A castle where the Pendle witches were tried, a Georgian quayside and a hilltop memorial with views to the Lake District.
Lancaster is the historic county town of Lancashire, and it gave its name to the royal House of Lancaster, one of the two sides in the Wars of the Roses. The monarch is still known as the Duke of Lancaster, and the city’s great castle belongs to the Crown.
Lancaster is a compact, handsome city of stone buildings on the River Lune, with a lively university, a castle full of dark stories, and the Lake District, Morecambe Bay and the Forest of Bowland all close by. This guide covers six things to see and do.
1. Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle stands on a hill above the city, where the Romans once had a fort. The castle was begun by the Normans and extended over the centuries. Its great gatehouse, built in the fifteenth century, is one of the most impressive in England.
For most of its history the castle has been a court and a prison. The prison closed in 2011, but the court still sits here, and it has seen some of the most famous trials in English history. In 1612 the Pendle witches, a group of men and women from the Pendle area of Lancashire, were tried here, and ten of them were hanged.
Guided tours take you through the castle’s history, including the cells, the courtroom, and the hanging corner, where public executions once took place. The Shire Hall is decorated with hundreds of coats of arms. The tours are full of grim and fascinating stories.
The castle is owned by the monarch, as Duke of Lancaster. Tours run through the day, and it is a good idea to book ahead. The views from the castle hill over the city and the river are lovely.
2. Williamson Park and the Ashton Memorial
Williamson Park, on a hill on the eastern edge of the city, is one of the finest parks in the North West. It was created in the nineteenth century by James Williamson, a local businessman who made a fortune making linoleum. His son, Lord Ashton, added the park’s most famous feature.
The Ashton Memorial is a grand domed building, built between 1907 and 1909 by Lord Ashton in memory of his wife. It is sometimes called the Taj Mahal of the North. Its white dome can be seen for miles.
From the steps of the memorial there are wonderful views across the city, Morecambe Bay and the mountains of the Lake District. On a clear day you can see for many miles. It is a great place to watch the sunset.
The park also has woodland walks, a lake, a butterfly house and a café. It is a lovely place for families. It is about a mile from the city centre, up a steep hill.
3. Lancaster Priory and the city centre
Lancaster Priory, the city’s main church, stands next to the castle on the hill. A church has stood on the site for more than a thousand years. The present building dates mostly from the fifteenth century.
The priory is famous for its carved wooden choir stalls, made in the fourteenth century, which are among the finest in England. It also has beautiful embroidery and stained glass. It is peaceful and free to visit.
The city centre below the castle has narrow streets and handsome Georgian buildings. The Judges’ Lodgings, a seventeenth century town house where judges stayed when visiting the court, is now a museum with fine furniture made by the Gillow family of Lancaster. The City Museum tells the story of the city.
Lancaster has a lively cultural scene, with the Dukes theatre and the Grand Theatre. There are markets, independent shops and cafés. The city centre is compact and easy to walk around.
4. The Quay and the Lancaster Canal
St George’s Quay, on the River Lune, was the heart of Lancaster’s trade in the eighteenth century, when the city was a busy port. Tall Georgian warehouses line the quay. Many have been converted into flats and pubs.
The Lancaster Maritime Museum, in the old Custom House, tells the story of the port. Lancaster’s wealth came partly from the transatlantic slave trade, and the city was one of the busiest slave trading ports in Britain. A memorial on the quay, called Captured Africans, remembers the enslaved people whose suffering made the city rich.
The Lancaster Canal runs through the city, and its towpath is a lovely walking and cycling route. The Lune Aqueduct, which carries the canal over the river, was built in the 1790s and is one of the finest canal aqueducts in Britain. It is a short walk from the city centre.
The Millennium Bridge crosses the river near the quay. The riverside path leads out to the countryside. It is a peaceful place for a walk.
5. Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay, just west of Lancaster, is one of the largest areas of intertidal mudflats and sands in Britain. At low tide, the sea retreats for miles, leaving a vast landscape of sand. It is beautiful but dangerous, with fast tides and quicksand.
Walking across the sands is only safe with an official guide, the King’s Guide to the Sands, a royal appointment that has existed for centuries. Guided walks across the bay take place in summer. They are an unforgettable experience.
Morecambe, the seaside town beside the bay, has a long promenade with views across to the Lake District mountains. A statue of the comedian Eric Morecambe, who took his stage name from the town, stands on the seafront. The Midland Hotel, a striking art deco building, is a local landmark.
The sunsets over the bay are famous. The bay is also an important place for birds, especially in winter. Morecambe is about ten minutes from Lancaster by car.
6. The Forest of Bowland and the Lake District
The Forest of Bowland, just east of Lancaster, is a protected landscape of wild moorland, valleys and pretty villages. Despite its name, it has few trees, as forest was once a word for a royal hunting ground. It is one of the quietest and least known beautiful areas in England.
The Trough of Bowland, a narrow road through the hills, has wonderful views. Villages such as Slaidburn and Dunsop Bridge are lovely. It is great for walking and cycling.
The Lake District is about half an hour north of Lancaster. Windermere and Kendal are the nearest towns, and the lakes and mountains beyond are among the most beautiful in Britain. Lancaster is a good base for exploring the southern Lakes.
The Yorkshire Dales are also within an hour, with limestone scenery and pretty villages. A car or a driver by the hour is the easiest way to explore these areas. The roads can be narrow and winding.
Getting there and getting around
Lancaster station is on the West Coast Main Line, with direct trains to London Euston in around two and a half hours, and to Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Lake District. It is a short walk up the hill to the castle.
Manchester Airport is about an hour south by road, down the M6, and Liverpool John Lennon Airport is a similar distance. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Lancaster and the airports, and to explore Morecambe Bay, Bowland and the Lakes.
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