Local photographers the Sankeys managed to capture many of its elegant and quirky structures in the early 20th century. Perhaps one of our most unique ruins is the former Cistercian monastery Furness Abbey. READ MORE: How the Barrovians of the past had fun in the early 20th century Founded in 1123, it dominated the life in Furness and the Lakes until its destruction in 1537 as part of the Reformation.
Queen Victoria, the poet William Wordsworth, the landscape painter JMW Turner, and US President Theodore Roosevelt and his family are among some of its famous visitors. (Image: Sankey online archive) Piel Castle was built under the command of the Abbot of Furness in the early 1300s in order to protect his deep-water harbour. It is now in the care of English Heritage as a Grade 1 listed building and was given by the Duke of Buccleuch to the town of Barrow as a memorial to local citizens killed in the First World War.
There are also many unique homes and halls such as Rampside Hall. Pictured in the 1920s, it has 12 square chimneys on the roof which are known locally as the 12 Apostles. (Image: Sankey online archive) On 15 February 1685, Rampside was struck by an earthquake which caused a crack to appear in the west wall of the hall and which damaged almost all of the chimneys.
The former home of artist George Romney stands atop the quarry in a semi-derelict state before its refurbishment by the Furness Railway in 1909 as a tourist attraction. It was extensively promoted in Furness.
