110106: Trying out the new camera on a short spin through part of the Lune Valley to the north of the city. (No, you won't see The Whole of the Lune).

How much wealth?		Mallards at		And not a kayak		The Lune "looks
Hornby Castle.		Kirkby Lonsdale.		to be seen.....		like fudge".
From Ruskin's Steps.		From the churchyard.		Once almost ubiquitous, but now very unusual, ranges inside Lunesdale Bakery's recently opened Tearooms.		In 1623 it was The Ship Inn. And no, you don't remember it, it's been a bakery for the last 200 years.

040106: A Roman well found a few months ago during excavation for the new building at Lancaster Police Station. One of four wells discovered, this being the only one not already filled with ancient rubble, it was 8m deep and holding about 1m of water. It's now been gravel filled and concrete capped.

041205: Re-discovered - and I can't for the life of me remember the source - aerial photographs taken in 1999 of the castle and surrounding area. (Map). Depending on your screen setting they'll all expand.

 

From the west	Northwest	South	North	East	West

 

The City of Lancaster stands on the edge of Morecambe Bay and is surrounded by the Forest of Bowland, the Lune Valley and the South Lakeland fells. Lancaster is very close to the middle of Britain being 397 miles from Lands End and 430 miles from John o' Groats.       So? Far out (man), or just left of centre?

	091105: Last week archaeologists from Manchester University working on a site at Aldcliffe to the south of Lancaster city centre unearthed a fine example of a tombstone of a Roman cavalry soldier. The site is adjacent to the road which led from the south to the Roman fort on Castle Hill. More and More here too. (Thanks, Mcbiskit).

Lancaster Links

LANCASTER: GREEN ISSUES

Lancaster and district when the sea level rises.

230205: 600 street trees lost in Lancaster district in the past ten years - Lancaster Greens pushing successfully for the City Council to replace them.

The UK's nuclear industry that can't even stand on its own feet. Nuclear power gets nearly two million pounds of our money in subsidies every day - enough to employ fifteen thousand extra teachers.

021204:  Heysham nuclear power station is cracking up

140304: Survey - solar heating in Lancaster - interested?

130304: The Duke's Playfarm!!

050204: FriendsoftheEarth - GOVERNMENT MUST PROTECT UK TOWN CENTRES

040204: Treesponsibility, Lancaster.

121103 - New "Free" Stuff        Bonfire 

Hey, is this all you've seen of Lancaster as you whizzed by on the M6?

Have you never been into this handsome city. But you've thought about it?

Bet you've not seen it from this angle?  (Nor have I).             Left is the main London to Glasgow "West Coast" railway line.  The castle and area around it is bordered to the north by a now disused railway line.  The A6 northbound is that dark north-south strip right of centre in the lower half.  To the north-east is St George's Quay and the River Lune.

In Roman times known as Calacum, "Lancaster" comes from its Roman origins: castrum, a camp and Lan, Lune, the river (suggested meaning: healthy, pure, as in the Welsh hymn and rugby song, Calon Lân. I like that, but if you've a better theory let me know).         This modern name first appears in the Domesday Book as Loncastre, a compound of the Celtic river-name  and the Old English cæster or "old Roman fort".

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The Roman bath-house (above) can be found in Vicarage Field around the back of the priory. Roman lamps bearing the Christian markings XP (Chi Rho - from the first two letters of the name 'Christ' in Greek) were unearthed in the grounds of the priory. A vast amount of, (really, honestly), very interesting information on Roman Lancaster and Lancashire can be found here and there's some fabulous stuff from Lancaster Museum's web site here.

In 410 AD the Romans left and Christianity was stamped out by the invading Angles and Saxons. Not until 650 AD did missionaries from Iona bring Christianity back to Lancaster. 

William the Conqueror gave Lancaster and the district to Roger de Poitou who built the first Norman castle here. Jolly decent of William, you might say. 

In 1612 the trial of the Pendle Witches took place in the castle, (which by then was, and is now, a prison). Nine, (or was it ten?), men and women were hanged for the crime of witchcraft. The "witches" were accused of selling their souls to familiar spirits or devils who appeared to them in human and animal form. In return for their souls, it was believed that the witches received the power to kill or lame who they pleased.

In the 17th century George Fox, (founder of the Quaker movement), and his wife were both imprisoned in Lancaster.

The Jacobite army first marched into Lancaster on the 7th November 1715, (and undoubtedly their bagpipes were skirling). When the commander of the English forces in North Lancashire heard of the Jacobite advance he placed five or six hundred soldiers in the town and called for reinforcements from Preston. 

These did not arrive and the English forces were obliged to retreat from the town. Even so, the Jacobites were feeling rather let down because practically the only reinforcement they'd  received in England was a group of Catholic gents who joined them at Lancaster.

The Jacobites paid for their food and drink in French gold and were not unpopular in the city. Meeting no opposition, their leaders went along Bridge Lane and China Lane (now China Street) to Market Square where King James III was proclaimed as "the lawful Sovereign of these realms".

Lancaster was only occupied by the Jacobites for two days. (Strangely they failed to recognise that Lancaster was easy to defend and had sea-links by which help could have come from France and Ireland). On the 9th November they left for the Battle of Preston.

Here's some good stuff about the Jacobite's return visit in 1745.

Lancaster was England's chief trading port in the 18th century. Trading what? "They" generally forget to tell you that slavery was the basis of the city's wealth. All in all, Lancaster has quite a lot about which it should feel, (historically?), thoroughly embarrassed! 

The Customs House on St Georges Quay dates from this prosperous period as do the many handsome Georgian houses found along the main streets of the city. 

On 22nd November 1797 the Preston to Tewitfield, (north of Carnforth), section of the Lancaster Canal was officially opened. In its heyday the waterway carried up to 460,000 tons of freight a year between Preston and Lancaster. It's still a very fine canal and the 2002 opening of the Millennium Ribble Link has finally connected the Lancaster Canal to the Inland Waterway network and 41 miles of lock-free sailing is now available, winding through rural countryside, and allowing access to historic structures such as the Lune Aqueduct and Glasson Dock.

On 25 June 1840, the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway Co. opened the line between Preston and Lancaster (Greaves) and in 1844 The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was authorised for a single line.

Canals in Britain were very soon commercially hammered by the railways, which have long since been similarly hammered almost into obsolescence by road haulage and government mismanagement. 

From higher points in and around the city there are spectacular views across Morecambe Bay to the Lakeland Fells. (Notice the Langdale Valley in the centre). There's also a pretty good view from my front door, (though this certainly isn't it!).

"Bonfire Night" Saturday 8 November 2003

LANCASTER LINKS

Not surprisingly, not everyone likes Lancaster as much as I do. Check these out - there's at least a grain of truth in all of them!

SOLAR HEATING SURVEY
14/3/04: County Councillor Jon Sear is trying to find out how many people in the Lancaster area are seriously interested in getting solar hot water installed. One of the main barriers is the lack of local installers but if enough interest can be demonstrated Jon says it might be possible to persuade a plumber it's worth investing in the specialist knowledge and accreditation. You need a Southeast to Southwest facing roof (or East and West facing roofs) and a hot water cylinder. Household circumstances obviously vary, but a system will heat about half your hot water. It is likely to cost £2000-3000 (including a £500 government grant). The payback period is likely to be something around 20 years. If you are interested please contact Jon via Jonathan.Sear@cc.lancscc.gov.uk, including how soon you realistically might want to go ahead with it.