Just up Lake Road from the Royalty Cinema in Bowness-on-Windermere lies Windermere’s War Memorial, a stone wall with plinth in the centre surmounted by a tapered rectangular column. A laurel wreath and sword of sacrifice are on the front face of the column.

The WW1 inscription on the wall reads “In undying memory of the men who fell in the Great War.” Posts at each end bear WW2 names on the internal panels:-

Central column:-

The plinth contains names for the Great War:-

The external left hand post bears a name from the Korean War 1951. Great War names beyond.

The right hand external post contains a dedication “On active service 1985.” Great War names beyond:-

Second World War Names on internal faces of the posts:-

Our sojourn to Barrow (see earlier posts) was really to take a look at stuff in the Lake District, whose main town is Bowness-on-Windermere.

Among others of Bowness’s sights I found the Royalty Cinema, which has Art Deco touches in the white painting and horizontal bands but also feels a bit Edwardian. It was opened in 1927 and so is on the cusp.

Swarthmoor is a village/hamlet between Barrow-in-Furness and Ulverston. Its War Memorial (for the Parish of Pennington,) in the form of a simple stone cross, is at the southern end of the village.

Inscription: “1914 – 1918 Pennington Memorial of the Great War for the world’s freedom and of the men who gave their lives for their King and their country. Simply to thy cross I cling.” The words “They shall be had in everlasting remembrance” lie around the remaining three faces of the plinth:-

Dedications, Swarthmoor War Memorial, Plus D-Day Anniversary wreath:-

World War 2 dedication and names:-

A plaque to the front of the Memorial is in remembrance of a VC recipient, Private Harry Christian, of the King’s Own (Royal Lancashire Regiment) 18/10/1915:-

Great War names:-

The Roxy Cinema is fairly prominent as you pass through Ulverston to or from Barrow-in-Furness, standing as it does by the main A 590 road:-

Note rule of three, and banding, plus flagpole.

Entrance, also the entrance to the Laurel and Hardy Museum:-

From south, Art Deco lettering, banding on white background and rule of three in windows:-

View from north:-

Ulverston in Cumbria, is the nearest biggish town to Barrow-in-Furness, about ten and a half miles further north. It was the birthplace of Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame. There is a Laurel and Hardy museum in the town which we didn’t visit and a statue of the pair in the town centre.

The statue stood outside this fairly impressive building:-

Just across the road was this building:-

The Tesco’s in the town was in a minor Art Deco style. Its upper windows are completely ruined:-

Detail:-

Furness Abbey is a former monastery located in the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It was once the second wealthiest Cistercian monastery in England and it held large tracts of land in Cumbria and Lancashire. It was of course disestablished in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Nowadays it’s a ruin – or several ruins but it’s certainly worth going to see if you’re near Barrow.

Part of what remians is reinforced by steel supports:-

A stream runs under this bit:-

Barrow’s War Memorial is a cenotaph standing on a hill in Barrow Park.

View uphill from the memorial to a VC winner:-

Closer view:-

Poppy detail by side of steps up to the Memorial:-

Upper detail; crest and inscription “AD 1914-1919”:-

Barrow War memorial plaques. Upper plaque reads, “To the glory of God and in honoured memory of the men of Barrow-in-Furness who fell in the Great War.” Lower plaque reads, “To the men and women of Barrow-in-Furness who died as a result of enemy action 1939-45.”:-

Great War names B W Adams – W Glover:-

Great War names W Gott – JJ Nicholls plus plaque reading, “In memory of those who died in the struggle for freedom.”

The Second World War names are set into the railings surrounding the memorial plinth:-

A photograph of the opening ceremony and details of the figurative cartouches at the corners of the memorial are on this Facebook page.

By the side of the memorial is a Second World War Memorial Bench:-

Just inside the entrance to Barrow Park lies a memorial to William Thomas Forshaw, of the Manchester Regiment, who was awarded a Victoria Cross for his bravery in action during the Gallipoli campaign for over forty hours between the 7^th and 9^th August 1915.

Information board:-

I mentioned Furness Rovers FC in yesterday’s post. They have several teams in different age groups and play games at Wilkie Road which lies right beside Barrow AFC’s Holker Street ground.

Wilkie Road club house:-

Wilkie Road pitch from entrance:-

North End, Wilkie Road. Penalty shoot out in progress. Holker Street (Barrow AFC) in background:-

Hollker Street is to the left of this shot:-

As can be seen from this shot Wilkie Road is not completely fenced off:-

Holker Street is the home stadium of Barrow AFC, currently playing in the fourth tier of English football

This is the ground viewed from the west. A Furness Rovers game is in the foreground.

From west showing entrance building:-

Entrance to Holker Street (off Wilkie Road.) It seems to be sponsored as the SO Legal Stadium:-

Pitch viewed from northwest. Note temporary stand addition:-

Holker Street from northeast (stitch of two photos.) Again note temporary stand extension:-

A view of the stand from before these additions is here.

The ground from northeast:-