Walney Island, also known as the Isle of Walney, is an island off the west coast of England, at the western end of Morecambe Bay in the Irish Sea. The island is in Cumbria and is also located within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire. It is part of Barrow-in-Furness and is separated from the mainland by Walney Channel, which is spanned by the Jubilee Bridge. Walney is the largest island of the Furness Islands group, both in population and size, as well as the largest English island in the Irish Sea. Its population at the 2011 UK Census was 10,651, distributed evenly across the island's two wards of Walney North and Walney South.
Walney Island formed during the last glacial period, when the River Duddon was a large glacial lake, depositing till at its mouth, which became Walney. Some evidence of Neolithic inhabitants has been found in the island's sand dunes, though its name is likely of Norse origin.Walney Island History Walney Island.com 29-08-11 The island remained rural until the growth of Barrow-in-Furness' industries in the nineteenth century. In particular, the development between 1867 and 1881 of docks at Barrow Island, in Walney Channel opposite Walney, encouraged the growth of Walney as a settlement.
The planned worker town of Vickerstown was built on the island in 1898, resulting in a large population increase, and the construction of Jubilee Bridge connected Walney to the mainland in 1908. Walney's contemporary population now forms about a fifth of the overall population of Barrow-in-Furness. The island contains two nature reserves, at either end, and its sandy beaches make it a popular leisure site.
Toponymy The name Walney is thought to come from Old Norse. Whilst the suffix "-ey" is a common feature of island names, the source of "waln" is less clear. The island is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Hougenai.Cumberland Doomesday Book The manor of "Hougun" – possibly modern day Millom – is listed in the book as owning the settlements of the whole of Furness, so that 'Hougenai' appears to mean "island of Hougun". The Old Norse word haugr means mound or hill.Standard English words which have a Scandinavian Etymology (The Vikings in England) However, other Norse etymologies have also been suggested for the source of the island's name.
History Excavations of sand dunes on Walney have revealed evidence of Late Neolithic/early Bronze Age settlements on the island, including a small amount of pottery.THE PREHISTORIC PERIOD John Hodgson and Mark Brennand North West Region Archaeological Research Framework Prehistoric Resource Assessment Draf. November 2004. Accessed 17-09-11 Low Furness was most extensively inhabited by Norse settlers,Vikings in Low Furness Steve Dickinson. August 2003. Accessed 17-09-11 probably travelling from Ireland or the Isle of Man, which is reflected in many local place names, including Walney. Through the Middle Ages, Walney and Furness were dominated by the monks of Furness Abbey, who constructed Biggar Dyke as flood defences on the east coast of Walney.: http://www.walney-island.com/carr_lane_01.htm>The English coast: a history and a prospect. Peter Murphy. 2009. Continuum Publishing. 1847251439 During this time, Walney was largely pastoral, and remained so into the early Industrial Revolution: in his 1810-book Guide to the Lakes, William Wordsworth describes seeing "Walney's early fields of corn" from the summit of Black Combe.Guide to the Lakes. William Wordsworth
However, Walney was soon caught up in the rapid expansion of industry at Barrow-in-Furness. Barrow docks were built on Barrow Island, in Walney Channel. The island acted as a natural shelter, which allowed the development of Barrow's large shipbuilding yards. In the 1870s, Biggar Bank became a popular seaside recreation site on Walney, and this was reinforced when a regular ferry, operated by the Furness Railway Company, was launched.BIGGAR BANK - Walney Island Walney Island.com. Accessed 17-09-11 In 1897, in response to the high levels of immigration to Barrow from across the UK, Vickers proposed to build a new planned town on Walney Island. At the same time, other developers imagined developing Biggar into a larger seaside resort.The Evolution of a Naval Shipbuilding Firm in a Small Economy: Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness. Kieth Grime. 1987. in The Geography of Defence. Michael Bateman and Raymond Charles Riley (eds). Routledge. 0709939337 The first tenants moved into Vickerstown in 1900, and this saw the beginning of the integration of Walney as part of the town of Barrow. Walney Bridge, a Bascule bridge was built in this decade, opening in 1908 and connecting the island to the mainland.
Vickers operated facilities constructing submarines and other shipping in Barrow in the early parts of World War I, and these or nearby installations may have been the targets of the German submarine U-21, which approached Walney Island in shallow water in the early afternoon of Friday, 29 January 1915. The artillery battery at Fort Walney, manned by 7 Company, Lancashire and Cheshire Royal Garrison Artillery, opened fire on the submarine at a range of around after the submarine fired its deck gun at the airship station on the island. After a few minutes' exchange of fire, with no hits on either side, the submarine withdrew.
Walney continued to grow through the twentieth century, with a number of suburban housing developments on the island. The majority of growth occurred between the building of the 'Links' estate in 1936, and the completion of suburban housing at North Scale in 1976.Timeline Walney Island.com. Accessed 14-10-11 The recreational facilities at Biggar Bank were scaled back, but the island's beaches remain locally popular. Walney's population in the 2001 census was 11,388, representing 15% of the overall population of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness and around 19% of the population of the town of Barrow-in-Furness.
