About Moor Row

Hello, and welcome. This site is about the village of Moor Row in West Cumbria.

The history of Moor Row is one intrinsically linked to the industrial boom that transformed West Cumbria. While the area's roots stretch back to before 1762, when the homesteads of Low Moor Row and High Moor Row dotted the landscape between Summerhill Mansion and Woodend with Cleator, the true genesis of the modern village lies in iron ore and the mighty railway. 

From Homestead to Hub

The early landscape was characterised by family landholdings, such as the estate of the Wildridge family at Low Moor Row, located on what would become Church Street. The marriage of Elizabeth Wildridge to the local gardener, Dalzell, and his subsequent inheritance of the estates, is a pivotal local event. This link is preserved today, not just through family lore but in the village's street names, a testament to the enduring influence of the early landowners.

The Railway Catalyst

The mid-19th century witnessed an explosive growth in the demand for iron and steel across Britain. West Cumbria, with its rich seams of hematite ore, became a crucial supplier. The village of Moor Row itself was strategically developed to serve this burgeoning industry. 

The construction of the Whitehaven Cleator and Egremont Railway was the direct catalyst for the village's expansion. Opening in 1855, this vital junction connected the port of Whitehaven in the north with the industrial hub of Egremont to the south, and crucially, linked eastward to Cleator and the prolific Frizington iron mines.

Moor Row's location - a 'row of houses on a moor' - made it the perfect staging post.

By 1860, the first workers' cottages were already being erected on the east side of what would become Dalzell Street, marking the village's official birth.

Moor Row Railway Terrace Illustration

A Melting Pot of Miners

The discovery of extensive iron ore deposits in the vicinity created a massive demand for labour, attracting a diverse workforce to West Cumbria.

This rapid expansion transformed Moor Row into a veritable cultural melting pot. People journeyed from Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Italy, and various parts of England to seek their fortune in the nascent iron and steel industry.

A particularly notable influx came from the South West of England. The presence of skilled Cornish tin miners is memorialised to this day in the naming of Penzance Street.

These experienced hard-rock miners brought essential skills to the demanding work of extracting hematite, and their street name serves as a permanent reminder of the region’s diverse origins.

The expansion was not merely opportunistic; it was necessity. As the employers needed more workers to keep the furnaces and mines running, the village grew exponentially, resulting in the distinct grid of terraced housing that defines Moor Row's character.

The street plan still speaks volumes: Dalzell Street is a proud nod to the family whose parcels of land stretched along the route towards Woodend, past Gutterby and towards the wider industrial areas of Frizington and Aspatria, underscoring their historical connection to the land that became this dynamic, working village. 

Compton House Scalegill Road Illustration

The Hematite Heartbeat

Moor Row's existence is a direct product of the West Cumbrian Iron Orefield. This narrow belt of land, stretching from Lamplugh to Calder Bridge, sat atop massive, high-grade deposits of hematite (iron ore).

The Cumbrian ore was highly sought after because it contained very low levels of phosphorus, making it ideal for the new steel-making technologies of the 19th century, particularly the Bessemer process. This factor briefly allowed Cumbrian ores to dominate the national market, sparking an intense industrial boom between roughly 1860 and 1880.

The Railway Crossroads

The village itself was crucial, not just as accommodation, but as a railway hub. The Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway (WC&ER) made Moor Row a key junction, allowing the precious cargo of ore to be moved efficiently.

• The Main Line: The WC&ER ran the main passenger and goods line from Whitehaven south to Egremont, with stations at places like Woodend and Beckermet.
• The Mining Branch: Crucially, a branch line diverged eastwards from Moor Row towards Cleator Moor and the clusters of mines at Frizington and Rowrah.

The railway was everything. It transported coal and limestone (also used in the smelting process) into the region and carried massive quantities of iron ore out to the coastal furnaces and the wider national network.

Moor Row's station, opened in 1857, became a constant hive of activity, with steam engines hauling heavy ore wagons around the clock. 

Moor Row Junction Railway Illustration

The Nearby Mines

While Moor Row was primarily residential and a railway junction, the miners who lived there worked in the many pits surrounding the area, particularly those concentrated around Frizington and Cleator Moor, a short distance to the east.

The work was hazardous and demanding, focusing on extracting the distinctive, compact 'hard blue' hematite or the fibrous variety known locally as 'kidney ore'.

Mines serving this area included:

• Parkside Mine: Situated near Frizington, this mine was a highly successful operation, raising over 100,000 tons of ore in a single year (1873) from vast horizontal deposits known as 'flats' in the Carboniferous Limestone.
• Bigrigg and Mowbray: These mines were also central to the ore field, where miners descended to depths of 200–300 metres to follow the rich seams.

The boom period saw new settlements like Moor Row, Cleator Moor, and Frizington "springing up" to house the workers.

While the Moor Row area itself was considered a marginal mining district compared to Cleator Moor, it still employed between 1,000 and 1,200 men in its local pits during the latter half of the 19th century.

The Long Slow Decline

This golden age, however, was relatively brief. After 1890, changes in steel-making technology allowed manufacturers to use cheaper, lower-grade ores from other parts of the world. 

