Misplaced Pages

#119880

63-531: The concept of a county town is ill-defined and unofficial. Some counties in Great Britain have their administrative bodies housed elsewhere. For example, Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire , but the county council is in Preston . Due to the creation of unitary authorities , some county towns in Great Britain are administratively separate from the county. For example, Nottingham is separated from

126-590: A Benedictine priory dedicated to St Mary, as a cell of the Abbey of Saint Martin of Sées in Normandy, France. Around 1360 the nave was widened to about 49 feet (15 m). In 1431 the church was transferred from Sées to Syon Abbey near London after which there was a major reconstruction in the Perpendicular style. In 1539 this Catholic monastic institution was abolished by Henry VIII and

189-574: A campus of the University of Cumbria . It had a population of 52,234 in the 2011 census, compared to the district, which had a population of 138,375. The House of Lancaster was a branch of the English royal family . The Duchy of Lancaster still holds large estates on behalf of Charles III , who is the Duke of Lancaster . The Port of Lancaster and the 18th-century Lancaster slave trade played

252-479: A council with Labour as the largest party but not in overall control, with 24 of the 61 seats. After the 2021 Lancashire County Council election , Lancaster East, Lancaster South East and Skerton were represented on the county council by Labour , while Lancaster Central was represented by the Green Party . Lancaster is Lancashire's northernmost city, three miles (4.8 km) inland from Morecambe Bay . It

315-455: A high-tech sector has emerged from information technology and telecommunications companies investing in the city. In March 2004, Lancaster was granted Fairtrade City status. Lancaster was home to the European headquarters of Reebok . After merging with Adidas , Reebok moved to Bolton and Stockport in 2007. In May 2015, Elizabeth II visited the castle for commemorations for

378-490: A local service to Morecambe . The city council aims to open a railway station serving the university and south Lancaster, although this is not feasible in the short or medium term with current levels of demand. The Caton–Morecambe section of the former North Western railway is now used as a cycle path. The Port of Lancaster gained importance in the 18th century. In 1750 the Lancaster Port Commission

441-632: A major role in the city's growth, but for many years the outport of Glasson Dock , downstream, has been the main shipping facility. Lancaster was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, as Loncastre , where "Lon" refers to the River Lune and "castre" from the Old English cæster and Latin castrum for "fort" to the Roman fort that stood on the site. A Roman fort was built by

504-616: A meeting of the British Archaeological Association in Lancaster, the cross was moved to the British Museum in 1868. A replica of the cross is now on display near the south west door of the priory. In the churchyard is a sandstone sundial dating from the late 18th century which was restored in 1894 and which is listed at Grade II. Also in the churchyard and listed at Grade II are

567-405: A new tower was erected, which still stands. An organ was installed between 1809 and 1811 by George Pike England at a cost of £672. Between 1868 and 1871 the local architects Paley and Austin restored the chancel, and added a new organ chamber and vestry . In 1872 the old organ was replaced by a new one in the north aisle . In 1887 a peal of eight new bells, donated by James Williamson ,

630-674: A range of historic buildings and venues, having retained many fine examples of Georgian architecture . Lancaster Castle , the Priory Church of St Mary and the Edwardian Ashton Memorial are among the sites of historical importance. Its many museums include Lancaster City Museum , Maritime Museum , the Cottage Museum and the Judges' Lodgings Museum . Lancaster Friends Meeting House , dating from 1708,

693-564: Is also applied to the annual Roses Tournament between Lancaster and York universities. Lancaster gained a first charter in 1193 as a market town and borough , but had to await city status until 1937. Many of the city's central buildings, including those lining St George's Quay date from the 18th century, as the Port of Lancaster became one of the UK's busiest and the Lancaster slave trade

