Lancaster, Lancashire

Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including neighbouring Morecambe.

Long existing as a commercial, cultural and educational centre, Lancaster is the settlement that gives Lancashire 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 Elizabeth II, who herself is also the Duke of Lancaster. Lancaster was granted city status in 1937 for its "long association with the crown" and because it was "the county town of the King's Duchy of Lancaster".

With its history based on its port and canal, Lancaster is an ancient settlement, dominated by Lancaster Castle. It is also home to the collegiate and campus-based Lancaster University and a campus of the University of Cumbria

History
Little is known about Lancaster between the end of Roman rule in Britain in the early 5th century and the Norman Conquest in the late 11th century. Despite a lack of documentation from this period, it is likely that Lancaster was still inhabited. Lancaster was on the fringes of the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria, and over time control may have changed from one to the other. The city's name, first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Loncastre means 'Roman fort on the River Lune', from the Old English cæster.

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, "the Hanging Town".

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 city status until 1937. Many buildings in the city centre and along St. George's Quay date from the 19th century, 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 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.

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

Lancaster was also home to the European headquarters of Reebok. Following their merger with Adidas, Reebok moved to Bolton and Stockport in 2007.

Governance


Lancaster and Morecambe have grown into a single conurbation and are no longer administered separately. 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 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.

Political representation
The city lies in the Lancaster and Fleetwood 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 Fleetwood is Eric Ollerenshaw of the Conservative Party.

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 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 no overall control, with all parties represented in a PR administration.

The 2011 elections saw Labour emerge as the largest party. They formed a 'joint administrative arrangement' with the Greens.

Lancaster is one of the few places in the country where the Greens have a significant number of councillors (8 in 2011). They were first elected to the council in 1999.

A long-standing debate to determine the nature of a proposed high capacity road, that would link the port of Heysham to the M6 motorway with the intention of reducing traffic congestion in the city centre, is one of the most prominent issues in local politics today.

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.

Wards in Lancaster

 * Bulk
 * Castle
 * Dukes
 * Ellel
 * John O'Gaunt (named after John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster)
 * Scotforth East
 * Scotforth West
 * Skerton East
 * Skerton West
 * University

Transport
The M6 motorway passes to the east of Lancaster, with junctions 33 and 34 to the south and north respectively. The A6 road passes through the city leading southwards to Preston, Chorley and Manchester and northwards to Carnforth, Kendal, Penrith and Carlisle.

Lancaster is served by the West Coast Main Line which runs through Lancaster railway station. This station was formerly named Lancaster Castle railway station in order to differentiate it from Lancaster Green Ayre railway station on the Leeds–Morecambe line, which closed in 1966. The Caton–Morecambe section of this railway is now used as a cycle path.

The main bus operator in Lancaster is Stagecoach, which operates over thirty services in Lancaster and Morecambe.

The Lancaster Canal and River Lune also pass through the city. The nearest airport is Blackpool International, some 21 miles away.

In 2005, Lancaster was one of six English towns chosen to be cycling demonstration towns to promote the use of cycling as a means of transport.

Education
At Bailrigg, just south of the city, is Lancaster University, a research university, with an annual income of £149 million. The university employs 2,250 staff and has 17,415 registered students. It has one of only two business schools in the country to have achieved a 6 star research rating and its Physics Department was recently rated #1 in England. InfoLab21 at the University is Centre of Excellence for Information and Communication Technologies. It is consistently the highest ranked university in the North West in newspaper league tables. In 2010 it was rated 10th nationally in The Times newspaper league table, 8th by The Independent and 6th by The Guardian. In the same year it was rated 124th worldwide in the Thompson Reuters league table, and 31st worldwide for arts and humanities.

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

Further education colleges

 * Lancaster and Morecambe College
 * The Adult College, Lancaster

Secondary schools

 * 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 Steiner School
 * Skerton Community High School

Culture
Lancaster, as a historic city, offers an unusual level of contemporary cultural activity. 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 the Dukes 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 has the Nuffield Theatre, with the largest student theatre stage in Europe, which regularly attracts big name comics, dance companies and dramatic productions. The Storey Gallery is a contemporary art gallery showing work by international artists. Lancaster also offers numerous museums, including 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.

