 The rapid growth of the town of Barrow @-@ in @-@ Furness , the construction of the Furness Railway following the discovery of deposits of iron ore in the Furness peninsular , and the development of industries using iron as a raw material resulted in many commissions for the practice . The population of Barrow doubled between 1851 and 1861 , and doubled again in the next decade . The major figure in the development of the town and the railway was James Ramsden ( 1822 – 96 ) , who eventually became managing director of the railway , the Barrow Haematite Steel Company , and the Barrow Shipbuilding Company . The largest deposits of iron ore had been discovered in about 1850 by Henry Schneider in land owned by William Cavendish , who was at that time the 2nd Earl of Burlington , and who also played a part in the industry . All three men commissioned the practice to design a variety of buildings . In addition Paley designed a country house , Abbot 's Wood ( 1857 – 59 ) for Ramsden , a large and complex building with Gothic and Tudor features . 
