ONE of Barrow’s most iconic landmarks is celebrating its 25th birthday this year.

The Dock Museum's doors were proudly opened in May 1994 by former Barrow Mayor Hazel Edwards.

The museum’s building was first constructed during 1988 with Craig and Green as architects. It was constructed from steel, concrete and glass over part of the Graving Dock.

The dock itself was constructed in 1872 by the Furness Railway for repairing some of the hundreds of vessels per month that were accessing the Port of Barrow.

It had fallen into disuse during the 1980s prompting the formation of the Furness Maritime Trust in 1986, and by 1988 there were plans for a Museum of Shipbuilding, to be called The Dock.

In August 1992 it was announced that the council would take over the Dock project and use the building to house both maritime and general items from the former location of Barrow Museum at the town's library building on Ramsden Square.

The Dock Museum has received grant funding from many sources over the years but its major funders have been the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Arts Council and ERDF (European Regional Development Fund). The Dock Museum is run by Barrow Borough Council.

Major projects have subsequently taken place. The Channelside Walk that goes through the site of the museum was opened in 1995, and 1996 saw the installation of the dock gate.

In 1999, a major grant enabled the digitisation of over 10,000 images donated by the Barrow shipyard that are now available to be viewed online on the Dock Museum website.

2001 saw the refitting of the top floor of the museum as, ‘Shipbuilders to the World’, celebrating the work of the shipyard.

In 2012, the Furness Viking Hoard was purchased and displayed in a purpose built gallery and this year has seen the opening of a revamped playground.

Over the years, the visitor figures have reached impressive levels for a town the size of Barrow, with the busiest year being 2001.

A reduction in opening hours to the museum in 2012 affected visitor numbers, but the museum still averages well above 60,000 visitors a year.