Much of the housing and infrastructure in Kirkby arose due to the growth and development of the Burlington Slate Quarries, which are owned by the Cavendish family of Holker Hall and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. Houses at Marshside and Incline Foot were originally built for quarry workers, and the railway linked up to the quarries following bogie lines. Present-day Kirkby-in-Furness is now primarily a commuter village but still provides a work force for the slate and agrarian work. The nearby Kirkby Moor rises to above sea level which features a 12 turbine wind farm.