The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 1.53 miles (2.46km)
Time to walk: This is a city centre walk & includes stops at several points of interest so, although short, it could easily form part os a whole day
Difficulty: Easy & all on hard surfaces. Some steps so diversions would be required for accessibility / disability
Parking: Park ‘n’ Pay & Display around the city & walk to the start at The Storey. Postcode LA1 1TH. What3Words ‘goats.spits.rests’
Public toilets: Cafes etc around the city
Map of the route:
Lancaster lies on the River Lune directly inland from Morecambe Bay. The name literally means ‘Roman fort on the River Lune’
The city’s long history is marked by Lancaster Roman Fort, Lancaster Castle, Lancaster Priory Church, Lancaster Cathedral & the Ashton Memorial, some of which we’ll visit on this walk. It’s the seat of Lancaster University & has a campus of the University of Cumbria
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the English royal family. The Duchy of Lancaster still holds large estates on behalf of Charles III, who is the Duke of Lancaster. The Port of Lancaster & the 18th-century Lancaster slave trade played a major role in the city’s growth, but for many years the outport of Glasson Dock, downstream, has been the main shipping facility
One place this walk does not take in & is worth visiting separately is Williamson Park which covers an area of 53.6 acres & includes the Ashton Memorial. Before the park was built the area was the location of Gallows Hill. Although the exact site isn’t known, some people believe it to have been the hill on which the Ashton Memorial now stands
Ten Pendle Witches met their ends here on the 20th August 1612 & it’s no wonder that Lancaster earned its nickname of “The Hanging Town”!
We’ll look at the events surrounding them as we go so…
Let’s Walk!
1. This walk starts at The Storey, one of the most recognisable buildings in the city that also acts as the gateway to Castle Hill & the medieval Lancaster Castle
Built in 1887 by local philanthropist & tradesman, Thomas Storey, the building originally offered educational opportunities to the people of Lancaster. Today it’s home to a growing number of successful creative businesses, offering a variety of engaging events
The building was built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Thomas Storey provided the funding for the building which was renamed the Storey Institute in his honour in 1891. Its purpose was for ‘the promotion of art, science, literature, and technical instruction’
It has a wonderful cafe space & we can highly recommend it
Walk out of the building, turn left & through the arch into The Storey Gardens which are large walled gardens in two sections with a Georgian wall between them.
One of them is the Tasting Garden & they are well worth visiting at the start or end of this walk
2. Come out of the gardens & there ahead of you is the magnificent Lancaster Castle. A word of warning…you could easily spend a day exploring here!
As you walk towards the entrance turn around & have a look at the view across the city to the Ashton Memorial
3. Entrance into the castle is completely free, but sadly dogs aren’t allowed through the gate. Walk inside & start to explore…
The castle’s early history is unclear, but it may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort. In 1164 the Honour of Lancaster, including the castle, came under royal control. In 1322 & 1389 the Scots invaded England, progressing as far as Lancaster & damaging the castle. It was not to see military action again until the English Civil War. The castle was first used as a prison in 1196 although this aspect became more important during the English Civil War. The castle buildings are owned by the British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. Part of the structure is still used to host sittings of the Crown Court
Until 2011 the majority of the buildings were leased to the Ministry of Justice as HM Prison Lancaster, after which the castle was returned to the Duchy’s management
4. The information board in front of you shows you exactly how much there is to explore on this site…
Straight ahead of you is the extremely foreboding prison. County gaols, such as this one, were intended to hold prisoners for short periods immediately before trial. The castle also served as a debtors’ prison. In the 18th century it became more common for county gaols to hold longer-term prisoners &, as a result, they began to suffer from overcrowding
Those sentenced to death before 1800 at the castle were usually taken to Lancaster Moor, near where the Ashton Memorial now stands, to be hanged
After the Georgian remodelling of the castle, it was decided it would be more convenient to perform executions nearer the castle. The spot chosen became known as Hanging Corner. Lancaster has a reputation as the court that sentenced more people to death than any other in England. Between 1782 & 1865, around 265 people were hanged at Lancaster. The executions were frequently attended by thousands of people crowded into the churchyard
The Capital Punishment Amendment Act 1868 ended public executions, requiring that criminals be put to death in private, after which 6 executions were performed inside the castle, at first from the Chapel steps, then later in a purpose-built execution shed, on the inside wall of Hanging Corner. This shed remained until the mid-20th Century, allegedly still containing the Gallows
The last execution of Thomas Rawcliffe (murderer) at Lancaster took place in 1910. The prison closed in 1916 due to a national decrease in the number of prisoners, although for part of the First World War it held German civilians & military prisoners of war. It certainly is a foreboding place
The castle formally opened as HM Prison Lancaster in 1955, becoming a Category C prison for male inmates, & a venue for the Crown Court. In July 2010 the Ministry of Justice announced it was intending to close it, stating it was outdated & costly
The prison closure was confirmed for March 2011
4. Turn right & enter a small room with dungeons underneath. Here you’ll learn about Lancaster Castle’s most famous inmates & trial…the Pendle Witches
Over two days on 18th & 19th August 1612 ten people were convicted of witchcraft. On the following day they were taken from dungeons of Lancaster Castle to the gallows on the moors above the city. They had been found guilty of causing madness, laming & murder through the use of witchcraft
5. Come back out & bear right again to find Lancashire Police Museum…