SECTION 10

#1732775608120

756-535: Is also home to Lancaster's Litfest, which runs an annual literature festival. In the summer months Williamson Park hosts outdoor performances, including a Dukes "Play in the Park", which over the past 26 years has attracted 460,000 people, as the UK's biggest outdoor walkabout theatre event. Lancaster Priory Lancaster Priory , formally the Priory Church of St Mary , is the Church of England parish church of

819-552: Is an unparished area and has no separate council. It is divided into wards (for elections to Lancaster City Council), such as Bulk, Castle, Ellel, John O'Gaunt (named after John of Gaunt , the 1st Duke of Lancaster ), Scotforth East, Scotforth West, Skerton East, Skerton West and University and Scotforth Rural. For elections to Lancashire County Council , Lancaster is split into the electoral divisions of Lancaster Central (the city centre and an area extending south including Cockerham and Glasson Dock ), Lancaster East (south of

882-627: Is another historic cultural venue, under its many names. It has played a major part in social and cultural life since it was built in 1782. Lancaster is known nationally for its Arts scene. There are around 600 business and organisations in the region involved directly or indirectly in arts and culture. In 2009, several major arts bodies based in the district formed a consortium called Lancaster Arts Partners (LAP) to champion strategic development of arts activities in Lancaster District. Notable partners include Ludus Dance, More Music and

945-519: Is dated 1631. The three brass chandeliers are dated 1717. The stained glass in the east window was designed by Edward Paley and made by Wailes . The church plate includes four flagons , a chalice and two breadholders dated 1678–79, a small chalice presented in 1728 and a cup dated 1757. In 1807 a runic cross was found while digging in the churchyard. The cross is 3 feet in length, and 1 foot 9 inches across. The Anglo-Saxon Runic inscription translates to "Pray ye for Cynibald Cuthburuc". Following

1008-480: Is in four stages surmounted by corner pinnacles and an embattled parapet . In the first stage is a south doorway and above this in the second stage is a four-light window. The third stage has a round window above which is a clock face. The bell openings in the fourth stage have four lights. The carved choirstalls are of oak and, dating from 1340, are the third oldest in England. Pevsner states that they are "about

1071-477: Is on the River Lune , directly inland from Morecambe Bay . Lancaster is the county town , although Lancashire County Council has been based at County Hall in Preston since its formation in 1889. The city's long history is marked by Lancaster Roman Fort , Lancaster Castle , Lancaster Priory Church , Lancaster Cathedral and the Ashton Memorial . It is the seat of Lancaster University and has

1134-594: Is on the River Lune (from which comes its name), and the Lancaster Canal . It becomes hillier from the Lune Valley eastwards, with Williamson Hill in the north-west a notable height at 109 m (358 ft) and recognised as a TuMP : a hill with "thirty and upwards metres prominence ". The central area of the city can be roughly defined by the railway to the west, the canal to the south and east, and

1197-498: Is the longest continual Quaker meeting site in the world, with an original building built in 1677. George Fox , founder of Quakerism , was near the site several times in the 1660s and spent two years imprisoned in Lancaster Castle. The meeting house holds regular Quaker meetings and a wide range of cultural activities including adult learning, meditation, art classes, music and political meetings. Lancaster Grand Theatre

1260-716: The House of Lancaster is the Red Rose of Lancaster , similar to that of the House of York with a white rose. The names derive from emblems of the Royal Duchies of Lancaster and York in the 15th century. This erupted into a civil war over rival claims to the throne during the Wars of the Roses . More recently the term "Wars of the Roses" has been applied to rivalry in sports between teams from Lancashire and Yorkshire . It

1323-587: The 750th anniversary of the creation of the Duchy of Lancaster . The former City and Municipal Borough of Lancaster and the Municipal Borough of Morecambe and Heysham , along with other authorities, merged in 1974 to form the City of Lancaster district within the shire county of Lancashire. This was given city status and Lancaster City Council became the governing body for the district. Lancaster

