HISTORY OF MILLOM

The most southerly town in the old county of Cumberland, Millom began its life as the small hamlet of Holborn Hill. It was once an important place for those who wanted to cross the Duddon Estuary for travels further up the Cumbrian coast. Three inns are still operating on Holborn Hill. The Ship, the Castle and the Plough. The inns can be dated to the mid 18th century by an inscription that reads:

“William and Ann Barren live heare, who mostly keep good ale and beer, 1745. You who intend to cross ye sand, call here a gide at your command.”

Holborn Hill gained the name Millom due to Arthur de Millom, who came to reside and lend his name to Millom castle.

Millom's castle was built by Godard de Boyvill in the early 12th century. It was later inhabited by his ancestor, Arthur de Millom, whom gave the castle its name. The last of the family line, who lived during the reign of Henry III, was a woman named Joan, wife to John Huddleston. The castle was then taken over by the Huddleston family, who possessed it for over 500 years. In 1335, King Edward III granted the owners permission to fortify the castle; however, it was damaged by cannon-fire in 1648, during the Civil War. Surrounding the castle was a park that was stocked with deer. In 1774, the estate was sold to Sir James Lowther for a mere £20,000. The owners, ever at the beck and call of economics,sold off the tasty venison in 1802 for 3d per pound.The castle stands in ruin today, but still operates as a private, working farm that dates back to the 16th century. Nearby, is the 12th century Holy Trinity Church.

The Holy Trinity Church is situated in Millom, close to the Castle. It is an ancient sandstone structure, which has monuments to the Huddlestons and other families of great antiquity. A tomb of alabaster of rare beauty and workmanship is located within. It consists of the effigies of a male and female in a reclining position, with the representation of six angels on either side, each bearing a scroll. Portions of the church have been badly distorted by modem alterations. This noble and ancient production of art evidently bears signs of fast decay, not so much from the hand of time as from the dampness of its situation. In the churchyard is an ancient stone cross in excellent preservation. A vicarage was once located near the church, however it was destroyed by Cromwell during the civil war. The Huddlestons were Royalists, and Cromwell did not want the vicarage being used as a refuge.

In the 1800s, Millom was made famous by the discovery of iron ore at Hodbarrow, which is now flooded and surrounded by a sea wall and acts as a nature reserve. The 1841 census gave the population as 356. In 1855, Millom had a population of over 10,000! The iron, shipping and rail industries in the area employed most of the residents at one time, although there was also a brick and tile factory. The cause for this dramatic increase in population was the granting of a licence to search for minerals by the Earl of Lonsdale. Iron ore was found in 1856. By 1864, the mines had produced one million ton of ore, and by 1874 a new mine had been in operation.

During the late 1800's, Millom was a lively village complete with a public hall with a performance stage, a chapel with seating for 250 people, and an impressive amount of various shops and services. A market charter allowed for a Wednesday market as well as a three day fair to celebrate the festival of the Holy Trinity. It was the period of the greatest vigor, strength, and success of Millom. The town continued to boom well into the 20th century, until the iron works closed in 1968.

An Italian firm came into town, staying at the Peel Hotel and causing quite a stir. They began removing the great metal structures that comprised the iron works that had sustained Millom for so long. The scrap iron was taken from the Hodbarrow Mines to the Millom pier where it was shipped out of history. The demolition of the mine took nearly a year, by the account of one Millomite. "The red dust got everywhere; it was terrible. When buildings were torn down, even years after, there were great clouds of the stuff coming from roofs, everywhere really." Eventually, the rails running to the iron works were removed, and the pier became a thing of the past. What is now the towns only supermarket, was once where the old train engines that serviced the mines were housed. The old brickwork of the building can still be distinguished from the later additions that would give greater space to the store.

Along with the mine, and the lively economy it brought, went the work of many miners. Many left; some stayed on to rebuild their lives. When the miner's income evaporated, so too did many of the businesses it supported. A handful of pubs closed: The Bottom Ship, The Crown, the Queens, the Red Lion, the Royal, and the Star at Haverigg.

At one time, Millom and Haverigg had four petrol stations even though there were very few cars on the town's streets. The Ritz Cinema, closed in the mid 80's, was located on the first floor of what was then the Millom Cooperative Society building. Double-decker buses once ran through Millom, pulling out from the now gone bus station. Older residents may even be able to tell you about the bus cheekily nicknamed "The Yellow Peril." Steam trains, too, once chugged their way through the town- stopping at a beautiful station right in the middle of town to pick up passengers. While modern trains still make stops in Millom at the same platform, the station now houses the wonderful Millom Folk Museum (bursting with interesting displays and information).

Millom has a strong school system in place, but as one would expect, the number of students has declined over the years. In 1977, there were approximately 1,300 children in the Millom School; in 1987, there were about 800.

The town has had its share of fun as well as a strong work ethic. The seaside location has been a perfect setting for water sports over the years. This was made possible due to a sea wall that had crumbled, leaving a 200 acre recreational lake for the town, which was approved for competition. Ski jumps were installed, and Haverigg has seen some national and international competitions staged here. Millom Rugby Union and Millom Rugby League also have a strong foothold in Millom.

Over the years, further changes have occurred. For a town the size of Millom, it was once rich in industry, even discounting the mine. The Elbeo tight factory, still in business and based out of Cornwall now, was an industrial employer in the town. The factory it left vacant over 30 years ago now houses a successful educational book business, CGP. Haverigg was home to the tannery that sent its products far and wide, and employed a great number of people from the area. There was also a pajama factory located under the clock tower in The Square, PSM (a machine clip manufacturer) and the well-known K Shoes company. It was remembered that by about the mid 1980's they were had all left Millom. There still remains a few successful industries in the town, such as CGP and Tornado Wire, and a couple of other industries as well, but for the most part, Millom's local economy has been severely depressed.

Thanks to a great body of people, businesses, and development groups, Millom's future will be that much brighter.