Mayor of Barrow Bill McEwan celebrates towns new heritage trail

Bill McEwan was joined by his family and members of Barrow Civic and Local History Soiciety, Barrow BID and representatives from the Heritage Lottery Fund, who funded the project.

He said he was honoured to have been invited to the launch of the heritage trail and that the project was “a great idea for Barrow.”

“We have some really iconic buildings in Barrow so the trail lets people know what we’re all about,” he said.

“It’s a fab idea and if it brings more people in to the town then I’m 100 per cent behind it.”

The new ‘Exploring the Heritage of Barrow’ trail takes visitors on a tour of some of Barrow’s most recognisable buildings. 

Starting at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel on Abbey Road, and continuing through the town, it makes stops at five other well-known buildings. 

The buildings that have been included in the trail are the Nan Tait Centre, Ramsden Hall, Lakeland House and Custom House before finishing at Barrow Town Hall. Each building now hosts a commemorative plaque to recognise their significance in Barrow’s history.

The town hall was opened in 1887 by Spencer Cavendish, eighth Duke of Devonshire and coincided with the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It is an imposing Gothic style building that stands at 50 metres tall and towers above the rest of the town.

Built in 1872, Ramsden Hall was one of a few buildings in Barrow to be commissioned by the towns first mayor James Ramsden. They can all be recognised by Ramsden’s signature rams head carving.

The carving at Ramsden Hall is accompanied by an inscription that reads ‘Presented to the town by James Ramsden Esquire First Mayor’. 

The Custom House is an Italianate style building first built in 1870 as a hotel but converted into a government building in 1873.

The building was listed as a grade 2 listed property in 1976 and the impressive external features have been well preserved. Today the building is still functioning as a restaurant.