SECTION 20

#1732775608120

1386-529: The 89 to Knott End-on-Sea . Lancaster is served by the West Coast Main Line from Lancaster railway station . The station was formerly named Lancaster Castle, to differentiate it from Lancaster Green Ayre on the Leeds–Morecambe line , which closed in 1966. There are train services to and from London , Glasgow , Edinburgh , Birmingham , Manchester , Leeds and Barrow-in-Furness , and

1449-585: The Dukes. LAP curates and promotes "Lancaster First Fridays", a monthly multi-disciplinary mini-festival under its brand "Lancaster Arts City". Lancaster University has a public arts organisation, part of LAP, known as Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University . Its programmes include Lancaster's Nuffield Theatre , one of the largest professional studio theatres in Europe, the Peter Scott Gallery , with

1512-624: The Falklands; it is grade II listed. There are more than 330 listed buildings in Lancaster (excluding those in nearby civil parishes such as the Lune Aqueduct in Halton-with-Aughton parish). They include four at grade I and 22 at grade II*, the others being at grade II. Those at grade I, the highest level, are the Ashton Memorial , the Judges' Lodgings , Lancaster Castle and Lancaster Priory . Lancaster has

1575-632: The Gateway Tower and a turret on the keep or Lungess Tower, which has been named "John o' Gaunt's Chair". In 1322 the Scots burnt the town. It was rebuilt but removed from its position on the hill to the slope and foot. Again in 1389, after the Battle of Otterburn , it was destroyed by the Scots. Lancaster Castle is known as the site of the Pendle witch trials in 1612. It was said that the court based in

1638-464: The Lancaster District and services to more distant places such as Kendal , Keswick , Kirkby Lonsdale , Preston and Blackpool . There are buses to Lancaster University , the No. 1 and No. 1A services run every 10–15 minutes using double-deckers, with less frequent services 4, 41 and 42. Other routes are covered by Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire, including the 582 to Kirkby Lonsdale , Settle and Skipton and

1701-563: The Lune). The road leads south to Preston , Chorley and Manchester and north to Carnforth , Kendal , Penrith and Carlisle . The M6 motorway passes to the east of Lancaster with junctions 33 and 34 to the south and north. The Bay Gateway , a dual carriageway opened in 2016, links Heysham to the M6. Lancaster's main bus operator, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire , operates network of services from Lancaster bus station throughout

1764-522: The Lune. A permanent military presence was built up with the completion of Bowerham Barracks in 1880. The Phoenix Street drill hall was completed in 1894. Since the Industrial Revolution , the city was home to many industries from the 18th century to the 20th century. The main industries in the city at the time were candle making, sailcloth making, rope making and shipbuilding. Since

1827-528: The Rawlinson memorial dating from the late 18th century, and a tomb chest with a damaged marble effigy dating from the mid 19th century. The ground under and around the church is also a scheduled monument . The church holds the usual services of an Anglican church, the civic ceremonies of a city's parish church, and regular concerts, the church is open for visitors from 10.00-16:00 Monday-Saturday and for services on Sundays. Lancaster Priory

1890-680: The River Lune and east of the Lancaster Canal ), Lancaster South East (bordered by the River Conder with the University at its southern point) and Skerton (north of the River Lune). The city lies in the Lancaster and Wyre constituency for elections of Members of Parliament to the House of Commons , represented since 2015 by Cat Smith of the Labour Party (as Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency before 2024). While

1953-721: The United Kingdom was in the European Union , Lancaster was in the North West England European Parliamentary Constituency. In the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century, the city council was under the control of the Morecambe Bay Independents (MBIs), who campaigned for an independent Morecambe council. In 2003, their influence waned and Labour became the largest party on

County town - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-421: The ancient counties and county towns were restored. (Note: not all headquarters are or were called County Halls or Shire Halls e.g.: Cumbria County Council's HQ up until 2016 was called The Courts and has since moved to Cumbria House.) Before 1974, many of the county halls were in towns and cities that had the status of a county borough i.e. a borough outside the county council's jurisdiction. The follow lists

