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A
patchwork of historical connections reflects the
fascinating past of the Furness peninsula
  Dalton, the
ancient capital of Furness, became established as the
judicial and economic centre of the monks of Furness
Abbey. The Abbot of Furness built Dalton Castle, a 'Pele
Tower' in the l4th Century. The castle, which has walls
six feet thick, has been touched by historical events
throughout British history, from Robert the Bruce to the
English Civil War. In recent history the Castle has
functioned as a Court House and Prison. Now owned by the
National Trust, the Castle can be viewed on Saturday
afternoons in the summer.
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The artist George Romney
was born in Dalton in 1734 and is buried in St Mary's church
where it is believed churches have been since the eighth
century. He was the last of the great eighteenth century
portrait painters and close friend of Lady Hamilton, mistress
of Nelson. |
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An exhibition on George Romney can be seen in Dalton Castle. |
Dalton with its many historic buildings, particularly
along Market Street,
Church Street, and Market Place, has
a street market on Tuesdays
throughout the year and a
number of interesting specialist shops.
 At Tudor
Square, once the village green of Dalton, visitors can
board a bus to the award-winning South Lakes Wild Animal
Park, Britain's top Tiger Conservation Centre. This is
the only place in Britain where you can see the rare Amur
and Sumatran tigers. At Tiger feeding time, you can see
them climb a twenty-foot vertical tree to catch their
food. The seventeen acres of natural parkland are home to
the rarest animals on earth
including the Red Panda,
Maned Wolves, Tamarins and over 100 species
of birds.
Many animals have complete freedom to wander at will such
as
Lemurs and Kangaroos. Parrots fly freely in the trees.
Just over two miles from Dalton is Sandscale Hawes, a
National Trust
nature reserve where sand dunes shelter
rare orchids and a colony of
Natterjack Toads.
Visit the Dalton-in-Furness website here
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