Lancaster's historic centre

Being in Lancaster for the weekend was an opportunity to look for some history amongst the architecture of this old city.

It's easy to find plenty of examples of the town's Georgian past, when its status as a busy port (the third biggest in the country behind London and Bristol) made the town one of the wealthiest places in the country, but there's also evidence of the town's earlier history.

The Duchy of Lancaster, is one of only two royal duchies in England, providing a direct income for the reigning monarch. The Dukedom was created in 1351 when the county was made a palatine, and the encombent landowner, Henry of Grosmont was made Duke.

When Henry died in 1362, a charter conferred the title on his son-in-law, John of Gaunt, a son of Edward III, and thereafter to his male heir. Even now there are clues around the town pointing to this period of history in the form of several pub signs.

Parts of the castle are even older, dating back to the Normal period, but its most notable time was in the early 1600s, when it was the focal point for the Lancashire Witch trials. By the 19th century, Lancaster was known as the 'hanging town' due to the high number of executions held outside the castle walls.





Lancaster's period of prosperity was during the Georgian era, when the town was the country's third biggest port, with ocean-going ships bringing highly prized cargoes right into the heart of the town thanks to the deep river Lune. The wealth created during this period in history is evident all over the city centre, as many historic buildings date from this time.







This wealthy spell was relatively short-lived though, as the currents in the river were changing and soon the river began to silt up, meaning the town's port activities had to relocate downstream, to Glasson Dock and Sunderland Point.

My early morning walk around the city centre concluded with a stroll along the riverside, on a cycle path on the route of a former railway line. At Great Ayre, an old crane used to offload the railway trucks now sits amongst the daffodils as another echo of the town's historical past.