2079-448: The area into Carnforth and helping to prevent further urban expansion towards nearby Morecambe, Hest Bank, Slyne and Bolton-le-Sands. The A6 road , one of the main historic north–south roads in England, passes through the city centre, with northbound and southbound traffic on separate streets, and crosses the Lune at Greyhound Bridge northbound and Skerton Bridge southbound (these are the two furthest-downstream road crossing points of

2142-671: The castle (the Lancaster Assizes ) sentenced more people to be hanged than any other in the country outside London , earning Lancaster the nickname, "the Hanging Town" . It also figured prominently in the suppression of Catholicism during the Reformation – at least eleven Catholic priests were executed and a memorial to them as the Lancaster Martyrs stands by the city centre. The traditional emblem of

2205-529: The centre of Norman power within the new county (Caernarfonshire named for Caernarfon, Monmouthshire named for Monmouth) others were named after the previous medieval Welsh kingdoms (Ceredigon becomes Cardigan, Morgannwg becomes Glamorgan). The 1535 Laws in Wales Act established the historic counties in English law , but in Wales they were later replaced with eight preserved counties for ceremonial purposes and

2268-491: The city of Lancaster, Lancashire , England. It is located near Lancaster Castle and since 1953 has been designated a Grade I listed building . It is in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the Diocese of Blackburn . Its benefice is combined with that of St John and St Anne. A Roman fort existed on the site from the 1st century, and some form of church may possibly have been established around

2331-824: The council. They formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and Greens. At the May 2007 local elections, Labour lost ground to the Greens in Lancaster and the MBIs in Morecambe, resulting in no overall control , with all parties represented in a PR administration. The 2011 elections saw Labour emerge as the largest party. They reached a joint administrative arrangement with the Greens. The 2019 Lancaster City Council election results put no party in overall control. The council

2394-437: The decline of the industrial revolution, Lancaster suffered from economic decline and high unemployment rates like many parts of the north of England. The city underwent regeneration and is now a tourist destination. Lancaster is mainly a service-oriented city. Products include animal feed , textiles , chemicals , livestock , paper , synthetic fibre , farm machinery , HGV trailers and mineral fibres . In recent years,

2457-442: The earliest known mention of Lancaster as such in any document. The founding Priory charter dated 1094 is the first known document specific to Lancaster. By this time William had passed Lancaster and its surroundings to Roger de Poitou . The document also suggests the monastery was refounded as a parish church some time before 1066. Lancaster became a borough in 1193 under King Richard I . Its first charter , dated 12 June 1193,

2520-491: The east end of the south aisle is St Thomas' chapel. To the north of the north aisle, occupying the west four bays, is the King's Own Regiment Memorial chapel and to the east of this is the refectory and kitchen. The parapets of the aisles and nave are embattled . The south porch has two storeys with a staircase turret to the east, and crocketed pinnacles. The east window has five lights and Perpendicular tracery. The tower

2583-515: The end of the 1st century CE on the hill where Lancaster Castle now stands, possibly as early as the 60s, based on Roman coin evidence. Coin evidence also suggests that the fort was not continuously inhabited in its early years. It was rebuilt in stone about 102. The fort name is known only in a shortened form; the only evidence is a Roman milestone found 4 miles (6.4 km) outside Lancaster, with an inscription ending L MP IIII, meaning "from L – 4 miles, and that its name began with an L. The fort

County town - Misplaced Pages Continue

2646-400: The following year the priory became a parish church . A restoration of the church occurred in 1558. In 1743 it was decided to raise the steeple 10 yards higher so that the bells could be heard better, and the bells were re-cast. In 1753, the tower was determined to be in danger of collapse and the bells were removed. Henry Sephton was commissioned to demolish and rebuild the tower. In 1759

