Millom a Cumberland Iron Town and its Railways

Drive through Millom on Cumberland's south-west, or going through it by train, you will just see a somewhat run down town, in a beautiful location between the sea and the fells.

But stop and look around, and you will pick up numerous signs of an industrial past, gone since September 1968, when Millom Ironworks and the nearby Hodbarrow iron mine had closed.The mine had come first, shipping its first ore in 1859 and soon after found it was sitting on one of the biggest known deposits of high grade haematite in the world. The ironworks followed very soon after and they continued together, largely surviving the ups and downs of the iron trade for over a century.

Over this time, both the mine and the ironworks developed a considerable railway system betwen them, which linked to the mainline of the Furness Railway.

The mainline survives, but the mine and ironworks have gone. This book is their hiastory, and also useful if you want to look at local reamins.

112 page papoerback, full of photos (B&W and colour) and very good maps,