grade II listed former fire station that has been described by Historic England as a "well-preserved example of the first generation of fire station built specifically for motorised appliances". Constructed in 1911 and opening a year later, the building served as the town's only station until Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service completed their first new-build station on Phoenix Road in 1996. The building is noted for its striking red brick facades and buff terracotta dressings, it bears a strong resemblance to the Technical School built less than 10 years prior nearby on the opposite side of Abbey Road. The building has since been converted into a 'Bed Brigade' store.

John Whinnerah Institute

The John Whinnerah Institute is a Grade II listed Art Deco building and former educational establishment located on Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Having been constructed between 1937 and 1938 on the site of the demolished Jute Works it is the newest listed structure in the town, despite this it was drastically altered in 2004 when the entire interior was demolished to accommodate new retail units leaving only the Abbey Road and Hindpool Road facades. The building was constructed post the Unemployment Act 1934 specifically to house the Barrow Women's Institute and Junior Instruction Centre which had been using temporary premises since founding in 1925. The building is a major success story of early 20th-century attempts to improve educational facilities for young people and women from the poorest areas of major industrial towns and cities in the UK. The John Whinnerah Institute was ultimately described by the President of the National Union of Teachers, as 'the finest Women's Institute in this country'. The building was named in honour of John Whinnerah, the Mayor of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness between 1928-1929 and 1929-1930. The original footprint of the John Whinnerah Institute is now occupied by a Next and Cancer Research store, which form part of Hindpool Retail Park.