Lancaster, Lancashire

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Lancaster is a city within Lancashire, in North West England. Lying along the course of the River Lune, it has a total resident population of 45,952, and together with a number of other towns, forms part of the wider City of Lancaster local government district, with a population of 133,914.

Long existing as a commercial, cultural and educational centre, Lancaster is the traditional county town of Lancashire, to which it gives its name. Lancaster has several unique ties to the British monarchy; the House of Lancaster was a branch of the English royal family, whilst the Duchy of Lancaster holds large estates on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, who herself is also the Duke of Lancaster.

[edit] History

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 witch trials 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 substantial shopping centre and is a 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 jewellery 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.

[edit] Governance

Lancaster and Morecambe have grown into a single conurbation and are no longer administered separately. The former City and County Borough of Lancaster and the Municpal Borough of Morecambe and Heysham along with other authorities merged in 1974 to form the District of Lancaster within the shire county of Lancashire. This was given city status in the United Kingdom and Lancaster City Council is the local governing body for the district.

[edit] Political representation

On March 5, 2004, Lancaster was granted Fairtrade City status.^[1]

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 (MBIs)who campaigned for an independent Morecambe council. In 2003 their influence waned and theLabour became the largest party on the Council. They formed a 'trafficlight' coalition with the LibDems and Greens.

At the May 2007 local elections Labour lost ground to the Greens in Lancaster and the MBIs in Morecambe resulting in a completely hung council with all parties represented in a PR administration and with Labour & the LibDems supporting a Conservative leader.

Lancaster is one of the few places in the country where the Greens have a significant number of councillors (12 in 2007). They were first elected to the council in 1999 and have seen their number increase at each election since.^[2]

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.

2006 saw the city selected as one of just six places in the country to be named a 'cycling demonstration' town.[4] This accolade was awarded even though Lancaster has a very poor network of cycle paths (especially on busy roads for cyclists, such as the A6).

[edit] Geography

Lancaster is the most northerly city in Lancashire, located three miles inland from Morecambe Bay. The city is located on the River Lune (from which it derives its name), and the Lancaster Canal.

[edit] Transport

The M6 motorway passes to the east of Lancaster, whilst the A6 road passes through the city. Lancaster is served by the West Coast railway line which runs through Lancaster railway station.

The Lancaster Canal and River Lune also pass through the city.

[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 Centre of Excellence for Information and Communication Technologies.

Lancaster is also home to a campus of the University of Cumbria on the site the formerly St Martin's College, which inaugurated in 2007 provides a wide portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the arts, social sciences, business, teacher training, health care and nursing.

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

[edit] Culture

Lancaster, as a historic city, offers a moderate level of cultural entertainment. 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^[3]

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).

[edit] Sport

Rowing

• Lancaster John O'Gaunt Rowing Club is the fourth oldest rowing club in the UK. It competes nationally at regattas and head races organised by the Amateur Rowing Association. The clubhouse is located next to the weir at Skerton.

Football

• Lancaster's main football team, Lancaster City F.C., play in the Northern Premier League Division One North. They had a woeful 2006/7 season, not winning a game, going into administration and subsequently getting relegated.

Cricket

• Lancaster Cricket Club is sited near the River Lune in Lancaster. They have two senior teams that participate in the Northern League.

[edit] Music

Lancaster has produced a number of successful bands and musicians in the past decade, notably the drummer Keith Baxter of 3 Colours Red having used the popular Lancaster Musicians Co-operative. Lancaster was also home to the fastest casio powerviolence grindcore band ever , the infamous "...and she's dead!"

Lancaster is also the birthplace of singer and songwriter John Waite, who first became well-known as lead singer of The Babys in the 1970s.

Lancaster's prime music venue include The Yorkshire House, The Gregson and The Bobbin. Recently the Town Library has hosted a number of music events under the 'Get it loud in libraries' initiative. This event has seen seen some big name musicians play in the very small venue, including; The Thrills, Kate Nash, The Long Blondes and Bat for Lashes

[edit] Media

The Bay, the largest radio station 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 also has a community radio station, Diversity FM, on 103.5 FM with a five year licence from 2006. The community led project is based at the local YMCA. The station includes a show broadcast in the Polish language.^[4][5]

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

[edit] Places of interest

• Lancaster Castle
• Lancaster Priory
• Lancaster City Museum
• Lune Millennium Bridge
• Williamson Park
• Ashton Memorial and Butterfly House
• Lancaster Cathedral
• The Storey Institute
• The Judges Lodgings
• The Cottage Museum
• Lancaster University's Ruskin Library
• Quayside Maritine Museum
• Lancaster Royal Grammar School
• Lancaster Girls' Grammar School
• The Duke's Playhouse
• The Gregson Centre
• Lancaster Grand Theatre
• Dalton Square: Queen Victoria's statue and the Town Hall
• Lancaster Musicians Co-operative
• Lancaster Golf Club

See also

• Duke of Lancaster
• Duchy of Lancaster

[edit] Notable Lancastrians

• James Beattie - footballer
• Jim Bowen - former presenter of TV gameshow Bullseye. Actually born in Padiham, Lancashire, but lived in the area for many years.
• Thomas Edmondson - inventor of the Edmondson railway ticket.
• Edward Frankland - Scientist. Born near Lancaster but was educated at LRGS.
• Eric Morecambe - comedian. Actually born in Morecambe.
• Richard Owen - Biologist, renowned for coining the term dinosaur, lived on Brock Street.
• Alan Warriner-Little - 2001 World Grand Prix Darts Champion known to darts fans as The Iceman.
• Andy Wear - actor, star of ITV's The Royal.
• Keith Wilkinson (reporter) - ITV1 Central Tonight news reporter.
• Cherith Baldry - author.
• Keith Baxter - Drummer of British rock band 3 Colours Red.
• John Waite - Musician with successful solo career, formerly lead singer of the bands Bad English and The Babys

[edit] Sister cities

Lancaster's current sister cities:

• Lublin, Poland
• Viana do Castelo, Portugal
• Almere, Netherlands
• Aalborg, Denmark
• Perpignan, France
• Rendsburg, Germany

[edit] Various facts

• The famous bomber aircraft of World War 2, the Lancaster Bomber, was named after the city. In turn, Mitchell's of Lancaster^[6] named one of their bitters Lancaster Bomber. When the brewery ceased production, the recipe was sold to Thwaites Brewery.

• The Royal Navy Type 23, Duke Class Frigate, 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 Ultra Low Temperature Physics Group has twice achieved the lowest temperature in the known universe, coming within a few millionths of a degree above absolute zero.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Gallery

[edit] References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ http://www.lancastergreenparty.org.uk
3. ^ [2].
4. ^ http://www.commedia.org.uk/news-amp-press/airflash-home/search-articles/news-and-views-issue-91/
5. ^ http://www.lancasterukonline.net/news/news_archive/2007/archive_11_07_i.html
6. ^ [3]

[edit] External links

• Google maps link to Lancaster
• Microsoft Live Local "Bird's Eye" Views of Lancaster
• Ordnance survey map of Lancaster circa 1890
• Tourist information website
• Alternative guide to Lancaster A4 pdf to print out - includes map.
• Lancaster Guardian - A weekly newspaper and local resource.
• Virtual Lancaster - Independent Lancaster news and resources.
• The Open Guide to Lancaster - A Wiki town guide based on Lancaster, Morecambe and Lancaster University.
• Directory of Lancaster websites at the Open Directory Project.cs:Lancaster (Anglie)

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