Lancaster (pop. 142,931) is a city and local government district in north Lancashire, England. Lancaster stands on the River Lune, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Liverpool. For hundreds of years, the city was the home of the lords of Lancaster, who once ruled the county of Lancashire. Lancaster has a Norman castle founded by William the Conqueror in the 1000’s, much of which has been rebuilt. St. Mary’s Church has some superb examples of fine woodwork, including 14 decorated stalls that date from the end of the 1300’s. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Peter was erected in 1859. The Storey Institute includes an art gallery. Lancaster also has a university on a specially built campus to the south of the city. Lancaster’s chief industries produce furniture, plastics, and rayon and other textiles.
The district of Lancaster includes the towns of Morecambe, Heysham, and Carnforth, and many areas of outstanding beauty, particularly around Silverdale in the Lune valley and on the moorlands. Morecambe is a seaside resort. The Central Electricity Generating Board has a nuclear power station at Heysham.
See also Lancashire.
