datestones of 1655 and 1740. There is a thriving tennis club with two outdoor courts and there is sailing on Coniston Water. Eccle Riggs is a Victorian manor house to the south of town that is now a leisure club. Transport The Furness Railway opened the line from Kirkby to Broughton station in 1848; the Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway - which amalgamated with the Furness Railway in 1866 - opened its line from Whitehaven into Broughton station in 1850. In 1859, the nominally independent Coniston Railway - which amalgamated with the Furness Railway in 1862 - extended the line through Broughton to Coniston. Nearly 100 years after the opening of the Coniston line, in 1958, the line closed to passengers, goods traffic continuing until 1962, at which point the line was closed and dismantled, the route of which is now a public bridleway for approximately towards Coniston. Broughton's nearest railway station is now Foxfield railway station, south west of the town. The main west-coast road, the A595, used to pass through Broughton until the road along Duddon Mosses through Foxfield was designated as the A595. The stretch of road through Broughton has been designated the number C5009, although A595 can still be seen on older road signage. Education There is a Church of England primary school in the town. The old school house, now a private residence, can still be seen on Church Street, close to the pathway to the church. There are no secondary schools in Broughton with children usually attending John Ruskin School in Coniston, Ulverston Victoria High School or Windermere School. Young people frequently travel to Barrow-in-Furness to attend Furness College and Barrow Sixth Form College from the age of 16. Church The Anglican church dedicated to St Mary Magdalene has its roots in Saxon times but the oldest part of the current building dates to the 12th century. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Furness, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of four other local parishes. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. Notable people Richard Parsons is the author of a series of best-selling GCSE study guides. Sir Robin Philipson RA (1916–1992) was born in the town. Branwell Brontë, brother of the famous literary sisters, lived in