Glasson Dock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Glasson Dock is a village south of Lancaster, at the mouth of the River Lune.

Due to the difficulty of navigation up the Lune to the docks in Lancaster, it was decided in 1779 by Lancaster port commission to build a dock at Glasson. The port commission purchased land in 1780, and completed the dock in 1787. As the ships using the dock did not require significant amounts of local labour, the settlement around the dock did not grow significantly. The docks were connected by a branch to the Lancaster Canal in 1826, after which some expansion did occur. Many of the buildings in the village were built in the 19th century, including the church (Christ Church), which was built in 1840, although expanded in 1931-2. A shipyard and Customs House were built in 1834, a Watch House in 1836, and a Dry Dock in 1841. The shipyards were largely concerned with ship repair rather than shipbuilding, eventually closing in 1968, with the dry dock filled in a year later.

The quay was connected to the railway network in 1883, operating until the closure of passenger sevices on 5th July 1930. Goods traffic continued until 7th September 1964. The trackbed of the disused branchline is now a linear park and cycleway.

Prior to becoming a dock, Glasson was the site of small farming and fishing community, known as Old Glasson and Brows-saltcote. Directly across the river from Glasson lies the village of Overton.