Bigert Mire Cumbria hotels:

The town of Broughton in Furness is truly a hidden gem waiting to be revealed. Visitors approaching the village from the higher vantage points are tempted by the prospect of this unspoilt settlement nestling amongst the splendour of the surrounding fells. Broughton is the gateway to the West Coast of Cumbria travelling from Barrow in Furness Ulverston and Greenodd and is bounded from the West by the glorious Duddon Estuary so immortalised by William Wordsworth. The village is a conservation area within the National park serving a large rural community where farming remains important to the economy of the area. The auction mart in the centre of the village still reflects the importance of farming to this rural corner of Cumbria. Visitors are warmly welcomed to Broughton to sample the country and village pubs and restaurants, local shops services and cafes and quality accommodation. Broughton-in-Furness is located on the Furness Peninsula the Undiscovered Lakeland and dates from the 11th Century. The history of Broughton in Furness is redolent of the natural progression from the early foundations of the settlement where wool, cattle and their trades, swill making for example, formed the basis for all the services being provided for the surrounding area, the blacksmith, clockmaker tailor etc. The buildings where these activities took place can still in the main be seen today with little alteration. Therein lies the undoubted attraction of the village. The focus of the town is the Georgian market square with its obelisk, erected to amrk the Jubilee of King George 111 in 1810. Squire Gilpin Sawrey visiting London in 1760 saw the new squares being build in the city and on returning to Broughton instructed a London architect to build a replica at the entrance to his family seat - Broughton Tower. The ancient slate fish slabs can still be seen in the square where sea fish from Haverigg and salmon and trout from the Duddon would be sold in the market. In Elizabethan times a charter was granted to hold fairs and it is in the square that the annual reading of the Charter takes place on 1st August. The Charter is read by the Lord of the Manor (currently Cumbria County Council) accompanied by councillors throwing pennies from the obelisk steps for the local children to collect.