, the
Millennium Bridge and the
Ashton Memorial ]]
(2001 census population 45,952: source ONS) is a city in
Lancashire , in the
North-west of
England ,
UK . It is a commercial, cultural and educational centre. Apart from Lancaster itself, other towns in the
City Of Lancaster 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 .
The city is located on the
River Lune (from which it derives its name, and the
Lancaster Canal .
Lancaster Castle , partly built in the
13th 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 .
The great eighteenth century writer
Daniel Defoe remained unimpressed with the town when he passed through in 1726. He wrote that:
:Lancaster is the county town and situated near the river Lone or Lune. The town is ancient; it lies, as it were, in its own ruins and has little to recommend it but a decayed castle and a more decayed port (for no ships of any considerable burthen); the bridge is handsome and strong, but, as before, there is little or no trade and few people. (
A Tour Thro' The Whole Island Of Great Britain , 1724 - 1726)
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-oriented city. Products of Lancaster include
Furniture ,
Textiles ,
Chemicals ,
Livestock ,
Paper ,
Synthetic Fibre ,
Farm Machinery ,
Soap and
Linoleum . In recent years, a high-technology sector has emerged, as a result of
Information Technology and
Communications companies investing in the city.
The city is home to
Lancaster University at Bailrigg, one of the top research universities in the
United Kingdom and one of only three business schools in the country to have achieved a 6 star rating. InfoLab21 at the University is the North West's Centre of Excellence for Information and Communication Technologies. Despite its respected status, the university has produced few noteworthy alumni.
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. Its degrees are currently accredited by
Lancaster University .
Lancaster And Morecambe College ,
Lancaster Royal Grammar School , Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Ripley S.T. Thomas CoE High School and numerous other renowned educational establishments are also to be found in 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 9
MEP s to the European parliament.
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'.
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.
The city also entertains contestents in the Lancaster International Youth Games, a multi-sport 'Olympic' style event, featuring competitors from Lancaster's (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 2005-06 season.
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Morecambe Bay
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Slyne , Hest Bank , Bolton-le-Sands , Carnforth
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Caton , Kirkby Lonsdale , Wennington
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Morecambe , Heysham
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Quernmore
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Glasson Dock , Pilling , Knott End-on-Sea , Blackpool
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Lancaster University , Galgate , Garstang , Preston
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Abbeystead , Forest Of Bowland
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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.
The most famous bomber aircraft of
World War 2 , the
Lancaster Bomber , was named after the city.
Author
Charles Dickens regularly visited Lancaster to gain inspiration for his work.
The
Royal Navy Type 23 Frigate warship, HMS Lancaster, is affiliated with the city.
The words '
Scientist ' and '
Dinosaur ' were coined by Lancaster academics,
William Whewell and
Richard Owen respectively.
In recent years, Lancaster has experienced population growth in excess of regional averages.
Lancaster University 's
Ultralow Temperature Physics Group has twice achieved the lowest
Temperature in the known universe, coming within a few millionths of a degree above
Absolute Zero .
visible belongs to an ex-church which has been
converted into a
Pub . ]]
See also