Extracting the deep-lying hematite in West Cumbria became increasingly uneconomical. A long, slow decline began, with many local mines closing in the early 20th century.

Today, the old route of the WC&ER, which brought Moor Row to life, has been transformed. Sections of the former railway lines are now incorporated into the C2C Cycle Network, giving the community a new way to interact with the landscape forged by its industrial past.

Community life:

The sudden influx of workers created an immediate need for infrastructure beyond just housing.

Moor Row wasn't just a place to sleep; it quickly had to evolve into a functioning community, building a social fabric that bound together people from diverse backgrounds - Cornish miners, Irish labourers, and local Cumbrians. 

Education and Faith

One of the first priorities in any rapidly growing Victorian-era settlement was the establishment of schools and places of worship.

These institutions served as the central pillars of social life and moral guidance.

• St. John the Evangelist Church: The need for an Anglican presence was addressed with the building of St. John the Evangelist Church. Construction began around 1880, and the church was consecrated in 1883. It became a beautiful example of Victorian ecclesiastical architecture and quickly established itself as a spiritual and social focal point of the village. 
• Methodist Chapels: Given the strong non-conformist tradition among industrial workers in Northern England, Methodist chapels were also vital. These chapels were often the first communal buildings to be erected, providing meeting spaces, Sunday schools, and a strong sense of community support that was crucial for migrant workers far from home.
• The School: Education was paramount, especially for a community dependent on skilled labour. The village school was established early on, often managed by the church, ensuring that the children of the railwaymen and miners had access to basic literacy and numeracy skills necessary for the emerging industrial economy.

Leisure and Society

Life for the average miner or railway worker was tough, requiring long hours in dangerous conditions. As such, leisure time and social clubs were incredibly important for morale and community cohesion.

• The Public Houses: The local public houses (pubs) naturally became the primary social centres. They were places for men to gather after a long shift, share news, conduct informal business, and find relief from the rigours of mining life. Every industrial village needed its pubs, and Moor Row was no exception.
• Co-operative Society: The Co-operative movement - a powerful force in working-class communities - quickly established a presence. The Co-op store was more than just a place to buy groceries; it was a symbol of mutual self-help and a source of 'divi' (dividend) payments that provided a valuable financial boost to working families. This store often doubled as an important civic meeting point.

Social and Sports Clubs:

Miners and railwaymen often formed their own clubs and societies, including brass bands (a common feature in Cumbrian mining communities) and sports teams.

These activities fostered local pride and provided organised entertainment, often competing against neighbouring villages like Cleator Moor or Frizington, turning local rivalries into sporting spectacle.

This collective spirit and necessity transformed the 'row of houses' into a strong, resilient community that weathered the boom and, eventually, the long decline of the West Cumbrian mining industry. 

Moor Row Today:

The 20th century saw the industrial heart of West Cumbria slow down. The final years of the 19th century had been the peak, and by the 1930s, the passenger services on the Whitehaven Cleator and Egremont Railway north of Moor Row had already ceased.

While mineral traffic persisted for decades - the line remaining open to carry iron ore from Beckermet Mine right up until the mine’s closure in 1980 - the age of the steam-powered junction was over.

The railway tracks that once powered Britain's steel industry were eventually lifted, but the unique footprint of the past remains the defining characteristic of the modern village. 

The Streets of History Walk through Moor Row today, and the names are constant reminders of its formative years:

• Penzance Street still celebrates the heritage of the Cornish mining families who settled here.
• Dalzell Street honours the family whose land facilitated the village's birth.

New housing developments, such as Wildridge Drive, continue to nod to the original pre-industrial families of the area, ensuring the history is literally built into the landscape.

The terraced streets, originally laid out in the distinctive grid pattern to maximise housing for the railway and mine workers, now form a cohesive, close-knit residential community. 

Moor Row has successfully transitioned into a popular commuter village, valued for its strong community spirit and its excellent location.

Its proximity to major West Cumbrian employment centres, including Whitehaven and the Sellafield complex, makes it an attractive place for families - a quality that has earned the village praise in recent years as a great place to raise children.

Moor Row’s Green Corridor:

The C2C Perhaps the most tangible legacy of the iron ore era is the transformation of the old railway line itself.

Where heavy trains once hauled their valuable cargo, there is now a serene green corridor. 

Moor Row proudly sits on the route of the C2C Cycle Network (Coast to Coast), specifically on the Whitehaven to Ennerdale Cycle Path.

This surfaced, traffic-free route follows the trackbed of the former railway, allowing cyclists and walkers to trace the path of industrial history.

The old junction - once a scene of noise, smoke, and industry - is now a quiet, level stretch, offering beautiful views of the nearby Lakeland Fells and connecting the village directly to Whitehaven and the natural splendour of the Western Lake District valleys.

In short, Moor Row has moved on from its demanding industrial past, but it has not forgotten it.

It is a village whose heart still beats with the rhythm of the railway, now adapted for a new age, where history and community spirit are tightly woven into the very fabric of its streets.

Moor Row Railway Station Illustration