Ulverston and Lancaster Railway - Background

Background

In August 1837 George Stephenson, considering the route from Lancaster to Carlisle and thence to Scotland, proposed a curved embankment across Morecambe Bay between Poulton-le-Sands (Morecambe) and Humphrey Head, then following the coast northwards. He was concerned that an inland route over the fells would involve dangerously steep slopes. He saw the viaduct as a national project and he intended that it would trap the silt in order to claim Morecambe Bay for agriculture. In 1843, after considerable debate, this plan was shelved in favour of the present Shap Fell route.

Consequently, Furness, instead of finding the main line on its doorstep, had to make its own arrangements to join its local rail network to the national one. Any short connection southwards would necessarily involve a locally financed crossing of Morecambe Bay and this was a daunting prospect — the quicksands and fierce tides of the bay are still notorious. The 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster reminded many people of the dangers. Nevertheless the iron miners needed a good connection in order to make their product competitive. The directors of the Furness Railway were not in a hurry to take it on so it was promoted by John Brogden and Sons, a Manchester-based firm of railway contractors and promoters who had expanded into iron mining activity in the Furness area.

The Ulverstone and Lancaster Railway Act received the Royal Assent in 1851. The directors were: John Brogden (sen.), John Brogden (jun.), Alexander Brogden, Henry Brogden, James Garstang (Alexander’s father-in-law) and Joseph Paxton (later Sir Joseph).The line was planned by McClean and Stileman at 19 miles in length of which ten miles comprised embankments, and viaducts across the tidal estuaries of the rivers Kent and Leven. Much of this was sand running to a depth of 30 to 70 feet.