Ulverston

Ulverston is a comparatively large civil parish. It is bounded in the east by the Leven estuary, Crake, Coniston Water and Yewdale Beck. To the west the boundary follows a chain of hills, and beyond that lie the towns of Kirkby-in-Furness and Askam and Ireleth. To the south is relatively low land, which rises quickly. In the north are hills such as Coniston Old Man. The settlements of the parish are mainly concentrated in the eastern part.[4]

Hoad Hill and the Hoad Monument, a near replica of the third Eddystone Lighthouse

The name Ulverston, first recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as Ulurestun, is derived from two elements: the first is either the Old Norse personal name Úlfarr, or the Old English Wulfhere; the second element is the Old English tūn, meaning "farmstead" or "village".[8] The personal names Úlfarr and Wulfhere both translate roughly as "wolf warrior" or "wolf army",[9] which explains the presence of a wolf on the town's coat of arms. The loss of the 'W' in Wulfhere can be attributed to the historic Scandinavian influence in the region.[4] Locally, the town has traditionally been known as Oostan.[10] Other variations of the name recorded throughout history include Oluestonam (1127), and Uluereston (1189).[4]

The town's market charter was granted in 1280 by Edward I.[11] This was for a market every Thursday; modern Ulverston keeps its old market town appearance, and market days are now held on both Thursdays and Saturdays.[12] The charter also allowed for all public houses to open from 10:30 am until 11:00 pm irrespective of any other statute on the books. During the summer months the Saturday market day is themed with craft stalls, charity stalls and locally produced wares on "Made in Cumbria" stalls.

Town Bank grammar school was established in the town in 1658 from a benefaction by Thomas Fell.[13]

The Victoria Road drill hall was completed in 1873.[14]

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy Statue; Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston in 1890, and named Arthur Jefferson.

Laurel & Hardy Museum

Historically, the ancient parish included several other chapelries or townships which later became separate civil parishes: Blawith, Church Coniston, Egton with Newland, Lowick, Mansriggs, Osmotherley, Subberthwaite and Torver. From 1894 to 1974 the town constituted an urban district in the administrative county of Lancashire. It became a successor parish in the Cumbria district of South Lakeland under the Local Government Act 1972.[15]

Entrance to Croftlands Infant School

Ulverston Victoria High School (UVHS) is the town's secondary school with approximately 1,200 pupils. The school has a sixth form college which draws students from Ulverston as well as the surrounding areas; the number of pupils attending is roughly 400.[16] There are also four primary schools.[17] Also, one disabled school in the vicinity (Sandside).

Ulverston railway station, which serves the town, is located on the Furness Line from Barrow-in-Furness to Lancaster, ultimately leading on to Manchester Airport. All services at the station are operated by Northern. The railway station is a short walk from the town centre. The town is served by several bus services. These include the X6, running to Kendal from Barrow-in-Furness, via Grange over Sands. The X12 runs from Coniston and passes through the village of Spark Bridge. Other services include the X31 to Tarn Hows and the 6A and 6 to Barrow-in-Furness, the largest town in the region.

Ulverston is twinned with Albert in France.[18] The two towns meet every year to play football at Easter for the Cyril Barker Shield. The match alternates between Ulverston and Albert.[19] In July 2016 Ulverston, birthplace of film comedian Stan Laurel, was officially twinned with Harlem, Georgia, United States, birthplace of Laurel's screen partner Oliver Hardy.[20]

Ulverston calls itself a "festival town", for the varied festivals that take place during the year.[21]

The most renowned is the Lantern Festival, which involves hundreds of local residents creating lanterns out of willow and tissue paper and parading them through the town. The annual event culminates in a theatrical performance and fireworks in Ford Park. It was organised locally for the first time in 2008.

