Exploring some history in Lancaster

The final day of our break from work took us to Lancaster for no other reason other than a stroll around the city. Lancaster is a historic city but doesn't get much attention nationally these days. Nonetheless we found our walk interesting and relaxing - a combination of historical buildings and waterside strolls.

We started by walking up to the castle, which is also stiill a crown court (the oldest working courtroom in Britain) and prison too. The Pendle witches were imprisoned here in the 17th century and the cobbled surroundings and Georgian buildings make it easy to imagine days of old. The Priory which sits alongside dates largely from the 15th century, although there's been a church on the site since perhaps 200AD.



From the Priory, we descended some steps down to St Georges Quay, which was built at the time Lancaster was becoming the country's busiest port. Soon after, the river began to silt up, and other ports such as Liverpool took most of the trade away.

Nowadays, the Millennium Bridge is a striking addition to Lancaster's riverside, and is a popular crossing for walkers and cyclists with it's unusual Y-shaped deck.

The tall supports were designed to remind people of the tall ships that used to frequent the quayside.






Another important trade route for Lancaster was the canal, which allowed slate from Kendal and the Lakes to be transported to Preston and Liverpool, and coal from the mines around Wigan to make the opposite journey. Our walk took in a pleasant stretch of the canal before we headed back into the city centre and to the car park.