Grange-over-Sands^[3] is a town and civil parish on the north side of Morecambe Bay in Cumbria, England, a few miles south of the Lake District National Park. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 4,114,^[4] increasing at the 2021 census to 4,279.^[1] Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the town became administered as an urban district in 1894. Though the town remains part of the Duchy of Lancaster, since 2023 it has been administered as part of the Westmorland and Furness Council area.

Quick Facts Population, OS grid reference ...

Grange-over-Sands
Church Hill
Grange-over-Sands Location on Morecambe Bay Show map of Morecambe Bay Grange-over-Sands Location within Cumbria Show map of Cumbria
Population	4,279 (2021)[1]
OS grid reference	SD4077
Civil parish	Grange-over-Sands[2]
Unitary authority	Westmorland and Furness
Ceremonial county	Cumbria
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GRANGE-OVER-SANDS
Postcode district	LA11
Dialling code	015395
Police	Cumbria
Fire	Cumbria
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Westmorland and Lonsdale
List of places UK England Cumbria 54.190°N 2.915°W / 54.190; -2.915

Close

Travelling by road, Grange-over-Sands is 13.1 miles (21.1 km) to the south of Kendal, 14.9 miles (24.0 km) to the east of Ulverston, 25 miles (40 km) to the east of Barrow-in-Furness and 28.1 miles (45.2 km) to the north of Lancaster.

The town developed in the Victorian era from a small fishing village and the arrival of the railway in 1857 made it a popular seaside resort on the north side of Morecambe Bay, across the sands from Morecambe. The "over-Sands" suffix was added in the late 19th or early 20th century by the local vicar, who was fed up with his post going to Grange in Borrowdale near Keswick.

In 1932 Grange Lido was built on the seafront, and remained in use until 1993, in 2011 it was listed Grade II.^[5][6] There is a campaign to restore and re-open it (as 2019).^[7]

The River Kent used to flow past the town's mile-long promenade but its course migrated south, away from Grange. The sands or mudflats with dangerous quicksands became a grass meadow now grazed by small flocks of sheep. Following sustained easterly winds in the early part of 2007, the river began to switch its course back across the bay.

Grange-over-Sands is part of the Westmorland and Lonsdale parliamentary constituency, of which Tim Farron is the current MP representing the Liberal Democrats.^[23][24]

Before Brexit, it was in the North West England European Parliamentary Constituency.

For Local Government purposes, it is in the Grange and Cartmel Ward of the Westmorland and Furness Council area. Prior to this it was in the Grange Ward of South Lakeland District Council and the Grange Division of Cumbria County Council.

The town also has its own Town Council; Grange-over-Sands Town Council.^[25]

There is one primary school, the Grange-over-Sands Church of England Primary School. There is no secondary school, so most pupils attend the nearby schools in either Cartmel or Milnthorpe.

The town is a centre for tourists exploring the southern Lakeland fells, and is home to a number of hotels, bed & breakfasts and holiday properties. Within the town itself, there is an ornamental duck pond and a traffic-free promenade.

Adjacent to Grange are Lindale, to the north-east, Cartmel to the north-west, with its priory to which the village was once the 'grange' or farm, and Allithwaite to the west. Also nearby is a country house, Holker Hall, which was built on land that once belonged to the priory. The stables at Holker Hall housed the Lakeland Motor Museum until its move to Backbarrow in 2010.

In December 2019, National Geographic published an article called How to spend a weekend on the Cumbrian coast, in which it recommended that tourists should "Resist the lure of the Lake District and instead trace England’s northwest coastline by road or rail, savouring epicurean discoveries and sandy hikes along the way." The article included a recommendation for visiting Grange-over-Sands.^[26]

Above the town is Hampsfield Fell (generally abbreviated to Hampsfell), crowned by 'Hampsfell Hospice', a sturdy limestone tower monument built in 1846 by the vicar of Cartmel.^[27] This offers shelter in bad weather and extensive views in better conditions. Over the door, which faces east, there is an inscription from Homer - 'ΡΟΔΟΔΑΚΤΥΛOΣ EΩΣ' - (RODODAKTYLOS EOS "rosy-fingered" Dawn) - whilst inside are painted boards commemorating its construction, praising the view and welcoming visitors. On the roof, which is accessible by a crude flight of stone stairs, is a crude alidade or compass pointer allowing the easy identification of nearby peaks and sights of interest. Hampsfell is the subject of a chapter of Wainwright's book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland.^[28] It reaches 727 feet (222 m). The summit of Hampsfell is surrounded by several flat, incised areas of limestone pavement.

Grange-over-Sands railway station, which serves the town, was opened by the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway on 1 September 1857 and is now served by the Furness Line, giving connections to Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness to the west, and Lancaster, Preston, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport to the east.

The main road access is the A590, which runs between the M6 and Barrow-in-Furness. Before the building of the railway, the main way of reaching Grange was the road across the Sands of Morecambe Bay from Hest Bank.^[29]

• Richard Palairet, cricketer
• Harry J. Scott, founding editor of the Dalesman magazine
• Len Shackleton, footballer
• Jack Crayston, footballer

• Listed buildings in Grange-over-Sands
• Grange Fell Church, Grange-over-Sands
• Grange-over-Sands railway station