Backbarrow

Backbarrows homes are located along the Leven River at the south end of Windermere. Backbarrow was the home of Isaac Wilkinson, founder of the Backbarrow Ironworks. The ruins can still be seen near the Whitewater Hotel, situated in a former cotton mill. The cotton mill was infamous for using orphan child workers.

Around 1860 the manufacture of bluing was brought to the south and buildings of the redundant cotton mill still exist. The north mill was still used to produce woollen goods. The bluing, in production until 1913, was added to washing water to make laundry look white. A fire in the south mill complex ended the production, and another company, Reckitts, eventually took over. The site closed in 1981 due to lack of demand for the product. Raw materials used in the production included bones, china clay, coal tar pitch, coke, feldspar, hydrated iron oxides, silica, soda ash, sodium sulphate, and sulphur. A chimney was constructed to keep the fumes from the village.

Another local industry was flour milling, first started by the Cartmel Priory monks. The mill weirs can still be seen at the timeshare Lakeland village complex.

Backbarrow was once part of Lancashire.

Location Map of Backbarrow
Backbarrow is located one mile south-west of Newby Bridge.

Photos courtesy of Cumbrias Leven Valley

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