Millom Iron Line

The vision for the Iron Line is to sensitively transform the coastal lagoon of Hodbarrow, on the Cumbrian coast, into a nationally significant visitor destination that brings together art, heritage and ecology. In 2019, Millom and Haverigg secured £20 million from the Government’s Towns Fund, with the Iron Line identified as a key local priority.

In 2021, Gagarin Studio, alongside landscape architects Layer, was appointed through an international competition to develop proposals for the 57-hectare site of the former Hodbarrow Iron Ore Works, now a Site of Special Scientific Interest and RSPB Hodbarrow. Working closely with local stakeholders, including the community, local authorities, RSPB, Natural England and Historic England, we developed a strategy centred around a circular landscaped route and a series of carefully placed visitor destinations.

Proposals included a new welcome building with café, learning and retail spaces, topped by a circular viewing drum offering panoramic views from the Cumbrian mountains to the estuary and sea. Across the site, over 8 kilometres of accessible routes connect public art, viewing platforms, bird hides, heritage interpretation and reimagined structures, including a camera obscura within the former windmill at Hodbarrow Point.

The designs aim to reveal the layered history of the site, enhance its ecological value and create a distinctive visitor experience rooted in place. The project is now moving forward through a design and build contract. While we are no longer involved in the next stages, the work shown here reflects our vision for the Iron Line and its future for Millom.