Lancaster has a large arts community.

Every November the city hosts one of the biggest fireworks displays in the north west.

Sport
The city 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).

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

Athletics
The local athletics track caters for all ages situated near the Salt Ayre Sports Centre in which the track is home to Lancaster and Morecambe AC.

Football
Lancaster's main football team, Lancaster City, play in the Northern Premier League Division One North.

Golf
Lancaster is home to many golf clubs, including the Ashton Golf Centre, Lansil Golf Club, Forest Hills and Lancaster Golf Club.

Rowing
Lancaster John O' Gaunt Rowing Club is the fifth-oldest surviving rowing club in the UK. It competes nationally at regattas and heads races organised by British Rowing. The clubhouse is located next to the weir at Skerton.

Rugby union
Rugby union is a very popular sport in the area with the local clubs being Vale of Lune RUFC and Lancaster CATS.

Swimming
Lancaster's swimming club is 'Lancaster Amateur Swimming and Waterpolo Club' and they compete in a variety of competitions in the North West.They train at Salt Ayre.

Water polo
Lancaster is home to one of, if not the, top senior team in Great Britain. Water polo is also the most successful sport in the Lancaster area. The Lancaster seniors hold a handful of water polo records and have won the national title ten times in the past thirteen years including a magnificent five consecutive years. They also have won the British Championship eight times in the past ten years, also including five consecutive years. On top of the impressive senior team Lancaster also has a highly successfully junior, youth & academy team. Lancaster City also provides Mini Water Polo for those children who want to have fun and learn about water polo. The local club is called Lancaster City Amateur Swimming & Water Polo Club and they train at Salt Ayre Sports Centre.

Gymnastics
Lancaster is home to SMARTAC Gym Club, http://smartac.co.uk, specialising in acro and with a trampoline subsidiary named SMARTAC Trampoline Club. As well as national competitions, the gym club has competed in two World Gymnaestradas. The club trains at the University of Cumbria Sports Complex, and contact and other details can be found on their recently revamped website. 

Music
Lancaster has produced a number of successful bands and musicians since the 1990s, notably the drummer Keith Baxter of 3 Colours Red and the all-girl punk-rock band Angelica. Both used the Lancaster Musicians' Co-operative, the main rehearsal and recording studio in the area.

The city has also produced many other musicians, including singer and songwriter John Waite, who first became known as lead singer of The Babys in the 1970s; Paul James, better known as The Rev, former guitarist of English punk band Towers Of London who is now in the band Day 21 and plays guitar live on tour for The Prodigy, Chris Acland, drummer of the early 1990s shoegaze band Lush; Tom English, drummer of North East indie band Maxïmo Park and Steve Kemp, drummer of the indie band Hard-Fi.

Lancaster still continues to produce many bands and musicians, with acts like The Lovely Eggs, 19ninetynine and The Adventures of Loki all receiving considerable national radio play and press coverage in recent years.

Lancaster is also the founding home of the dance-music sound systems The Rhythm Method and The ACME Bass Company. Pioneers in the field of the free party, these two systems, along with others, forged one of the strongest representations of the genre in the North West of England during the 1990s.

Since 2006, Lancaster Library has hosted a regular series of music events under the Get it Loud in Libraries initiative. Musicians such as The Wombats, The Thrills, Kate Nash, Adele and Bat for Lashes have taken part. Get It Loud in Libraries has gained national exposure, featuring on The One Show on BBC1, as well as seeing its gigs reviewed in The Observer Music Monthly, NME and Art Rocker.

Other notable music venues are The Dukes, The Grand Theatre, The Gregson Centre, The Bobbin and The Yorkshire House which since 2006 has hosted such acts as John Renbourn, Polly Paulusma, Marissa Nadler, Baby Dee, Diane Cluck, Alasdair Roberts and 2008 Mercury Prize nominees Rachel Unthank and the Winterset.

