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Lancaster ( or ) is a city in Lancashire, England, and the main cultural hub, economic and commercial centre of City of Lancaster district. The city 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, Lancaster Cathedral and the Ashton Memorial. It is the seat of Lancaster University and has 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 a major role in the city's growth, but for many years the outport of Glasson Dock, downstream, has been the main shipping facility.
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 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 was not left defenceless after the west-coast attacks and the disaster in the Carausian Revolt of 296, which followed from those under Clodius Albinus in 197.
The fort at its largest extent covered .Shotter, p. 14. Evidence suggests that it stayed in use until the end of Roman occupation of Britain.Shotter, p. 27. Church Street and some of St Leonard's Gate probably mark the initial course of the Roman road up 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 was a monastery on or near the site of today's Lancaster Priory by the 700s or 800s. The Anglo-Saxon Runes "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.White, p. 34.
Lancaster became a Ancient borough in 1193 under King Richard I. Its first charter, dated 12 June 1193, was from John, Count of Mortain, who later became King of England.White, p. 35.
Lancaster Castle, partly built in the 13th century and enlarged by Elizabeth I, stands on the site of a Roman Empire 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 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 the castle (the Lancaster Assizes) sentenced more people to be hanging 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 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 is also applied to the annual Roses Tournament between Lancaster and York universities.Students celebrate...
Lancaster gained a first charter in 1193 as a market town and borough, but had to await city status until 1937.
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 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 compound feed, textiles, chemicals, livestock, paper, synthetic fibre, farm machinery, HGV trailers and mineral fibres. In recent years, 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 the 750th anniversary of the creation of the Duchy of Lancaster.
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 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). (Map)
Since the 2023 Lancaster City Council election, Labour have been the largest party on the city council, but not in overall control, with 24 of the 61 seats.
Since the 2025 Lancashire County Council election, Lancaster East, Lancaster South East and Lancaster Central have been represented by The Green Party, while Skerton is represented by Reform UK.
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 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 the 89 to Knott End-on-Sea.
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 Lancaster Canal and River Lune pass through the city.
The nearest airports are Manchester and Liverpool.
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 the Falklands; it is grade II listed.
Lancaster Friends Meeting House, dating from 1708, is the longest continual Quaker meeting site in the world, with an original building built in 1677. George Fox, founder of Quakers, 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 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 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 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 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 is known as the Northern City of Ale, with almost 30 pubs serving cask ale. The pubs include the White Cross, Three Mariners, Borough and Water Witch. There are two cask ale breweries: Lancaster Brewery and a microbrewery run by the Borough. There is a local CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) branch at Lunesdale.
The Lancaster Grand Theatre and the Dukes are notable venues for live performance, as are the Yorkshire House (currently closed), Jailors Barrel, The John O' Gaunt and The Bobbin. Throughout the year events are held in and around the city, such as the Lancaster Music Festival, Lancaster Jazz Festival, and Chinese New Year celebrations in the city centre.
Every November the city hosts a daylight and art festival entitled "Light Up Lancaster", Light Up Lancaster, May 2016 . which includes a prominent fireworks display.
Lancaster still has two city-centre cinemas; Vue and the Dukes playhouse. The 1930s art deco Regal Cinema closed in 2006. The Gregson Centre is also known for small film screenings and cultural events.
During parades and festivals it is common to see two other long standing musical groups perform. Lancaster City Brass is the oldest remaining brass band in the city, founded in 1946. Batala Lancaster is a 60-strong samba reggae drumming band, established in 2004 and one of 45 bands in 17 countries in the Batala project; they have twice won Best Brazilian Band at Notting Hill Carnival.
Lancaster has been producing successful bands and musicians since the 1990s, notably the drummer Keith Baxter of 3 Colours Red.The all-girl punk-rock band Angelica used the Lancaster Musicians' Co-operative, the main rehearsal and recording studio in the area.
The city has also produced many other musicians, including singer and songwriter John Waite, who first became known as lead singer of The Babys and had a solo #1 hit in the US, "Missing You". As part of the band Bad English, John Waite also had a #1 hit in the Billboard top hundred in the 1970s called "When I See You Smile". Additionally, Paul James, better known as The Rev, former guitarist of English punk band Towers of London who is now in the band Day 21 and plays guitar live on tour for The Prodigy; Chris Acland, drummer of the early 1990s shoegaze band Lush; Tom English, drummer of North East indie band Maxïmo Park and Steve Kemp, drummer of the indie band Hard-Fi.
