Step back in time. The brick and mortar stand silent, whispering stories of a town’s evolution. The Abbey Tavern, once a bustling hub, holds within its timeworn walls a forgotten chapter, patiently awaiting rediscovery. Its weathered exterior, now softened by the touch of many seasons, hints at the rich history buried within. A history that is intricately tied to the growth and transformation of Barrow itself. This is the tale of the Abbey Tavern…
From Manor House to Grand Hotel (17th-19th Centuries):
The Abbey Tavern’s origins are surprisingly elegant. In the 17th century, the entire site was home to a manor house for the Preston family, possibly incorporating a guest house for the nearby Furness Abbey. Picture, if you will, Sir Thomas Preston, the man who first called this grand house home, strolling down the winding corridors, his boots echoing on the stone floors. His thoughts might have lingered on the view of the abbey ruins through the mullioned windows or on the lack of a decent cravat in the local area.
As the centuries passed, the manor house changed hands several times, eventually falling into a state of semi-dereliction. By the mid-19th century, it was all but abandoned when it was acquired by the Furness Railway in 1847. The railway company, with an eye for opportunity, enlisted the architectural talents of Sharpe and Paley, who transformed the old manor house into a grand hotel, ready to welcome weary travellers coming to marvel at the historic Furness Abbey.
The hotel boasted 36 bedrooms (and just three bathrooms) and grand public rooms, including an entrance hall, a reading room with stained glass windows, a billiard room, and even a ballroom. Imagine the flickering candlelight, the soft murmur of conversations, and the sound of footsteps on the creaky wooden floors as visitors enjoyed an evening of music and dancing. By the 1860s, the hotel was further extended to connect with the newly built Furness Abbey railway station, linking the worlds of rail and relaxation.
The 20th Century: Bombs, Bulldozers, and a Stubborn Tavern (1900s):
The 20th century, however, was far less kind to the Abbey Tavern. The hotel, once a haven for tourists, faced a string of misfortunes. The building was severely damaged during World War II, when a bomb struck in May 1941. The once-elegant hotel was left in ruins, its walls scarred by the ravages of war.
By the early 1950s, British Rail, in a decision that remains controversial to this day, demolished two wings of the hotel, reducing the once-proud structure to a shadow of its former self. This northern wing would go on to become the Abbey Tavern, standing strong in the face of its tumultuous past. The site of the demolished hotel now forms the car park for Furness Abbey and its museum, while the railway station at Furness Abbey, too, suffered bomb damage and was dismantled in the early 1950s.
Yet, the story of the Abbey Tavern didn’t end with these losses. The building’s original booking office and refreshment room, constructed in 1862, had been physically connected to the hotel but served a separate purpose as part of the railway station. These rooms—imbued with the smells of steam and the hum of distant trains—survived, defying the destruction that claimed much of the hotel around them. Today, they stand as The Abbey Tavern, located in Abbey Approach, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, just to the north of the majestic remains of Furness Abbey.
The Abbey Tavern Today (2024):
Fast forward to today, and the Abbey Tavern is on the cusp of a new beginning. English Heritage launched an appeal to breathe new life into the Grade II-listed building when it was put up for sale in January 2022. The building, originally constructed as a manor house before being extended and converted into a hotel by the railway company, has been part of Barrow’s rich history for centuries.
The tavern has had many lives. In the 1950s, two wings of the hotel were demolished by British Rail, and the building later closed as a tavern. In 2014, English Heritage acquired the building and partnered with Fleurets to find a suitable partner willing to restore it to meaningful use. The Abbey Tavern, which covers an area of approximately 500 square metres, was once configured with five letting rooms, a bar servery, a trade kitchen, toilets, and a space that had once been used as private accommodation for the owner.
Though the future remains uncertain, the Abbey Tavern is poised to shine once more. The stone walls of the booking office, steeped in history, could soon echo with the sounds of locals and visitors once more, its creaky floors alive with the hustle and bustle of a new generation.
The building, with its two- and three-storey structure, constructed in red sandstone with a slate roof, is a testament to the lasting legacy of the Furness Railway. The Abbey Tavern stands as a poignant reminder of the past while reaching toward a hopeful future.
The Abbey Tavern is more than just a building—it is a piece of Barrow’s heart, waiting to play its part in the town’s continued evolution. Here’s to the Abbey Tavern: a place where history lingers in the air, where the past and present meet, and where the future promises to be just as intriguing as the tales of its past.