Other popular festivals include:

• Another Fine Fest[22] is a new festival launched in 2014m of music, comedy, street theatre and art celebrating Ulverston and the birth of Stan Laurel.
• Beer Festival
• Charter Festival (including the Lantern Festival)
• Comedy Festival
• Dickensian Festival (also known as #DickFest on Twitter)[23]

The Dickensian Festival, held the final weekend of November, sees a range of Christmas stalls and attractions visit Ulverston.[24] People often dress up for it in Victorian attire.

• Feast of St George
• Festival of Fashion
• Flag Festival
• Furness Festival of Tradition
• Furness Tradition[25]
• International Music Festival
• Print Fest
• Spring Buddhist Festival
• Summer Buddhist Festival
• Summer Music Festival
• Ulverston Carnival Parade
• Walking Festival
• Word Market — including "Pub Scripts"

In alphabetical order:

• Ella Blaylock Atherton (1860–1933), physician
• Amelia Edith Barr (née Huddleston) (1831–1919), novelist, was born in Ulverston.
• Sir John Barrow (1764–1848), statesman, was born in Ulverston.
• Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett (1883–1962), judge, politician and preacher who served as alternate British judge in the Nuremberg Trials, was born in Ulverston.
• Francis Arthur Jefferson VC (1921–1982) Victoria Cross-winning soldier born in Ulverston
• Stan Laurel (1890–1965), actor born in Ulverston
• Selina Martin (1882–1972), suffragette
• Christine McVie (born 1943), singer and songwriter, was born in the nearby village of Bouth.
• James Penny (1741–1799), slave-ship owner and prominent anti-abolitionist
• Bob Shaw (1931–1996), science fiction writer, lived in Ulverston.
• William Basil Weston VC (1924–1945), Victoria Cross-winning officer, born in Ulverston, has a memorial to him in the town's Catholic church.

Over the years the town has been the birthplace of several famous people. Sir John Barrow, born at Dragley Beck, Ulverston, was the Admiralty's Second Secretary: a much more important position than First Secretary. A monument to him—a replica of the third Eddystone Lighthouse—stands on Hoad Hill overlooking the town. Famous Ulverstonians include Norman Birkett,[29] who represented Britain at the Nuremberg Trials; Maude Green, the mother of Rock and Roll music legend, Bill Haley;[30] saxophonist Jess Gillam;[31] Norman Gifford,[32] an England test cricketer; Francis Arthur Jefferson, a soldier awarded with the Victoria Cross;[33] and comedian Stan Laurel,[34] of Laurel and Hardy fame. The Laurel & Hardy Museum is situated in Ulverston,[35] and in 2009 a statue of the pair was unveiled by comedian Ken Dodd, outside Coronation Hall in the town centre.[36] One of Ulverston's lesser known sons is the late Bryan Martin, senior BBC Radio 4 newsreader and presenter of the '70s and '80s, who announced on the Today programme the death of Elvis Presley in 1977 and broke the news of the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980. He appeared in The News Quiz, occasionally introduced The Goon Show, and read the spoof "news bulletin" which always featured in the middle of the comedy The Men from the Ministry.

Despite being titled The Royal Norwegian Honorary Consulate in Barrow-in-Furness, one of the numerous consulates of Norway is actually located on the outskirts of Ulverston.[37]

The town of Ulverstone in Tasmania, Australia is named after Ulverston and is similarly built at the mouth of a Leven River.

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Ulverston.

• 
  Market Street, Ulverston
• 
  Market Place in 1860
• 
  View over to Hoad Hill
• 
  Hoad Hill with Sir John Barrow monument
• 
  Side door of Ulverston Church of England
• 
  Town Clock of Ulverston, 1845
• 
  The Lanternhouse, formerly the home of the arts companies Welfare State International and Lanternhouse International.
• 
  Ulverston Canal

• Listed buildings in Ulverston

• Media related to Ulverston at Wikimedia Commons
• Ulverston travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website
• Ulverston history at GENUKI
• Heritage First (formerly Ulverston Heritage Centre)
• Ulverston on the web
• Ulverston Victoria High School (UVHS)
• Ulverston International Music Festival
• Visit Ulverston
• Ulverston carnival parade