Geography
Location and transport Walney lies off the southwest coast of Cumbria in the Irish Sea. It is long from north to south, but never more than wide from east to west,Introduction Walney Island.com Accessed 14-10-11 with spits at either end. The channel separating it from the Great Britain mainland is also narrow, and named Walney Channel. The northern portion of the channel opens into the Duddon Estuary and is both narrower and shallower; at low tide, it is passable on foot, with stepping stones known locally as 'Widow's Crossing' assisting pedestrians. The southern half of the channel is wider and is regularly dredged to allow shipping to access the Port of Barrow. This half opens into Morecambe Bay and includes a number of small islands, of which Barrow Island, Roa and Piel are inhabited. North of Earnsie Point are secluded beaches, backed by dunes, which tend to be used by naturists.
Jubilee Bridge, a bascule bridge, has connected Walney to the mainland since 1908.The Jubilee Bridge - the road to Walney BBC. 01-05-08. Accessed 14-10-11 The bridge forms part of the A590, which runs between Walney's western coast and the M6 Motorway. A second bridge over Walney Channel is sometimes mooted, in order to improve access and relieve traffic,New hope for second bridge to Walney Island Evening Mail. 03-11-09. Accessed 14-10-11 though there has never been any significant attempt to provide one. The nearest railway station to Walney is Barrow-in-Furness. No long distance bus services are provided, and all services from the island are provided by Stagecoach and terminate in Barrow.
Walney Island has a small airport (Barrow/Walney Island Airport), privately owned by BAE Systems. It opened in 1935 and was initially used for military purposes during World War II, before Barrow council purchased the airfield. It was purchased by Vickers in 1968 and has remained with the company's successors ever since. There have been a few attempts at scheduled passenger services – Air Ecosse, Air Furness and Telair have all operated flights from the island – but none has lasted longer than two years.A history of Walney Airfield Cumbria Industries.
Settlements The main settlement on Walney, Vickerstown, is effectively a continuation of Barrow-in-Furness, lying on the Barrow-facing east coast at the island's centre, clustered around the Jubilee Bridge. The first parts of Vickerstown were constructed in the 1890s as a workers' community for Vickers Shipyard, but this area has since been expanded by suburban development. The only residential areas on the west coast are at Earnse Bay and Biggar Bank, both of which are extensions to the central Vickerstown settlement. Beyond Vickerstown, the island retains two older villages.Walney Voices BBC Cumbria. March 2005. Accessed 02-11-11 North Scale lies near to and to the north of Vickerstown on Walney's east coast, and consists mainly of suburban homes.North Scale Residents Association Accessed 02-11-11
Biggar is the more isolated of the two villages, located around to the south of Vickerstown. Biggar is situated on the east coast of the island and is a more agricultural community, with farms extending south of the village as far as the South Walney Nature Reserve. It is possibly the oldest settlement on Walney, with Furness Abbey records from 1292 mentioning a grange at Biggar,Barnes, F.; 1968; Barrow and District; Second Edition; Barrow-in-Furness Corporation; and today is still a farming village.
Environment Walney is low-lying, narrow and windswept – it is said by the North-West Evening Mail to be the windiest lowland site in England."On The Crest of a Wave ," Northwest Evening Mail (26/01/2007). The island's northern and southern ends, South Walney and North Walney, are both nature reserves, consisting of salt-marsh, shingle, sand dunes and brackish ponds.Natural Walney . Walney-Island.com Accessed 02-11-11
South Walney is home to a large number of birds, many of which use the island as a stop whilst migrating. Breeding bird species at South Walney include common eider, common ringed plover, Eurasian oystercatcher, lesser black-backed gull and herring gull. South Walney is also the home of the Walney Bird Observatory. North Walney provides a habitat for natterjack toads, as well as Geranium sanguineum var. striatum, the Walney geranium, found only on the island.North and South Walney Nature Reserves BAE Systems. Accessed 02-11-11 The island's west coast is characterised by wide sandy beaches, whilst its east coast is more built up, facing the narrow and muddy Walney Channel.
Since 2005, the coast off Walney has become a centre for the construction of offshore wind farms. Name Number ofturbines Capacity(MW) Construction began Operation began Barrow Offshore Wind FarmIt's windy .... and it's officially open Barrow Offshore Wind. 25-09-06. Accessed 02-11-1130 90 2004 2006 Ormonde Wind FarmWork on Ormonde Wind Farm off Barrow completed BBC News. 03-08-11. Accessed 02-11-11 30 150 2010 2011 Walney Wind Farm 1About the Project Walney Wind Farms. Accessed 02-11-1151 184 2010 2011 Walney Wind Farm 2 51 183.6 2011 2011 First Power from Walney 2 Offshore Wind Farm DONG Energy. 01-11-11. Accessed 02-11-11 West of Duddon Sands Wind Farm 108 389 2013 2014 Walney Extension Wind Farm108 660 2017 2018 World's largest offshore wind farm opens off Cumbria coastSky News, 6 September 2018. Accessed: 6 September 2018.
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