THERE is plenty going on at Barrow Archives and Local Studies Centre this summer to mark 150 years since the incorporation of the town as a self-governing borough.

The 1867 charter was granted by Queen Victoria on June 13 and this date marked the start of a new exhibition on the town – which can be seen during normal library opening hours at Ramsden Square, until September 30.

To tie in with the exhibition, an open evening was held where archivist Sue Benson introduced a few of the treasures which formed a table-top display - and reflected life in Barrow over the past 150 years.

The maps, photograph albums, diaries, guide books and registers have now gone back into storage but can all be requested by visitors to the archive.

The first register of Barrow vehicle registration numbers was on show and a book called Recollections of Barrow in 1872 written in 1910 by Henry G Pearson - a solicitor born in County Durham who lived in Abbey Road.

He noted: “Devonshire Dock was completed and Buccleuch Dock was being dug out by navvies.

“I remember walking along the bottom of it before the water was let in.

“The road to Barrow Island was on the low level now covered by the high level bridge.

“Cavendish Park had only two houses. There was nothing else except the old house of Mr Michaelson, now Mr Coulton Hunter’s.

“The shipyard was just begun: the north wall of the foundry was just building and was shortly afterwards blown down in a storm.”

The open evening also saw the launch of a new project called Barrow Streets: Your Photos, Our Town which aims to build up a photographic record of streets today to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Borough and docks.

The aim is to record every street, not just prominent buildings.

It is also hoped to record the interior of schools, pubs, churches and any public buildings in present day Barrow, Walney, Dalton, Lindal, Askam, Ireleth and Rampside.

The photographs will be available for the public to view and use in the future through a website.

Photographs – up to four at a time - should be emailed to barrow.photos@hotmail.com and should include the name of the street and buildings in the file name.

If you would like to donate printed photographs from the past, have a large digital collection, or want further information on the project, get in touch with the archives at Barrow Library on 01229 407377.

You can pick up entry forms at the archive for a pair of quizzes based on Barrow’s last 150 years – 20 questions for adults and picture puzzles for children. Entries have to be in by July 28.

The next event at the archive is the launch of a new book by Alan Wilkinson called The Beer Houses Barrow in Furness which is based on extensive research based on old newspapers and documents.

Many of the pubs, inns and hotels featured in the book were open in 1867 when Barrow became a new borough – although quite a few have since closed.

Mr Wilkinson will be giving a short introduction to the book and there will be original archive material on show relating to beer houses.

The 7pm event on Wednesday, July 12, is free and you can book a place by sending an email to barrow.archives@cumbria.gov.uk or call 01229 407377.