64-582: Williamson Park in Lancaster, England , was constructed by millionaire James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton , and his father, also called James Williamson . Its focal point is the Ashton Memorial . The park now covers an area of 53.6 acres (217,000 m), having been extended in 1999 onto adjoining land, Fenham Carr, following a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund . The site was originally moorland and
128-514: A beauty spot which was painted by J. M. W. Turner . The M6 motorway crosses the Lune near Tebay and Halton-on-Lune ; in 2015 it was joined by the Heysham to M6 Link Road . The Ingleton branch line , a railway operational between 1861 and 1967, followed the Lune between Tebay and Kirkby Lonsdale, crossing the river twice on viaducts which still stand. The river is a County Biological Heritage Site. Near
192-473: 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
256-450: 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
320-479: 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
384-538: A public walkway on the eastern side) which is the furthest downstream of the bridges. This part of the Lune is also the site of the old Port of Lancaster, probably a port from Roman times; the Lancaster Port Commission was established in 1750 to improve navigation on the estuary. Between 1750 and 1767, St George's Quay and New Quay were built in Lancaster and in 1779 the port facilities were extended closer to
448-645: 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,
512-582: A total journey of about 53 miles (85 km). The valley of the Lune has three parts. The northern part between its source and Tebay is called Lunesdale. Below this is the spectacular Lune Gorge through which both the M6 motorway and the West Coast Main Railway Line run. Below the gorge, the valley broadens out into Lonsdale. Bridges over the Lune include the Devil's Bridge near Kirkby Lonsdale and
576-499: A water rescue service, with specially trained swiftwater rescue personnel. The nearest fire service boat is based at Preston fire station and this is often called to assist the swiftwater rescue personnel in carrying out rescues or providing safety cover for the crews. In 2018 Lancaster Area Search and Rescue established themselves within the city. Part of the Surf Lifesaving Great Britain (SLSGB) family, their main role
640-501: 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
704-574: 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. River Lune The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne ) is a river 53 miles (85 km) in length in Cumbria and Lancashire , England. Several elucidations for
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#1733084921947768-552: 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
832-619: 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
896-575: 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
960-490: 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
1024-423: Is to provide water rescue personnel and resources to flood and other water incidents within the Lancaster district at times when the statutory services require assistance. The team is equipped with rescue sleds and a powered inflatable boat for use on the river. The RNLI can also be seen on the river fairly regularly, including both the D class and their Hovercraft, The Hurley Flyer. Rather than transit to scene from
1088-583: 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
1152-692: 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
1216-531: The Lune Millennium Bridge in Lancaster . At Caton, about 5 miles (8 km) upstream from Lancaster, there is a cluster of three bridges (one stone road bridge and two disused iron rail bridges now used as foot/cyclepaths) at the Crook o' Lune . Here in a 180-degree right-hand bend the Lune turns back on itself; this is followed by a 90-degree left-hand bend forming the shape of a shepherd's crook and creating
1280-615: 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. 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
1344-600: The 2016 production of The Hobbit won Best Show for Children and Young People at the UK Theatre Awards. On 18–20 May 2018 the park played host to the inaugural Highest Point music festival which offered several stages across the grounds. Highest Point featured performances from Ocean Colour Scene , Rae Morris , Embrace, The Two Bears and the Hacienda Classical, and the festival was held again in May 2019. In July 2019, it
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#17330849219471408-571: 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
1472-520: 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
1536-568: 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
1600-603: 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
1664-613: 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
1728-587: The Irish Sea at Glasson Dock . In 1847 the Commissioners built a pair of lighthouses near Cockersand Abbey to help guide ships into the port. The lower lighthouse, known as the Plover Scar Lighthouse , (sometimes called Abbey lighthouse) still stands on Plover Scar, and it remains operational. The old high light, a square wooden tower, was demolished in 1954; but the former keepers' cottage, built alongside
1792-461: 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
1856-556: 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
1920-462: 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
1984-656: 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
Williamson Park, Lancaster - Misplaced Pages Continue
2048-672: The Sandwath Beck (short) at 0.37 miles (0.60 km), and the Weasdale Beck (5.58 km = 3½ mls) at 1.6 miles from the well. Weasdale Beck is the uppermost headwater of River Lune recorded in Environment Agency 's Catchment Data Explorer. It then passes the remnants of a Roman fort near Low Borrowbridge at the foot of Borrowdale , and flows through south Cumbria, meeting the Irish Sea at Plover Scar near Lancaster , after
2112-676: 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
2176-498: 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
2240-578: The area. The river begins as a stream at Newbiggin , in the parish of Ravenstonedale , Cumbria, at St. Helen's Well (elevation of 238 metres (781 ft) above sea level) and some neighbouring springs. On the first two miles of its course, it is joined by four streams, two of them as short as itself, but two much longer. These are the Bessy Beck (short), the Dry Beck of 4.9 kilometres' (three miles) length at 0.32 miles (0.51 km) from St. Helen's Well,
