Grange-over-Sands

{{Short description|Town in Cumbria, England}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox UK place | static_image_name = Church Hill, Grange over Sands - geograph.org.uk - 1835284.jpg | static_image_caption = Church Hill | country = England | coordinates = {{coord|54.190|-2.915|display=inline,title}} | official_name = Grange-over-Sands | population = 4,279 | population_ref = ''(2021)''<ref name=census2021/> | civil_parish = Grange-over-Sands<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grange-over-Sands Town Council Website |url=https://www.grangeoversandstowncouncil.gov.uk/ |access-date=28 May 2022 |website=Grange-over-Sands Town Council}}</ref> | region = North West England | constituency_westminster = Westmorland and Lonsdale | post_town = GRANGE-OVER-SANDS | postcode_district = LA11 | postcode_area = LA | dial_code = 015395 | os_grid_reference = SD4077 | pushpin_map = United Kingdom Morecambe Bay | pushpin_map_caption = Location on Morecambe Bay | lieutenancy_england = Cumbria | unitary_england = Westmorland and Furness }}

'''Grange-over-Sands'''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dyckhoff |first=Tom |date=28 September 2018 |title=lets move to Grange Over Sands + Cartmel |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/sep/28/lets-move-to-grange-over-sands-cartmel}}</ref> is a town and civil parish on the north side of Morecambe Bay in Cumbria, England, a few miles south of the Lake District National Park. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 4,114,<ref name="census2011">{{NOMIS2011|id=E04002607|title=Grange-over-Sands Parish|access-date=1 May 2021}}</ref> increasing at the 2021 census to 4,279.<ref name="census2021">{{Cite web |title=Grange-over-Sands 2021 Population |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/northwestengland/admin/south_lakeland/E04002607__grange_over_sands/|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=City Population}}</ref> Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the town became administered as an urban district in 1894. Though the town remains part of the Duchy of Lancaster, since 2023 it has been administered as part of the Westmorland and Furness Council area.

Travelling by road, Grange-over-Sands is {{convert|13.1|mi|km}} to the south of Kendal, {{convert|14.9|mi|km}} to the east of Ulverston, {{convert|25|mi|km}} to the east of Barrow-in-Furness and {{convert|28.1|mi|km}} to the north of Lancaster.

==History== The town developed in the Victorian era from a small fishing village and the arrival of the railway in 1857 made it a popular seaside resort on the north side of Morecambe Bay, across the sands from Morecambe. The "over-Sands" suffix was added in the late 19th or early 20th century by the local vicar, who was fed up with his post going to Grange in Borrowdale near Keswick.

In 1932 Grange Lido was built on the seafront, and remained in use until 1993, in 2011 it was listed Grade II.<ref name="nhle-lido">{{NHLE|desc=Grange over Sands lido|num=1402086|access-date=13 September 2019}}</ref><ref>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/oliver.merrington/lidos/lidos6.htm Oliver Merrington's Potentially Re-Openable Lidos in the UK] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328154505/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/oliver.merrington/lidos/lidos6.htm |date=28 March 2010 }}, retrieved 14 November 2009</ref> There is a campaign to restore and re-open it (as 2019).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Save Grange Lido – Working to transform Grange Lido into an iconic community-owned leisure facility with a magnificent 50m swimming pool at its heart |url=https://www.savegrangelido.co.uk/ |access-date=2019-01-03 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The River Kent used to flow past the town's mile-long promenade but its course migrated south, away from Grange. The sands or mudflats with dangerous quicksands became a grass meadow now grazed by small flocks of sheep. Following sustained easterly winds in the early part of 2007, the river began to switch its course back across the bay.

==Amenities==

===Sanatorium=== The clean, sea air and local spring water were believed to be of benefit to tuberculosis sufferers, and in 1891 one of the first sanatoriums in the country was established at Meathop.<ref>[http://www.golakes.co.uk/places/towns/grange-over-sands-history.aspx Golakes - Grange-over-Sands History], retrieved 9 July 2010</ref>

===Swimming pool=== In 2003 a new public swimming pool, the "Berners Pool", was opened. The pool, which cost £3.5 million, was designed by architects Hodder Associates and won a RIBA Design Award in 2004.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/arts/pictures/image/0,8543,-10404950018,00.html Guardian News and Media : "RIBA Award Winners 2004 : Berners Pool"] Retrieved 18 September 2009</ref> However it suffered from high running costs and structural problems and was closed in 2006 when the Community Trust which ran it became insolvent.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 September 2006 |title=Swimming pool firm forced to fold |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/5324318.stm |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref> It was subsequently demolished in 2013 and later replaced by affordable housing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Anna |title=Demolition day: Bye bye Berners Pool |url=https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/10757230.demolition-day-bye-bye-berners-pool-the-33-million-white-elephant-of-grange/ |access-date=3 January 2019 |website=Westmorland Gazette}}</ref> [[File:Across-morecambe-bay-at-low-tide.jpg|thumb|right|Looking across Morecambe Bay towards Grange-over-Sands]]

