Flookburgh’s history can be traced through precise historical details: a church with a clear construction period, a memorial to the fallen from two communities, and the story of a planned airship site. For orientation, Flookburgh lies south of Cark station. St John's Flookburgh is open for visits and quiet prayer most days from 10:30 to 16:00. If you are making a special trip, check the local information in advance.
Church and memorial sites
The Church of St John Baptist in Flookburgh is a Grade II* listed building. It was built between 1897 and 1900 to designs by Austin and Paley. The construction period provides a specific timeframe for local history, and the architects are known by name.
Flookburgh War Memorial is a Grade II listed First World War memorial. It commemorates 29 soldiers from Cark and Flookburgh who fell in the First World War. The two communities thus have distinct historical themes side by side: the church’s architectural history and the shared commemoration of the fallen.
Airship history and Cark Airfield
During the First World War, Flookburgh was selected as a safe place to build airships. Ravenstown was established to house workers at the planned airship station. By the end of 1917, just under 120 houses had been completed in Flookburgh Model Aero Village. These details trace the process from the site’s selection through planning a station to housing the workers and the houses built by that time.
Six original Second World War aircraft dispersal bays survive at Cark Airfield. The site is also the venue for the Cumbria Steam Gathering, held there every year on the last weekend in July since 1986. If you would like to plan your trip around the Gathering, check the dates for your chosen year. Cark Airfield lies immediately north of Morecambe Bay, with marshland flanking it to the southwest and southeast.
Flookburgh’s role in the historic route across the sands of Morecambe Bay is also part of the town’s history: it served as a midpoint between two sections of the route. This historical connection adds another perspective on the town’s former significance to the themes of church, remembrance and airships.
Listed buildings and their dates
The listed buildings can also be distinguished by their stated construction dates. Number 53 With Outbuilding on Main Street is a Grade II listed house with outbuilding, probably dating from the late 17th or early 18th century. 27 Market Street is a Grade II listed former shop, probably dating from the 18th century.
Canon Winder Hall is a Grade II* listed farmhouse. It probably dates from the 16th century; it was altered and extended in the early 17th century. Whitewell House is a Grade II listed house dating from the late 17th or 18th century. A plaque dated 1625 is attached to the building: the date on the plaque and the date of the house are two different pieces of information.
Plan your stay around the occasion
The occasion is a helpful distinction when planning your trip: the building and memorial history spans several periods, while the Cumbria Steam Gathering takes place during a recurring annual window on the last weekend in July. If you would like to plan your stay around the event, check its date for your travel year. For a visit focused on local history, the church, memorial and the buildings’ different dates provide specific themes to explore.
Discover more destinations: Camerton, Greystoke, Brough, Crosby Garrett, Mealsgate, Watermillock, Temple Sowerby, Grange Over Sands.
For the wider travel overview: Cumbria.