The website tells us “the museum features 16 different galleries & film shows, all housed within Lancaster Castle’s prison cells. The galleries cover the history of Lancashire Constabulary, police training, forensic development, including how some infamous local cases were solved & an overview of some of the different police departments including the mounted branch, dog unit, underwater search unit & firearms”
6. Once you’re finished with the Castle come back out of the main entrance & turn right up the side & follow the path as it bears right…
Ahead of you now you’ll see the Priory…
7. It’s believed that Christian worship has been taking place on this site since the 2nd century. A Roman fort existed on the site from the 1st century, & some form of church may possibly have been established around the year 200. A Saxon church is thought to have stood on the site from the sixth century. It’s also believed that a monastery had been established here before the Norman conquest of England
Go inside & have a look around – it really is quite magnificent
The carved choir stalls are of oak &, dating from 1340, are the 3rd oldest in England…
In 1807 a runic cross was found while digging in the churchyard. The cross is 3 feet in length, & 1 foot 9 inches across. The Anglo-Saxon Runic inscription translates to “Pray ye for Cynibald Cuthburuc”. Following a meeting of the British Archaeological Association in Lancaster, the cross was moved to the British Museum in 1868
8. Come back out bear right & walk to the wall with the gap & the path leading down the hill. But first stop & admire the view across Morecambe Bay to the Lakeland Fells…
Head down the passage
9. A sign points to a rather overgrown area on the right telling you that this was once the site of a Roman Bath House…
We didn’t venture down to it but this is a photo @visitlancaster
10. Continue down the steep path, crossing straight over another path & past the lamp post…
…to emerge by the River Lune. Where you’re now standing, in the 1750s, was the quayside of England’s 4th largest port full of crowds of sailors, merchants, errand boys, traders & ladies of both good & ill repute
11. Walk out onto the Millennium Bridge &, at the fork, turn right & walk back down to the path. The bridge forms a “Y”-shape in plan to connect one bank both to a viaduct & adjacent quay. Its double pylon seeks to act as a reminder of the masted ships which previously used the quay
Bear left along the path & then turn right into Water Street
12. At the lights cross over Cable Street & walk up Chapel Street…
On the left’s the redundant St John the Evangelist’s Church which was built in 1754–55 as a chapel of ease to Lancaster Priory at a time when the town was growing rapidly. The church closed in 1981 & was vested in the Redundant Churches Fund (the forerunners of the Churches Conservation Trust) in 1983
13. Continue straight ahead & up the hill, looking left up St Leonardgate to see fine examples of Georgian housing
Eventually you’ll arrive at Dalton Square which contains the Town Hall…
This area was laid out by John Dalton in 1784, who named all the surrounding streets after members of his family. A Dominican Friary once stood here which accounts for some of the street names such as Friar’s Passage and Friar Street
14. The Town Hall’s impressive & was commissioned to replace the aging town hall, now the city museum, in Market Square
The building originally accommodated a police station in the basement & a magistrates’ court on the ground floor & included an assembly hall to the rear of the main building, which became known as the “Ashton Hall”
The whole complex, as well as the Queen Victoria Memorial in Dalton Square, was personally financed by Lord Ashton
15. At the opposite end of the square facing the Town Hall turn right & head along Gage Street…
…& at the end pass through Ffrances Passage into Penny Street
It originally belong to the Ffrance family of Rawcliffe Hall (a double f originally signified a capital f before there was a written form). Over time the family dropped the ff & just became France
16. Turn right along Penny Street & continue to the crossroads with Market Street…
Look on the ground to find a horseshoe. There are different stories of how the horseshoe came to be here. One is that John of Gaunt’s horse shed a shoe when he left Lancaster Castle for the last time & the townspeople set it in the road as a memorial
Another says it dates back to when horse fairs were held in Lancaster & another links it to Bonnie Prince Charlie who passed through Lancaster in 1745
17. Turn left up Market Street passing the wonderfully named Slip Inn Lane. There are many of these small lanes & alleyways that once connected the city
Aheads’s the City Museum which, as previously mentioned, was originally the Town Hall
18. Turn around & look at the plaque on the wall of the Bier & Twist pub…
The plaque that tells you that Bonnie Prince Charlie was declared Regent near this site in 1745
19. Walk to the left side of the Museum & enter a narrow alleyway called Sun Street which was built around 1780 & cuts through what would once have been the dramatic gardens of a prosperous Georgian lawyer…
Exit the alley into a lovely, hidden area containing a hotel & The Music Room. This would have been a beautiful folly in the ornamental gardens
Continue along Sun Street which has some beautiful Georgian properties that were once shops
20. At the crossroads turn left up Church Street. There was once a Roman Road leading to the Castle that ran parallel to this street…
On the right side of the street’s No.76 where Bonnie Prince Charlie is once said to have stayed
21. On reaching the junction cross over at the lights. Ahead of you is the magnificent Judges’ Lodgings, formerly a town house & now a museum. The building is the oldest existing town house in Lancaster & was also the first house in Lancaster to have shutters. It was used by judges when they attended the sessions of the Assize Court
Use of the house by visiting judges ended in 1975 & the building was converted into a museum featuring childhood, & the Gillow furniture collection. There’s evidence that older buildings have stood on the site & the remains of a Roman kiln were discovered in the garden. It is likely that the first house on the site was built in wood, & later replaced in stone
22. Take the left fork up the side of the house…
Look out for the plaque on the building on the left showing that this was once a Dispensary for the Poor
And here we are…back at the Castle near to where this walk started
We can highly recommend Lancaster & will return to explore Williamson Park, the Ashton Memorial & some of those lovely little connecting alleyways
Go Walk!