A new pool and leisure centre was subsequently planned as part of the redevelopment of the Grange Lido site.<ref>[http://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=2990 South Lakeland District Council : 12 November 2008 : ''Winning Developer Revealed for Grange Pool Site''] Retrieved 18 September 2009</ref> However this development was opposed as it would have involved filling in the Grade II listed lido.<ref name="contested">{{Cite news |last=Helen Carter |date=28 June 2011 |title=Campaign to save Grange-over-Sands lido |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/the-northerner/2011/jun/28/campaigners-vie-save-historic-seaside-lido |quote=it's the last remaining lido in the Northern England after the demolition and infilling of similar structures at Blackpool, Scarborough and Morecambe}}</ref> As of September 2018, the future of the site was still being debated.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pidd |first=Helen |date=2 September 2018 |title=fate of Grange Lido hangs in balance |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/02/no-one-wants-it-there-just-rotting-away-fate-of-art-deco-grange-lido-hangs-in-balance |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>

===Grange Lido=== In January 2019, it was announced that the derelict Grade II listed coastal lido would be refurbished and reopened to the public, but not as a swimming pool.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 January 2019 |title=Grange Lido to reopen but not as swimming pool |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-46977471}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The long struggle to save the art deco lido at Grange-over-Sands. |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/society/2023/07/save-grange-lido}}</ref>

In August 2019, the derelict Grange Lido opened for public tours.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 August 2019 |title=Derelict Grange Lido opens for public tours |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-49210112}}</ref>

===Media=== A local free newspaper, ''Grange Now'', which reports on local news, is published monthly and is delivered to over 5,000 homes on the Cartmel Peninsula.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grange Now |url=http://nowmags.co.uk/grange-now/}}</ref>

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Winter_Hill |title=Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=28 October 2023}}</ref> and the Lancaster relay transmitter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Lancaster |title=Full Freeview on the Lancaster (Lancashire, England) transmitter|publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=28 October 2023}}</ref>

The town is served by both BBC Radio Cumbria and BBC Radio Lancashire. Other radio stations including Heart North West, Smooth Lake District and community online stations, Lake District Radio,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Real Radio, Real People and Really Local! |work=Lake District Radio |date=2023 |access-date= 28 October 2023|url=https://lakedistrictradio.org/about-2/ |quote=}}</ref> and Bay Trust Radio.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Bay Trust Radio |work=Bay Trust Radio Radio |date=2023 |access-date=28 October 2023 |url=https://www.baytrustradio.org.uk |quote=}}</ref>

==Governance== Grange-over-Sands is part of the Westmorland and Lonsdale parliamentary constituency, of which Tim Farron is the current MP representing the Liberal Democrats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tim Farron |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/tim_farron/westmorland_and_lonsdale |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601182051/http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/tim_farron/westmorland_and_lonsdale |archive-date=1 June 2013 |website=theyworkforyou.com |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Westmorland & Lonsdale general election 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001037}}</ref>

Before Brexit, it was in the North West England European Parliamentary Constituency.

For Local Government purposes, it is in the ''Grange and Cartmel Ward'' of the Westmorland and Furness Council area. Prior to this it was in the ''Grange Ward'' of South Lakeland District Council and the ''Grange Division'' of Cumbria County Council.

The town also has its own Town Council; ''Grange-over-Sands Town Council''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grange-over-Sands Town Council |url=https://www.grangeoversandstowncouncil.gov.uk/}}</ref> {{clear left}}

==Education== There is one primary school, the Grange-over-Sands Church of England Primary School. There is no secondary school, so most pupils attend the nearby schools in either Cartmel or Milnthorpe.

==Tourism== thumb|right|Limestone pavement on the flanks of Hampsfell The town is a centre for tourists exploring the southern Lakeland fells, and is home to a number of hotels, bed & breakfasts and holiday properties. Within the town itself, there is an ornamental duck pond and a traffic-free promenade.

