Moor Row

The crisp Cumbrian air of December 1900 carried the scent of woodsmoke and anticipation through the village of Moor Row. Nestled in West Cumbria, this close-knit community, largely shaped by the thriving iron ore mines, was gearing up for its annual Christmas celebrations. Life in Moor Row revolved heavily around the railway, which not only connected the village to the wider world but also brought in supplies and news. Goods wagons, usually laden with ore, now might carry special deliveries for the festive season – perhaps a rare orange or a toy from a distant town. The sound of the steam engine chugging into the station was a familiar and comforting backdrop to village life, and at Christmas, it seemed to hum with extra cheer. ​ As Christmas Eve dawned, a quiet excitement settled over the rows of terraced houses on Dalzell Street, Penzance Street, and Scalegill Road. Children, bundled in thick woollens, would have been buzzing with talk of Santa Claus, or "Father Christmas" ...

Moor Row, a compact yet hugely significant village in West Cumbria, was once the very nexus of the region's intense industrial activity.  At the heart of this ceaseless movement stood the Moor Row Engine Shed, a crucial piece of railway infrastructure that has now vanished, leaving behind only the ghost of its former glory. For those who cherish the memory of West Cumbrian steam, the engine shed and the hardy locomotives it sheltered represent a tangible link to the days when the hematite iron ore field was in full, roaring production. A Vital Hub for the Iron Fields Moor Row’s status as a key railway location was secured with the arrival of the Whitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Railway (WC&ER), which commenced operations in 1857. The village rapidly evolved into a major junction, with lines diverging to serve the rich mines and quarries around Frizington, Cleator Moor, and southwards towards Egremont. The Nexus : Flanking the station, the engine shed and its extensive network...

Moor Row in West Cumbria is a village steeped in industrial history, and like many old communities, it has its fair share of fascinating local stories. One tale centres on a house on Dalzell Street, which features a prominent and unusual architectural detail: a large, sandstone arched entrance. This archway is believed to have been the main access point to the long-gone Fishers Court area.  While other houses nearby have narrow passageways for back access, this one is significantly larger. This size difference has sparked a persistent local rumour: that the house was once a volunteer fire station. The Story Versus The Facts While the idea is a well-known part of Moor Row's oral history, it's important to separate local belief from documented evidence. Extensive searches through historical records, including official archives and local newspapers offers no evidence that the house on Dalzell Street formally operated as a fire station or the headquarters for a volunteer crew. In f...

Perched in the West Cumbrian countryside, near the village of Moor Row, stands Scalegill Hall, a magnificent but melancholic Grade II listed building that whispers tales of centuries past. Today, this true local landmark presents a picture of faded glory, in desperate need of a new chapter to save its historic fabric. A History Etched in Stone Scalegill Hall is believed to have been established in the early 17th century (Jacobean period), with ancillary outbuildings potentially dating back as far as 1615. This places its founding firmly within the region's earlier agrarian and landowning history, predating the industrialisation that would later define Moor Row. The main house, a large rendered structure, saw a significant Georgian remodelling in the 18th century. This involved raising the roof and refronting the façade to achieve the popular classical symmetry of the era. Elevated Position: The Hall occupies a high position, affording extensi...

The Wildridge-Dalzell Nexus established the Dalzell family's fortune through the marriage of Thomas Dalziel (a high-status Gardener) and Elizabeth Wildridge in 1768. Elizabeth inherited freehold land in Moor Row from her father, John Wildridge. This land provided the essential capital, moving the Dalziels into the propertied class. Thomas Dalziel managed the estate for high-status horticulture, documented in a 1798 plan. I. Introduction: Establishing the Wildridge-Dalzell Nexus in West Cumberland The connection between the Wildridge and Dalzell families in West Cumberland represents a significant instance of land tenure and social mobility in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The focus of this investigation is Moor Row, a community historically located in the parish of Egremont, and the role of Thomas Dalziel, recorded as a "Gardiner," whose marriage secured the family's foundational estate. I.A. The Geographical and Historical Cont...

​​Moor Row, Cumbria, is an archetypal example of a planned, rapid industrial settlement, not an organic village. Its foundation (1855–1860) was a direct, engineered response to Victorian-era material demands. ​The village's genesis was triggered by the discovery of vast low-phosphorus haematite deposits, perfectly suited for the new Bessemer steel-making process. This geological opportunity was immediately exploited by concentrated land ownership (e.g., the Dalzell family) and a critical piece of infrastructure: the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway (WCER). ​The WCER opened in 1855, instantly establishing Moor Row as a vital and highly profitable railway junction. The immense labour requirements of the Montreal Mines (employing over 1,000 people) and the railway necessitated rapid accommodation. This sudden influx led to the quick establishment of communal institutions, confirming the swift transition from a logistical site to a socio-culturally structured community. Moor Ro...

Moor Row, like so many villages across the country, is not a static place. It is a living, breathing community that has continually adapted, evolved, and rebuilt itself over the decades. For those of us who call it home, or who have roots here, witnessing this gradual transformation is a fascinating experience, particularly when we start pinning down the dates. Foundations for the Future The fabric of our village today is woven from layers of change. We recall some of the older housing that defined earlier generations of Moor Row, such as the houses at Scalegill Place.  These properties, which served their purpose for many years, were eventually deemed unsuitable and were responsibly demolished by the Council, a process that likely took place during the Mid-20th Century (around the 1950s–1970s) as part of wider urban renewal efforts.  In their place, modern, fit-for-purpose houses were constructed, ensuring the community remained vibrant and housed appropriately. This process ...

​​In the heart of west Cumbria, at the meeting point of Church Street and Penzance Street in the little village of Moor Row, stands a building with a truly unique and surprising history. Built in 1878, what started life as a grand place of worship for the Primitive Methodist community has become an enduring local landmark for entirely different, and more contemporary, reasons. ​This is the tale of a chapel that found salvation not in sermons, but in the screech of tyres and the roar of a Japanese engine - and is now sending a powerful message of hope to the entire community. ​ From Scalegill Road to Church Street ​The story of the Primitive Methodists in Moor Row begins earlier than the grand 1878 structure. The movement, which sprang from working-class revivalism, was a powerful force in industrial areas like West Cumbria, and the congregation quickly outgrew its first home. ​ The initial Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1863 on Scalegill Road at the relatively modest cost of £...

The village name Moor Row in West Cumbria is a compound toponym rooted in Old/Middle English: Moor (unenclosed waste land) and Row (a line of houses). Its origin is agrarian, dating to pre-1762, where it described small linear settlements (Low/High Moor Row) situated on common land, and was formally recorded in the late 18th century due to Inclosure legislation. The name achieved permanence and institutionalisation in the mid-19th century with the iron ore mining boom and the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway.  The construction of extensive terraced housing (rows) for workers and the site becoming Moor Row Junction provided a physical, industrial justification that perfectly reinforced the ancient, descriptive name. The Toponymy of Moor Row, West Cumbria: A Diachronic Analysis of Linguistic Origin and Socio-Economic Development I. Introduction: Framing the Toponymic Inquiry This analysis presents an exhaustive examination of the toponym Moor Row, a village located in the...