Milnthorpe was granted a market charter in 1334, although this lapsed in the 1920s.[4]
Milnthorpe was part of the township of Heversham-with Milnthorpe, and was in Heversham parish until 1896.[4][3] The 19th-century Church of St Thomas, which overlooks The Green and The Square, was designed by Kendal architect George Webster.
Milnthorpe became a centre of business and activity because it was originally a port, using the River Bela and estuary (now only navigable to Arnside) and it remains a significant commercial centre for the area.
Economy
Tourism is a major contributor to the local economy. Milnthorpe had coaching inns on the main road north, the modern A6.[6][7] The village used to be a major traffic bottleneck before the opening of the M6 motorway in 1970, and the A590/A591 Kendal link road a few years later. The congestion at Milnthorpe' cross roads was notoriously amongst the worst in the North West.[8] The village is just outside the Arnside and SilverdaleNational Landscape (formerly AONB), with the River Bela forming its northern boundary.[9]
The popular children's drink Um Bongo was made in Milnthorpe by Libby's in the 1980s.[10] Milnthorpe is the home of Duralon Combs, a comb manufacturing business over 300 years old.[11] Big Fish Internet Ltd (formerly BF Internet, now trading as BFI) was founded in Milnthorpe in 1996 and is now located 2 miles away in Sandside;[12] it is the longest-established web design company in the UK.[13]
Milnthorpe market was revived in the 1980s and for some years contributed substantially to the parish council's income through stall rentals. In the 21st century the market has reduced in size, reducing the council's income, but it is still held weekly, with a monthly farmers' market.[14]
There are three public houses in the village.[citation needed]
Landmarks
The Grade I listed house Dallam Tower,[22] with an estate known for its deer, stands near to the River Bela just south-west of Milnthorpe, although in the parish of Beetham. The grade II listedSt Anthony's Tower[23] may be seen on the top of St Anthony's Hill to the north-east of the village centre. There are a total of nine grade II listed buildings or structures in the parish, including a footbridge over the River Bela, built in 1730 as a road bridge.[24]
^ ab"Milnthorpe". www.milnthorpeparishcouncil.org. Milnthorpe Parish Council. Retrieved 5 April 2023. Milnthorpe is a large market village on the southern border of Cumbria
^"Why Milnthorpe has something for everyone". Great British Life. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2023. operations director [says] "We're reasonably sure that, of all the other pioneering website companies in the UK from the early days, we're the only digital specialists still in existence"