Lancaster, Lancashire

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Lancaster

Coordinates: 54.0470° N 2.8011° W

Lancaster, Lancashire (United Kingdom)
Lancaster, Lancashire
Population 45,952 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference SD475615
District City of Lancaster
Shire county Lancashire
Region North West
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LANCASTER
Postcode district LA1
Dial code 01524
Police Lancashire
Fire Lancashire
Ambulance North West
UK Parliament Lancaster and Wyre
European Parliament North West England
List of places: UK • England • Lancashire
A view of Lancaster showing the Lune, the Millennium Bridge and the Ashton Memorial
A view of Lancaster showing the Lune, the Millennium Bridge and the Ashton Memorial

Lancaster (2001 census population 45,952: source ONS) is a city in Lancashire, in the north-west of England. It is a commercial, cultural and educational centre. Apart from Lancaster itself, other towns in the City of Lancaster (2002 population: 133,914) local government district include Morecambe, Heysham and Carnforth. Lancaster is the historic county town of Lancashire, having given its name to the County Palatine of Lancashire.

Contents

[edit] History and economy

The city is located on the River Lune (from which it derives its name), and the Lancaster Canal. Lancaster Castle, partly built in the thirteenth century and enlarged by Elizabeth I, stands on the site of a Roman garrison. Lancaster Castle is well-known as the site of the infamous Pendle Witches' trial in 1612. It was said that the court based in the castle (the Lancaster Assizes) sentenced more people to be hanged than any other in the country outside of London, earning Lancaster the nickname 'Hanging Town'.

The etymology of Lancaster is derived from its large and imposing castle (the "caster" part), and the river that runs through it, the Lune (a name deriving from old Celtic sources). Language evolution from the old name of Loncastra, the castle-town on the Lune, gives the modern name of Lancaster.

The traditional emblem for the House of Lancaster is a red rose, the Red rose of Lancaster, similar to that of the House of York, which is a white rose. These names derive from the 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.

In more recent times, the term Wars of the Roses has been applied to rivalry in sports between teams representing Lancashire and Yorkshire, not just the cities of Lancaster and York. It is also applied to the Roses Tournament in which Lancaster and York Universities compete every year.

Lancaster gained its first charter in 1193 as a market town and borough, but was not given the status of a city until 1937. Many buildings in the city centre and along St. George's Quay date from the 1800s, built during a period when the port became one of the busiest in the UK; the fourth most important in the UK's slave trade. However, Lancaster's role as a major port was short lived, as the river began to silt up. Morecambe, Glasson Dock and Sunderland Point served as Lancaster's port for brief periods. Heysham now serves as the district's main port.

Lancaster is primarily a service-orientated city. Products of Lancaster include animal feed, textiles, chemicals, livestock, paper, synthetic fibre, farm machinery, hgv trailers and mineral fibres. In recent years, a high-technology sector has emerged, as a result of Information Technology and Communications companies investing in the city.

Until recently, Lancaster was also home to the European headquarters of Reebok. Following their recent merger with Adidas Reebok are in the process of relocating their Lancaster operation to locations in Bolton and Stockport.

Lancaster offers a wealth of shopping attractions and is the main shopping hub for North Lancashire and South Cumbria. Two under-cover shopping centres currently serve the city: Marketgate Shopping Centre and St. Nicholas Arcades. Many high street stores can be found within these two centres, and also on the main pedestrian thoroughfares. In addition, a large number of independent retailers, providing goods from quality clothing to jewelry are popular with both locals and tourists. Two retail parks on the outskirts of the city centre provide shoppers with access to larger goods, such as computers, electronic and household equipment.

In 2005, developer Centros Miller proposed a £150 million, 10-acre extension to Lancaster City Centre. If approved (and pending completion of the planning process), the Canal Corridor North area of the city, including Stonewell, Moor Lane, Alfred Street, St Leonards Gate and areas of Lancaster Canal, would be redeveloped. It is the intention of the develper to construct an "open street" layout, with a central public space piazza, the size of Dalton Square. The proposal also sees improvements to Lancaster Grand Theatre, Dukes Theatre and Musicians Co-Op. One of the largest Debenhams department stores in the North West of England would anchor the proposed development. A mixture of retail, cafes, restaurants, apartments, additional car parking facilities and public spaces would be included in the development.

[edit] Education

The city is home to Lancaster University at Bailrigg, one of the top research universities in the United Kingdom and one of only two business schools in the country to have achieved a 6 star research rating. InfoLab21 at the University is the North West's Centre of Excellence for Information and Communication Technologies.

Lancaster is also home to St Martin's College, a Higher Education College with a wide portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the arts, social sciences, business, teacher training, health care and nursing. Plans exist for St Martin's to become the core of a new University of Cumbria, based mainly in Lancaster and Carlisle.

