A look back at some of Barrow’s historic Royal visits

The Royals were set to embark from Barrow-in-Furness on their way to the Western Isles, but awful weather in the Irish Sea meant the thousands of Barrovians lining the streets feared the Royal yacht would need to dock at Heysham.

Hastily arranged emergency arrangements had to be made to cover the possibility of the Royals not being able to embark at the Belfast Berth.

These arrangements included a change of route, so that the Queen and Duke could return to Barrow Central Station and board the Royal train – which they had arrived on from Appleby -to take them to Heysham.

The Duke and the Queen visited Bowness, Kendal and Ambleside on their way down to Barrow from Appleby.

In Bowness, lines of pleasure boats blared their horns in welcome, while in Ambleside the evening reported there were “Americans in gaily-coloured plastic raincoats, hikers in sou’westers, [and] fishermen and boatmen in heavy trench coats” awaiting the Royals.

Princess Margaret, meanwhile, flew from London to Walney to board the Britannia.

The Mail’s report, in a special commemorative issue on August 13 of 1956, said the lasting impression of the visit was “the charm and beauty of her Majesty” – and her comments of appreciation for the “beauty of the Town Hall”.

“Se was effusive in her thanks,” the report reads, “not only for the welcome, but for the gifts we made to her.”

The Evening Mail also cast its eye over other historic visits to Barrow, including he 1903 visit of Princess Louside, Duchess of Argyll, and the Duke, on “the gayest, most memorable Royal visit Barrow has had”.

The Princess launched the HMS Dominion, a warship which was ‘Barrow’s pride and joy’, an officially opened a technical school on Abbey Road.

The Princess had previously visited Barrow 12 years earlier, in 1891, to open a bazaar at the Old Drill Hall which was used to raise funds for enlarging St George’s School.

“The launch of the Dominion was a triumphal affair”, the Mail, then known as the North Western Daily Mail, proclaimed.

“More than 8,000 people lifted their voices in a roar of acclaim as the Princess named and launched the huge battleship.”