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).

The city is also home to one of the most critically acclaimed film distributors in the UK, A1 Pictures Ltd, Which founded the independent film brand Capture.

The city also has one of the best community radio stations in the country, Diversity FM, with a five year licence from 2006. The community led project is based at the local YMCA. The station includes a variety of shows including one presented by a 5-year-old and one broadcast in the Polish language.

Commercially available newspapers include The Lancaster Guardian (a popular tabloid, having changed from broadsheet in May 2011) and The Visitor (a tabloid newspaper mainly targeted at residents of Morecambe). Freely-available newspapers in Lancaster include The Reporter and, previously, The Lancaster & Morecambe Citizen, which ceased production in January 2009. The city's university, Lancaster University, also has its own student radio station, Bailrigg FM, broadcasting on a signal of 87.7 FM, and an online student-run television station called LUTube.tv.

Places of interest


See also
 * Lancaster Castle
 * Lancaster Priory
 * Lancaster City Museum
 * Lune Millennium Bridge
 * Williamson Park
 * Ashton Memorial and Butterfly House
 * Lancaster Cathedral
 * The Music Room, Sun Street
 * Storey Gallery
 * The Judges Lodgings
 * The Cottage Museum
 * Lancaster University's Ruskin Library
 * Penny's Hospital, 18th century almshouses on King Street
 * Quayside Maritime Museum
 * Lancaster Royal Grammar School
 * Lancaster Girls' Grammar School
 * 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
 * Westfield War Memorial Village
 * Duke of Lancaster
 * Duchy of Lancaster

Notable Lancastrians

 * Myles Standish (c. 1584 - Oct 3,1656) Soldier-Captain  Passenger on The Mayflower, Founding member of the Plymouth Colony (America) Signer of the Mayflower Compact.   Died:  Duxbury, Massachusetts, USA
 * Andrew Collins
 * Henry Cort (1741?–1800) was an English ironmaster and inventor.
 * Thomas Edmondson – inventor of the Edmondson railway ticket.
 * Edward Frankland – chemist. Born near Lancaster, educated at LRGS, specilised in water quality and analysis, and originated the concept of valence.
 * Richard Owen – biologist. Renowned for coining the term "dinosaur". Lived on Brock Street.
 * Sir James Crosby - Chief Executive of HBOS until 2006
 * Buck Ruxton - infamous murderer who resided and practised medicine at 2 Dalton Square until trial and subsequent hanging in the 1930s. Pub on Great John Street named after him until renaming 'The Square'
 * James Williamson (1842–1930) businessman and politician noted for textiles and creating Williamson Park and the Ashton memorial. Gained a peerage in 1895 to become 1st Baron Ashton.
 * Professor Paul Wellings - Vice Chancellor of Lancaster University.
 * Media and sport
 * Joe Abercrombie – author.
 * Cherith Baldry – author.
 * Keith Baxter – drummer of British rock band 3 Colours Red.
 * James Beattie – footballer
 * Laurence Binyon – poet
 * Jim Bowen – former presenter of TV gameshow Bullseye. Born in Heswall, Cheshire lived in the area for many years.
 * Steve Kemp, drummer of Hard-Fi
 * John Waite – musician, now solo but formerly lead singer of the bands Bad English and The Babys.
 * 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 – ITV1 Central Tonight news reporter.
 * Jon Richardson – comedian.
 * John McGuinness - Motorcycle Racer and Isle of Man TT legend
 * The Heartbreaks - popular indie pop band with members from Lancaster and nearby Morecambe.

Twinned cities
Lancaster's current twinned cities:


 * Aalborg, Denmark
 * Almere, Netherlands
 * Lublin, Poland
 * Perpignan, France
 * Rendsburg, Germany
 * Växjö, Sweden
 * Viana do Castelo, Portugal