Lancaster continues to produce bands and musicians such as singer-songwriter Jay Diggins, and acts like The Lovely Eggs, receiving considerable national radio play and press coverage in recent years. More recently, Lancaster locals Massive Wagons signed to Nottingham-based independent label Earache Records.
Since 2006, Lancaster Library has hosted regular music events under the Get it Loud in Libraries initiative. Musicians such as Clean Bandit, The Long Blondes, Ellie Goulding, Marina And The Diamonds, Jessie J, Wolf Alice, The Wombats, The Thrills, Kate Nash, Adele and Bat for Lashes have taken part. Get It Loud in Libraries has gained national exposure, featuring on The One Show on BBC1 and having gigs reviewed in Observer Music Monthly, NME and Art Rocker.
Notable popular music venues include The Dukes, The Grand Theatre, and The Gregson Centre.
The Highest Point Festival takes place in Williamson Park each summer, and is a successor to the A-Wing festival which was held in Lancaster Castle from 2014.
Lancaster University has its own student radio station, Bailrigg FM, an online student-run television station called LA1TV (formerly LUTube.tv) and a student-run newspaper named SCAN.
Local TV coverage is provided by BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada Reports.
The city was home to the film production company A1 Pictures, which founded the independent film brand Capture.
Commercially available newspapers include The Lancaster Guardian and The Visitor (mainly targeted at residents of Morecambe). Virtual Lancaster, founded in 1999, is a non-commercial volunteer-led resource website also featuring local news, events and visitor information.
Lancaster is also home to a campus of the University of Cumbria – more centrally located on the site of the former St Martin's College – which was inaugurated in 2007. It provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the arts, social sciences, business, teacher training, health care and nursing. St Martin's college was founded in 1962 as Lancaster College of Education, and took its name from Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity, because its premises were a former barracks of the King's Own Royal Regiment. The college merged with Cumbria Institute of the Arts, in Carlisle, and parts of the University of Central Lancashire, having previously absorbed Charlotte Mason College in Ambleside, to become the University of Cumbria.
Special Educational Needs (SEN) Schools
Lancaster Priory (Anglicanism) is a grade I listed building on the high ground adjacent to Lancaster Castle. It dates largely from about 1430, with a 1754-55 tower and later work.
The Friends Meeting House, near the station, dates from 1708 and is grade II* listed.
Other notable churches in the city include:
The city has places of worship for Catholic, Baptist, Jehovah's Witness, Latter Day Saints and , as well as the Salvation Army and community churches. Lancaster is also home to several mosques. Notable mosques are: Moorlands Islamic Centre, Lancaster Islamic Society, Raza Mosque Lancaster and prayer rooms in the University of Cumbria in Lancaster and University of Lancaster.
Lancaster John O' Gaunt Rowing Club is the fifth-oldest surviving rowing club in the UK, outside the universities. It competes nationally at regattas and heads races run by British Rowing. The clubhouse stands next to the weir at Skerton.
It is one of the cities that rotates hosting the International Youth Games, a multi-sport Olympics-style event featuring competitors from Lancaster's twin towns: Rendsburg (Germany), Perpignan (France), Viana do Castelo (Portugal), Aalborg (Denmark), Almere (Netherlands), Lublin (Poland) and Växjö (Sweden). The games were cancelled at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Lancaster resumed participation in 2022 when the games re-started.
Lancaster Cricket Club is sited near the River Lune. It has two senior teams that participate in the Palace Shield. Rugby union is a popular sport in the area, with the local clubs being Vale of Lune RUFC and Lancaster CATS.
Lancaster is home to the Golf Centre, Lansil Golf Club, Forest Hills and Lancaster Golf Club. Lancaster Amateur Swimming and Waterpolo Club competes in the north-west. It trains at Salt Ayre and at Lancaster University Sports Centre. Lancaster is home to a senior UK team. Water polo is also popular in the area.
The local athletics track near the Salt Ayre Sports Centre is home to Lancaster AC and Morecambe AC. It fields athletes across disciplines including track and field, cross country, road and fell running. It competes in several local and national leagues including the Young Athletics League, the Northern Athletics League and the local Mid Lancs League (Cross-Country in Winter, and Track and Field in Summer).