2709-512: The lines of the British county court system, with each county having a county town. The counties have no current administrative relevance. Lancaster, Lancashire Lancaster ( / ˈ l æ ŋ k ə s t ər / , / ˈ l æ n k æ s -/ ) is a city in Lancashire , England, and the main cultural hub, economic and commercial centre of City of Lancaster district. The city

2772-461: The location of the administration of each of the 31 local authorities in the Republic of Ireland, with 26 of the traditional counties. Note – Despite the fact that Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, it is not the county town of any county. Greater Belfast straddles two counties – Antrim and Down. Jamaica's three counties were established in 1758 to facilitate the holding of courts along

2835-431: The most luxuriant canopies in the country". The seats have misericords , some of which have carvings. At the back of the stalls are modern embroidery panels. The carved pulpit dates from 1619. It was originally a three-decker pulpit with a canopy surmounted by a crown on a Bible. In 1999 the canopy was reinstated, using the original crown. The stone base of the font was installed in 1848 and its carved wooden cover

2898-715: The most significant collection of Royal Lancastrian ceramics in Britain, and the Lancaster International Concerts Series , drawing nationally and internationally renowned classical and world-music artists. The gallery in the Storey Creative Industries Centre is now programmed and run by Lancaster City Council. In 2013 the previous incumbent organisation "The Storey Gallery" moved out of the building and reformed as "Storey G2". The Storey Creative Industries Centre

2961-410: The organ in the north choir aisle was built by Harrison and Harrison in 1908 for Blackburn Girls’ School. The church is built in sandstone with roofs of slate and lead. Its plan consists of a west tower, a four- bay nave and a four-bay chancel with a clerestory under a continuous roof, north and south aisles and a south porch. At the east end of the north aisle is St Nicholas' chapel and at

3024-542: The rest of Nottinghamshire , and Brighton and Hove is separate from East Sussex . On a ceremonial level, both are in their own respective counties geographically. This list shows towns or cities which held county functions at various points in time. Following the Norman invasion of Wales , the Cambro-Normans created the historic shire system (also known as ancient counties). Many of these counties were named for

3087-552: The river to the north. Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham have been identified by the Office for National Statistics as forming the Lancaster/Morecambe Built-up area , with a population of 97,150 in the 2011 census . Within this, ONS identifies a Lancaster built-up area sub division with a 2011 population of 48,085. There is a small portion of green belt on the northern fringe of Lancaster, covering

3150-744: The twenty two principal areas are used for administrative purposes. Neither of these subdivisions use official county towns, although their administrative headquarters and ceremonial centres are often located in the historic county town. With the creation of elected county councils in 1889, the administrative headquarters in some cases moved away from the traditional county town. Furthermore, in 1965 and 1974 there were major boundary changes in England and Wales and administrative counties were replaced with new metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties . The boundaries underwent further alterations between 1995 and 1998 to create unitary authorities , and some of

3213-497: The valley to the fort at Over Burrow . Little is known of Lancaster from the end of Roman rule to the early 5th century and the Norman Conquest of the late 11th century. Despite a lack of documentation for the period, it is thought that Lancaster remained inhabited. It lay on the fringes of the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria and over time may have passed from one to the other. Archaeological evidence suggests there

SECTION 50

#1732775608120

3276-422: The year 200. A Saxon church is thought to have stood on the site from the sixth century. In 1912 excavations revealed a wall beneath the present chancel area which may be from Roman times, and a small Saxon doorway has been exposed in the west wall of the present nave. It also believed that a monastery had been established here before the Norman conquest of England . In 1094 Roger de Poitou established

3339-540: Was a monastery on or near the site of today's Lancaster Priory by the 700s or 800s. The Anglo-Saxon runic "Cynibald's cross" found at the Priory in 1807 is thought to date from the late 9th century. Lancaster was probably one of several abbeys founded under Wilfrid . After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, Lancaster fell under the control of William I , as stated in the Domesday Book of 1086, which has

