ABSTRACT
Comparison of 17th- to 18th-century floor plans of squatter cottages with known cottages of husbandmen and other poor inhabitants of rural settlements, indicates that squatter’s floor space was smaller than that of other social classes, often being no more than 15m. The significance of Galgate was later recognized by the establishment of an L&NW railway station there which may have stimulated further growth. The importance of industry to the growth of Galgate in the 19th century has ensured that the settlement today has a quasi-urban character, as it has a number of terraces of industrial workers’ housing. Rows of 19th-century cottages are present, but they are accretions of often individually built dwellings infilling restricted spaces. The only evidence of the effect of past industry on the fabric of the settlement is the many former warehouses. Industrial activity enabled each to grow into nucleated settlements with characteristics distinct from neighbouring non-industrial settlements.