18th-century port
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 was the fourth most important in the UK slave trade. Among prominent Lancaster slavers were Dodshon Foster, p. 63. 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 the Lune.
Recent history
A permanent military presence was built up with the completion of Bowerham Barracks in 1880. The Phoenix Street drill hall was completed in 1894.
Governance
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 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.
Political representation
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).
Geography
Lancaster is Lancashire's northernmost city, three miles () inland from Morecambe Bay. It 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 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 the river to the north.
Built-up area
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.
Green belt
There is a small portion of green belt on the northern fringe of Lancaster, covering the area into Carnforth and helping to prevent further urban expansion towards nearby Morecambe, Hest Bank, Slyne and Bolton-le-Sands.
Transport
Road
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 the Lune). The road leads south to Preston, Chorley and Manchester and north to Carnforth, Kendal, Penrith and Carlisle.
Rail
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 a local service to Morecambe.
Water and air
The Port of Lancaster gained importance in the 18th century. In 1750 the Lancaster Port Commission 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 west of Lancaster, is used by ferry services to the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Cycling
In 2005, Lancaster was one of six English towns chosen to be Cycling town 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.
Landmarks
Listed buildings
There are more than 330 in Lancaster (excluding those in nearby 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.
Culture
Lancaster has a range of historic buildings and venues, having retained many fine examples of Georgian architecture. Lancaster Castle, the Lancaster Priory 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.
Art and literature
John Henderson (c.1770–1853) painted many views of the town. One of these, together with a poetical illustration (which relates to the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay) by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833.
Music
The city's semi-professional Haffner Orchestra has a reputation for classical music. It performs in the Ashton Hall in the city centre and at Lancaster University.
Festivals
The Lancaster Jazz and Lancaster Music Festivals are respectively held every September and October, at venues throughout the city. In 2013 the headline jazz act was The Neil Cowley Trio, performing at The Dukes, whilst one of the Lancaster Music Festival headline acts was Jay Diggins at the Dalton Rooms.
Media
Local radio stations include Heart North West (formerly "The Bay"), BBC Radio Lancashire, and Beyond Radio is a voluntary, non-profit community radio station for Lancaster and Morecambe.Online broadcasting Beyond Radio .
Twinned cities
Lancaster is twinned with: Lancaster City Council, Twin Towns retrieved 21 January 2019.
Education
Higher education
At Bailrigg south of the city is Lancaster University, a research university founded in 1964 as one of the seven "plate glass universities". It has an annual income of about £325 million (2020/21), 3,000 staff and 16,403 Lancaster-based students in 2021/22. Its business school is one of two in the country to gain a six-star research rating. Its physics department rated #1 in the United Kingdom in 2008. InfoLab21 at the university is a Centre of Excellence for Information and Communication Technologies. LEC (Lancaster Environment Centre) has over 200 staff and shares premises with the government-funded CEH. In 2023 it was 10th, 12th and 14th out of 120 UK universities in "the three main UK league tables". In 2017 it was rated 21st nationally for research in The Times Higher league table. For teaching, it gained the highest Gold ranking for quality in the 2017 government TEF, and in 2018 was ranked 9th for its teaching by The Independent and 9th by The Guardian. The Times Higher placed it 137th worldwide for research and 58th worldwide for arts and humanities. Lancaster University was named International University of the Year by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide in 2020. It has campuses in Malaysia, China and Ghana and plans one in Leipzig, Germany.
Further education
Secondary schools
Primary schools
Religious sites
Lancaster is home to many churches and other places of worship. Notable churches in the city include the grade II*-listed building Lancaster Cathedral (Catholic Church), which is located on the brow of the hill beside the canal to the east of the city centre. Its spire can be seen on the cityscape. It was built in 1798 originally as a mission church for the city before it was rebuilt between 1857 and 1859 on a different site with the spire and tower. It is an active place of worship.
Sport
Lancaster City F.C. plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, having won promotion as champions of Division One North in 2016–2017. The club plays home matches at the Giant Axe, which has a capacity of 3,500 (513 seated) and was formed in 1911 as Lancaster Town F.C. The club has been seven-times Lancashire FA Challenge cup winners and in 2010–11 won the Northern Premier League President's Cup for a second time.
Notable people
Arts and entertainment
Business
Robert Gillow
Science and humanities
Politics, journalism and crime
Sport
See also
Bibliography
External links
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