Kirkby-in-Furness
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| Kirkby-in-Furness | |
  Kirkby-in-Furness shown within Cumbria |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Shire county | Cumbria |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Cumbria |
| Fire | Cumbria |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Cumbria | |
Kirkby-in-Furness is a village on the Furness peninsula, which is part of Cumbria, England. It is about 5 km south of Broughton in Furness and 8 km northwest of Ulverston. It is one of the largest villages on the peninsula's north-western coast, looking out over the Duddon estuary and the mountains of the Lake District. Its borders are the biggest for a village in the UK.
Kirkby is a fairly recent agglomeration of six different hamlets, namely: Soutergate, Wall End, Beck Side, Sand Side, Marshside and Chapels. The name Kirkby was created by the Furness Railway company during the construction of its Cumbrian Coast Line, and was the name they gave to the station which serves these hamlets.
Much of the housing and infrastructure in Kirkby arose due to the growth and development of the Burlington Slate Quarries, which are owned by the Cavendish family of Holker Hall and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. Houses at Marshside and Incline Foot were originally built for quarry workers, and the railway linked up to the quarries following bogey lines. Present-day Kirkby-in-Furness is now primarily a commuter village but still provides a work force for the slate and agrarian work. The nearby Kirkby Moor rises to 334 m (1098 ft) above sea level which features a 12 turbine wind farm.
The village has an increasingly aged population due to the rise in house prices and lack of homes suitable for first time buyers. This has led to young families leaving Kirkby, buying cheaper houses in surrounding towns and villages. As a result the intake for the local primary school has fallen dramatically in the last few years, and continues to fall.
The local football team, Kirkby United, play their home games at the community centre fields, and are currently second in their respective league with the possibility of promotion. The team is managed by Mike 'desert head' Code and Tim Fisher, and players include Neil 'Psycho' Metcalfe, Paul 'Ronaldo' Cleasby, Leigh 'Garth Crooks-Elton John' Cockburn and Rigg.
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