Adjacent to Grange are Lindale, to the north-east, Cartmel to the north-west, with its priory to which the village was once the 'grange' or farm, and Allithwaite to the west. Also nearby is a country house, Holker Hall, which was built on land that once belonged to the priory. The stables at Holker Hall housed the Lakeland Motor Museum until its move to Backbarrow in 2010.

In December 2019, National Geographic published an article called ''How to spend a weekend on the Cumbrian coast,'' in which it recommended that tourists should "''Resist the lure of the Lake District and instead trace England’s northwest coastline by road or rail, savouring epicurean discoveries and sandy hikes along the way."'' The article included a recommendation for visiting Grange-over-Sands.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2019 |title=How to spend a weekend on the Cumbrian coast |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2019/12/how-spend-weekend-cumbrian-coast}}</ref> {{clear left}}

==Hampsfield Fell== thumb|right|Hampsfell Hospice {{anchor|Hampsfell}}Above the town is Hampsfield Fell (generally abbreviated to Hampsfell), crowned by 'Hampsfell Hospice', a sturdy limestone tower monument built in 1846 by the vicar of Cartmel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hampsfell Hospice |url=https://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/hampsfell-hospice/ |access-date=3 January 2019 |website=Visit Cumbria}}</ref> This offers shelter in bad weather and extensive views in better conditions. Over the door, which faces east, there is an inscription from Homer - 'ΡΟΔΟΔΑΚΤΥΛOΣ EΩΣ' - (RODODAKTYLOS EOS "rosy-fingered" Dawn) - whilst inside are painted boards commemorating its construction, praising the view and welcoming visitors. On the roof, which is accessible by a crude flight of stone stairs, is a crude alidade or compass pointer allowing the easy identification of nearby peaks and sights of interest. Hampsfell is the subject of a chapter of Wainwright's book ''The Outlying Fells of Lakeland''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wainwright |first=A. |title=The Outlying Fells of Lakeland |publisher=Westmorland Gazette |year=1974 |location=Kendal |pages=58–65 |chapter=Hampsfell |author-link=Alfred Wainwright}}</ref> It reaches {{convert|727|ft|m}}. The summit of Hampsfell is surrounded by several flat, incised areas of limestone pavement. {{clear left}}

==Transport==

Grange-over-Sands railway station, which serves the town, was opened by the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway on 1 September 1857 {{Citation needed|date=March 2026}} and is now served by the Furness Line, giving connections to {{stnlnk|Ulverston}} and {{stnlnk|Barrow-in-Furness}} to the west, and {{stnlnk|Lancaster}}, {{stnlnk|Preston}}, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport to the east.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Live departures from Grange-over-Sands {{!}} National Rail |url=https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains/departures/grange-over-sands/ |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=www.nationalrail.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

The town has two routes serving it both run by Stagecoach Cumbria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lake District Buses - Visit The Lake District {{!}} Stagecoach |url=https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/cumbria-and-north-lancashire/explore-the-lakes-by-bus |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=www.stagecoachbus.com |language=en}}</ref>

The main road access is the A590, which runs between the M6 and Barrow-in-Furness. Before the building of the railway, the main way of reaching Grange was the road across the Sands of Morecambe Bay from Hest Bank.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Road across the Sands |url=https://grangeoversandshistory.weebly.com/road-across-the-sands.html}}</ref>

==Notable people== * Jack Crayston, footballer * Richard Palairet, cricketer * George Mearns Savery, educator and founder of Harrogate Ladies' College * Harry J. Scott, founding editor of the ''Dalesman'' magazine * Len Shackleton, footballer

==See also== {{portal|Cumbria}} *Listed buildings in Grange-over-Sands *Grange Fell Church, Grange-over-Sands *Grange-over-Sands railway station

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Grange-over-Sands}} {{Wikivoyage|Grange-over-Sands}} *[http://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/township/grange-over-sands Cumbria County History Trust: Grange-over-Sands] (nb: provisional research only - see Talk page) *[http://www.grangeoversands.net/ Welcome to Grange-over-Sands] *[https://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/grange-over-sands/ Visit Cumbria Grange-over-Sands] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120320095328/http://www.thecumbriadirectory.com/Town_or_Village/location.php?url=grange-over-sands The Cumbria Directory - Grange-over-Sands] {{NSEW|Lindale, Cumbria|Kents Bank|Arnside|Allithwaite|||||}} {{Cumbria}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grange-Over-Sands}} Category:Grange-over-Sands Category:Beaches of Cumbria Category:Seaside resorts in England Category:Towns in Cumbria Category:Populated coastal places in Cumbria Category:Civil parishes in Cumbria Category:Morecambe Bay Category:Westmorland and Furness