2304-487: The associated Big Family Day Out festival on Sunday 12 May. A 5 km parkrun event takes place in the park every Saturday morning. The first event was held in 2016. 54°02′56″N 2°47′08″W / 54.0489°N 2.7856°W / 54.0489; -2.7856 Lancaster, England Lancaster ( / ˈ l æ ŋ k ə s t ər / , / ˈ l æ n k æ s -/ ) is a city in Lancashire , England, and
2368-653: The background. Jane Edmondson original title for Quaker Pioneers in Russia was "From the Lune to the Neva" ie from the Lune river where her parents (George & Anne Edmondson) came from, to the River Neva, in St Petersburg where she was born as part of the Quaker experiment by Daniel Wheeler who went with 32 Quakers to St Petersburg at the request of Emperor Alexander I, in order to drain
2432-643: 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
2496-418: The city, have put on their 'Play in the Park' during July and August each year. The production uses the natural scenery of the park as the stage and requires the audience to follow performers from scene to scene. The first production to be staged in the park was A Midsummer Night's Dream in which Dukes' honorary patron Andy Serkis appeared. Since it began over 500,000 people have attended at Dukes' park show and
2560-750: 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
2624-437: 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,
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2688-442: 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,
2752-509: The end of the non-tidal reach of the river stands the Lune Aqueduct , which carries the Lancaster Canal . The Lune is now tidal only below Skerton Weir in Lancaster. Four bridges in close proximity cross the estuary in Lancaster: Skerton Bridge (road), Greyhound Bridge (built as rail but now carries a road), Lune Millennium Bridge (pedestrian and cycle) and Carlisle Bridge (carrying the West Coast Main Line railway, and with
2816-493: The high light, can still be seen. Lancaster, in turn Lancashire , is named after the Lune. The dale gave its name to the ancient Lancashire hundred of Lonsdale and the ancient Westmorland ward of Lonsdale . An engraving of a picture by J. Henderson entitled 'The Vale of Lonsdale' appears in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book , 1832 together with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon . The plate shows Ingleborough in
2880-486: 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 Church , Lancaster Cathedral and
2944-588: The marshes so that the then capital of Russia could expand. Publication date 1902 Religious Society of Friends, Publisher London, Headley Bros. The River Lune over the years has been subject to many rescue incidents, some fatal. The majority of incidents occur below Skerton Weir in the tidal area, or around the weir itself. HM Coastguard have operational primacy over incidents up to the high water mark, with their nearest team based in Morecambe. Flanking teams at Knott End and Arnside will often assist. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service Fire appliance at Lancaster maintains
3008-682: 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
3072-399: The origin of the name Lune exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic in genesis and derived from *lǭn meaning "full, abundant", or "healthy, pure" (c.f. Old Irish slán , Welsh llawn ). Secondly, Lune may represent Old English Ēa Lōn ( ēa = "river") as a phonetic adaptation of a Romano-British name referring to a Romano-British god Ialonus who was worshipped in
3136-418: 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
3200-440: The site of a gallows. By the nineteenth century it was developed as a quarry . During the Lancashire Cotton Famine (1861–65), public works started to develop the site with a gravel drive being created by unemployed cotton spinners giving access. There were some barrows on the site of the park which were excavated in 1865. Several funerary urns and some grave goods were found. In the 1870s James Williamson senior started to develop
3264-446: The site of what was once a bandstand , an artificial waterfall, some sculptures and a small folly known as the Temple. The park is extensively wooded, with many pathways winding among the trees. There were also formerly an astronomical observatory and a weather station, but these became unviable with growth of the surrounding trees. They fell into disrepair after 1939 and only fragments remain. Since 1987 The Dukes Theatre , based in
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#17330849219473328-412: The site, and by 1877 a plan of pathways had been drawn up. When James Williamson senior died in 1879, his son Lord Ashton took the work forward, handing the site over to Lancaster Corporation in 1881. The Ashton Memorial was added in the early twentieth century. Features of the park include the Ashton Memorial , fountains, a butterfly house , a café , a children's play area, the Lancaster sundial on
3392-557: The site. A Roman fort was built by 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
3456-432: 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
3520-425: 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
3584-422: Was confirmed the festival would return to Williamson Park on 15–17 May 2020. However COVID-19 caused the festival to get cancelled. Since then further iterations of Highest Point have run in the park, in September 2021 and again in May 2022 when it was headlined by Richard Ashcroft , Clean Bandit and Kaiser Chiefs . The sixth Highest Point festival took place in 2024, on Friday 10 May and Saturday 11 May, with
3648-425: 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
3712-412: 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
3776-437: 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
3840-409: 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
3904-402: 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
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#17330849219473968-425: 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
4032-402: 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
4096-526: 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
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