English: Bay Villa at Grange-over-Sands Grange-over-Sands is a small Cumbrian seaside town lying on the north side of Morecambe Bay. Originally a small fishing village, Grange developed during the second half of the 19th Century with the arrival of the Lancaster & Ulverston Railway (later absorbed into the Furness Railway), when it became a popular seaside resort and much of this is evident in the Town's (mostly unspoiled) Victorian architecture. Alas, the "sands" and the pleasure steamers have long since departed. The River Kent used to flow past the well-kept mile-long Promenade, but the River's course migrated south leaving the sands to become a salt marsh that is now grazed by small flocks of sheep. The sign warns of fast rising tides, hidden channels and quicksand.
The plaque affixed to the front wall of Bay Villa reads as follows:
'The first part of Bay Villa was built about 1820 for Robert Wright on a site where dwellings had existed since 1716. Francis Webster, an architect of some distinction, designed the property. In 1841 the house came up for sale described thus: "Bay Villa: usual rooms: six bedrooms, two servants rooms, water closet, conservatory and two pews, one in Lindale Chapel for five and one in Cartmel Priory for six." An extension was completed after 1860 "with coach-house, tower and gazebo" by owner Dr Beardsley, a civic notary. Bay Villa was used as a public library until 1968 and as a meeting place for Plymouth Brethren.'