Editing Carnforth (section)

== History ==
[[File:Christ Church, Carnforth - geograph.org.uk - 2419504.jpg|thumb|Christ Church]]

The name ''Carnforth'' is thought to derive from its old function as a ford of the [[River Keer]] on which it is situated. Over time, the descriptive name ''Keer-ford'' may have morphed into the modern ''Carnforth''. An alternative explanation is that the name derives from 'Chreneforde' and is Anglo-Saxon in origin, as cited in the Victoria County History of Lancashire.<ref name="vch">{{citation |chapter=Townships: Carnforth| title=A History of the County of Lancaster |volume= 8 |series=[[Victoria County History]] |year=1914 |pages= 165–170 |chapter-url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol8/pp165-170 |access-date= 4 September 2022}}</ref>

Much of the history of Carnforth revolves around the railway and [[ironworks]]. Vast deposits of [[limestone]] located locally made Carnforth an ideal place for an ironworks, as limestone is a key component of the [[smelting]] process. In 1846, the Carnforth Ironworks Company established a works near to the railway station. In the same year, a recession occurred in the [[Earl of Dudley]] ironworks in [[Worcestershire]], which meant there was a surplus of workers. A number of workers moved to the ironworks and lived in the nearby company village of Dudley (now called ''Millhead''). In 1864, the Carnforth [[Haematite]] Company took over the works and production was vastly increased due to iron ore that was brought in by rail from the [[Furness|Furness Peninsula]]. By 1872, steel production became the main focus for the works using the new [[Bessemer process]]; this process had failed by 1879.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} 

Iron production continued at the works until 1929, when it eventually closed down. The site was taken over by the [[War Department (United Kingdom)|War Department]], as an [[Ammunition#Ordnance ammunition|ordnance]] depot and remained as such until the 1960s. From then to the present, the site is now an [[industrial estate]] housing several businesses.<ref name="CCW">{{cite web | url=http://www.visitlancashire.com/dbimgs/Carnforth%20Canal%20Walks.pdf |title=Carnforth Canal Walks |access-date=8 October 2007 |publisher=Simon Holt Marketing Services |page=16 }}</ref>

[[File:The Carnforth Bookshop, Market Street, Carnforth - geograph.org.uk - 2073115.jpg|thumb|Market Street]]

In the 19th century, Carnforth grew from a small village into a [[railway town]] when it became the junction of three major railways. [[Carnforth MPD|Carnforth Motive Power Depot]] was located to the west of the West Coast Main Line and, until mid-1968, was one of the last to retain an allocation of [[steam locomotive]]s. The buildings are now occupied by [[West Coast Railways]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/ |title=West Coast Railways |publisher=Westcoastrailways.co.uk |access-date=22 August 2012}}</ref> who still maintain and overhaul steam locos in their premises. The concrete locomotive [[coaling tower]] is a rare survivor.

With the closure of Carnforth MPD in 1968, the station's facilities were reduced. The main line platforms were closed in May 1970 and subsequently removed when the line was electrified two years later, although services still run on the [[Furness line]] and the [[Bentham Line]].

[[File:The Royal Station Hotel, Carnforth - geograph.org.uk - 846219.jpg|thumb|The Royal Station Hotel]]

From the 1920s to the 1980s, Morphy's Mill, in Oxford Street, was a major employer of women in Carnforth. Contrary to its name, it was not a [[Cotton mill|mill]] but a factory making blouses and other garments.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Sheila |title=Morphy's Mill (Part One) |journal=Mourholme Magazine of Local History |date=2013 |volume=63 |pages=4–10 |url=http://www.mourholme.co.uk/users/UserFiles/File/2012-2015/April%202013%20Magazine%20Issue%2063.pdf |access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=Sheila |title=Morphy's Mill (Part Two) |journal=Mourholme Magazine of Local History |date=2013 |volume=64 |pages=4–10 |url=http://www.mourholme.co.uk/users/UserFiles/File/2012-2015/November%202013%20Magazine%20Issue%2064.pdf |access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref>