Carnforth

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Map sources for Carnforth at grid reference SD499704

Carnforth is a small town near Lancaster in the north of Lancashire, England, situated at the north-east end of Morecambe Bay, by the River Keer. The population was around 5,500 in the year 2000.

Due to the closeness of the coast and the hills, the West Coast Main Line, the A6 and the Lancaster Canal pass through the town. The M6 motorway passes just to the east, linked to Carnforth by the A601(M).

In the 19th century, Carnforth grew from a small village to a railway town when it became the junction of three major railways. After the 1960s, the station facilities were closed, and the main line platform removed.

The name "Carnforth" is thought to derive from its old function as a ford of the River Keer on which it is situated. Over time the descriptive name "Keer-ford" may have morphed into the modern "Carnforth".

In 1945, Carnforth railway station was used as the set for the David Lean film Brief Encounter, starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. Fans of this film were one of the major factors in the recent refurbishment of the railway station, which is now run by the Carnforth Station Trust.

The town also has a popular rugby club CarnforthRUFC

Capernwray Missionary Fellowship of Torchbearers run a sizable bible school in Capernwray Hall, Carnforth.

The Conservative party politician Cecil Parkinson was born in Carnforth and became Baron Parkinson, of Carnforth in 1992.