Lancaster Royal Grammar School, Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Ripley St. Thomas C of E High School, Our Lady's Catholic College, Lancaster and Morecambe College, and numerous other renowned educational establishments are also to be found in Lancaster.

[edit] Politics

Coat of arms of Lancaster.
Coat of arms of Lancaster.

On March 5, 2004, Lancaster was granted Fairtrade City status.

The city lies in the Lancaster and Wyre constituency for elections of Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, and the North West which elects nine Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The current MP for Lancaster and Wyre is Ben Wallace of the Conservative Party.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the City Council was under the control of the Morecambe Bay Independents who campaigned for an independent Morecambe council. Their influence has now waned and Labour is once again the largest party on the Council.

A long-standing debate to determine the nature of a high capacity road to ease Lancaster's traffic congestion is arguably the most prominent issue in local politics today.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II holds the title of 'Duke of Lancaster'.

2006 saw the city selected as one of just six places in the country to be named a 'cycling demonstration' town. This acolade aims to build upon the already extensive network of cycle paths in and around Lancaster.

[edit] Culture

Lancaster, as a historic city, offers much in the way of cultural entertainment and is often referred to as the 'Cultural Capital' of Lancashire. The city is fortunate to have retained many fine examples of Georgian architecture. Lancaster Castle, The Priory Church of St. Mary and the Edwardian Ashton Memorial are among many sites of historical importance.

The Lancaster Grand Theatre and Dukes Theatre are two of the city's most notable venues for live performances. Lancaster also hosts 'The Play in the Park', a series of open-air performances in the award-winning Williamson Park. The university boasts the Nuffield Theatre, with the largest student theatre stage in Europe, which regularly attracts big name comics, dance companies and dramatic productions. Lancaster also offers numerous museums, including the Lancaster City Museum, Maritime Museum and Judges' Lodgings Museum. Throughout the year, various festivals are held in and around the city, such as the Lancaster Jazz Festival and The Maritime Festival.

Cinemas in Lancaster are the independent Dukes Theatre and the mainstream VUE multiplex in the city centre. The 1930s art deco Regal cinema closed in 2006[1]

The city also entertains contestants in the Lancaster International Youth Games, a multi-sport 'Olympic' 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).

Lancaster's main football team, Lancaster City F.C., play in the Nationwide Conference North division for the 2006-07 season.

[edit] Geography

North-West:
Morecambe Bay, Barrow-in-Furness		 North:
Slyne, Hest Bank, Bolton-le-Sands, Carnforth		 North-East:
Caton, Kirkby Lonsdale, Wennington
West:
Morecambe, Heysham		 Lancaster East:
Quernmore
South-West:
Glasson Dock, Pilling, Knott End-on-Sea, Blackpool		 South:
Lancaster University, Galgate, Bay Horse, Garstang, Preston		 South-East:
Abbeystead, Forest of Bowland

The M6 motorway passes to the east of Lancaster, and the West Coast railway line connects to Lancaster railway station.

Lancaster is the most northerly city in Lancashire, located three miles inland from Morecambe Bay.

Lancaster and Morecambe have grown into a single conurbation and are no longer administered separately. The City of Lancaster and the Borough of Morecambe merged in 1974 to form the District of Lancaster within the "shire" county of Lancashire. This was given city status and Lancaster City Council is the local governing body for the district.

[edit] Media

The Bay radio station, the largest in North Lancashire and South Cumbria, is based at St. George's Quay in the city and broadcasts on three separate frequencies: 96.9 FM (Lancaster), 102.3 FM (Windermere) and 103.2 FM (Kendal).

Commercially available newspapers include The Lancaster Guardian (a popular broadsheet) and The Visitor (a tabloid newspaper mainly targeted at residents of Morecambe). Freely available newspapers in Lancaster include The Lancaster & Morecambe Citizen and The Reporter.

The city's university, Lancaster University, also has its own student radio station, Bailrigg FM, broadcasting on a short-wave signal of 87.7 FM.

[edit] Various facts

  • The most famous bomber aircraft of World War 2, the Lancaster Bomber, was named after the city. In turn, Mitchell's of Lancaster[2] named one of their bitters Lancaster Bomber. When the brewery ceased production, the recipe was sold to Thwaites Brewery.
  • In recent years, Lancaster has experienced population growth in excess of regional averages.

[edit] Features of Lancaster

A typical Lancaster city scene. The spire visible belongs to an former church which has been converted into a pub.
A typical Lancaster city scene. The spire visible belongs to an former church which has been converted into a pub.

See also

[edit] Famous Lancastrians

[edit] Sister cities

Lancaster's current sister cities:

[edit] Gallery

King Street

Lancaster Museum in Market Square

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ [1].
  2. ^ [2]

[edit] External links

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