Chapel Island

Chapel Island

Chapel Island is a limestone outcrop that lies in the Leven estuary of Morecambe Bay in England, less than one mile (1.6 km) from the shoreline at Bardsea in the area known as Ulverston Sands. It is located at 54°10′N 3°2′W (OS grid ref. SD 321759). It is one of the Islands of Furness in the county of Cumbria, in the area of the historic county of Lancashire ("Lancashire north of the sands"). The island is approximately 450 yards (400 m) long and just over 100 yards (100 m) at its widest. Its area is about 7.5 acres (3 ha). It is uninhabited, although there is anecdotal evidence from a now-deceased resident of Ulverston that a family lived on the island in the early part of the 19th century.

The island lies on the oversands route between Ulverston and Lancaster. In the 14th century Cistercian monks from nearby Conishead Priory built a small chapel on the island to serve the needs of travellers and fishermen working in the Leven fisheries. Nothing remains of the original chapel but in the 1820s Colonel R. G. Braddyll built the modern-day Conishead Priory. To enhance the view from the priory he had a mock pseudo-classical ruin built on the island. This chapel ruin is now sometimes mistaken for the remains of the original. Prior to the building of the ruin the island was known as Harlside (or Harlesyde).

On 6 October 1858 the sloop Delight of Ulverston grounded on the rocks of Chapel Island. She was carrying a cargo of iron ore and empties. Her master was lost in the accident.

Chapel Island is referred to by William Wordsworth in The Prelude, Book Tenth. The penultimate paragraph of the books reads:

As I advanced, all that I saw or felt

Was gentleness and peace. Upon a small And rocky island near, a fragment stood, (Itself like a sea rock) the low remains (With shells encrusted, dark with briny weeds) Of a dilapidated structure, once A Romish chapel, where the vested priest Said matins at the hour that suited those Who crossed the sands with ebb of morning tide. Not far from that still ruin all the plain Lay spotted with a variegated crowd Of vehicles and travellers, horse and foot, Wading beneath the conduct of their guide In loose procession through the shallow stream Of inland waters; the great sea meanwhile Heaved at safe distance, far retired. I paused, Longing for skill to paint a scene so bright And cheerful, but the foremost of the band As he approached, no salutation given In the familiar language of the day, Cried, "Robespierre is dead!" nor was a doubt, After strict question, left within my mind

That he and his supporters all were fallen.

Excellent beaches can be found at Chapel Island. Apart from a small area at the north of the island the land is completely overgrown with an impenetrable mat of brambles. The island can be accessed on foot at low tide. However, Morecambe Bay is notorious for quick sands, and the Ulverston Channel usually flows between the shore and the island. Those wishing to visit Chapel Island should not attempt the crossing at any time other than low tide and should seek local advice.

References

• A Story of the Growth of Ulverston, by Dorothy Ashburner. Published 1993 (No ISBN available).