3402-526: Was established to develop the port. However, in more recent years, shipping visits Glasson Dock , where the Port commission is now based. Heysham Port , about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Lancaster, is used by ferry services to the Isle of Man , Northern Ireland and Ireland . The Lancaster Canal and River Lune pass through the city. The nearest airports are Manchester and Liverpool . In 2005, Lancaster

3465-464: Was from John , Count of Mortain , who later became King of England. Lancaster Castle , partly built in the 13th century and enlarged by Elizabeth I , stands on the site of a Roman garrison . During The Great Raid of 1322 , damage was done to the castle by Robert the Bruce , though it resisted the attack and was restored and strengthened by John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , who added much of

3528-496: Was identified in 1950 as the north wall of the 4th-century fort, which was a drastic remodelling of the 3rd-century one, while retaining the same orientation. The later fort is the only example in north-west Britain of a 4th-century type, with massive curtain-wall and projecting bastions typical of the Saxon Shore or Wales. Extension of the technique as far north as Lancaster shows that the coast between Cumberland and North Wales

3591-409: Was not left defenceless after the west-coast attacks and the disaster in the Carausian Revolt of 296, which followed from those under Albinus in 197. The fort at its largest extent covered 9–10 acres (4–4 ha). Evidence suggests that it stayed in use until the end of Roman occupation of Britain . Church Street and some of St Leonard's Gate probably mark the initial course of the Roman road up

3654-402: Was one of six English towns chosen to be cycling demonstration towns to promote cycling as a means of transport. Lancaster has cycle routes to many nearby places, many are off-road using disused railways or canal towpaths. The city's main war memorial is in a garden adjacent to the Town Hall, near Dalton Square , and commemorates those who died in the first and second world wars, Korea and

3717-425: Was perhaps named Calunium. Roman baths were found in 1812 and can be seen near the junction of Bridge Lane and Church Street. There was presumably a bath-house with the 4th-century fort. The Roman baths incorporated a reused inscription of the Gallic Emperor Postumus , dating from 262 to 266. The 3rd-century fort was garrisoned by the ala Sebosiana and numerus Barcariorum Tigrisiensium . The ancient Wery Wall

3780-463: Was replaced in 1982 by an electronic organ made by J. and J. Makin, and in the same year the choir and clergy vestries were converted into a refectory . In 2012 a pipe organ was installed by David Wells Organ Builder of Liverpool. It restored to use two redundant instruments, now linked into one scheme played from a single detached console. The organ in the west gallery was built by Henry Willis for St John's Church, Blackpool in 1915, and

3843-402: Was run by a coalition of Labour, Green, Eco-Socialist Independent and Liberal Democrat councillors, supported by the Independent Group, with Conservatives and MBIs in opposition. The cabinet consisted of 4 Labour, 4 Green, 1 Eco-Socialist, 1 Independent Group. At 10 seats, Lancaster had one of the country's largest Green Party representations. The 2023 Lancaster City Council election resulted in

SECTION 60

#1732775608120

3906-452: Was rung for the first time and in 1894 a clergy vestry was built adjacent to the choir vestry. A south porch designed by Austin and Paley was added in 1903 and in the same year an outer north aisle with a polygonal apse was built. This aisle is the memorial chapel to the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment . In 1922 the organ was rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison of Durham . In 1972 the bells were overhauled and re-hung. The pipe organ

3969-526: Was the fourth most important in the UK slave trade . Among prominent Lancaster slavers were Dodshon Foster , Thomas Hinde and his namesake son. The last slave ship to be constructed in Lancaster was the 267-tonne Trafalgar , built in 1806 at Brockbank’s shipyard for Samuel Hinderland and William Hinde. Lancaster's role as a major port diminished as the river began to silt up and Morecambe , Glasson Dock and Sunderland Point became preeminent for brief periods. Heysham Port has now eclipsed all others on

#119880