The west of Lancashire contains flat coastal plains: theWest Lancashire coastal plain to the south andthe Fylde in the centre. The north-western coast is hilly and contains part ofArnside and Silverdale, anational landscape. The east of the county is upland, with theWest Pennine Moors in the south-east and theForest of Bowland in the north-east; Bowland has also been designated a national landscape. The major rivers of the county are, from north to south, theLune, theWyre, and theRibble, which all flow west into the Irish Sea. The highest point in Lancashire is eitherGragareth orGreen Hill, both approximately 628 m (2,060 ft) high and located in the far north-east of the county.
Lancashire was founded in the 12th century; in theDomesday Book of 1086 much of what would become the county is treated as part ofYorkshire andCheshire. Until the Early Modern period the county was a comparatively poor backwater, although in 1351 it became apalatine, with a semi-independent judicial system. This changed during theIndustrial Revolution, when the county rapidly industrialised; until 1974 it included both Liverpool, a major port, and Manchester, which with its surrounding towns dominated themanufacture of textiles.[8] TheLancashire coalfield was also exploited, with manycollieries opening. By 1971 Lancashire had apopulation of 5,118,405, which made it the most heavily populated county in the United Kingdom afterGreater London.
During the 20th century, the county became increasingly urban withWarrington (1900),Blackpool (1904) andSouthport (1905) becoming county boroughs, with many boundary extensions. The borders around the Manchester area were particularly complicated, with narrow protrusions of the administrative county between the county boroughs –Lees Urban District formed a detached part of the administrative county, between Oldham county borough and theWest Riding of Yorkshire.[17] Lancaster, the historiccounty town,[18] became a city in 1937.[19]
The administrative county was also the most populous of its type outside London, with a population of 2,280,359 in 1961. By thecensus of 1971, the population of Lancashire and its county boroughs had reached 5,129,416, making it the most populous geographic county in the UK.[20]
The three main rivers of Lancashire are, from north to south, theLune, theWyre, and theRibble, which all flow west into theIrish Sea. The Lune rises inCumbria, before entering Lancashire and flowing through Lancaster. The Wyre rises in Bowland and flows west then south, turning west again across the Fylde and then north as it broadens into its estuary west of Fleetwood. The Ribble rises inNorth Yorkshire, and flows south-west through Lancashire past Clitheroe and Preston before broadening into theRibble Estuary. Many of Lancashire's other rivers are tributaries of the Ribble, including theCalder,Darwen,Douglas, andHodder. TheIrwell, which flows through Manchester, has its source in Lancashire.
To the west of the county arethe Fylde coastal plain andWest Lancashire coastal plain, which lie north and south of theRibble Estuary respectively. Apart from the coastal resorts these areas are largely rural and devoted to vegetable crops. Further north isMorecambe Bay. In the northwest corner of the county, straddling the border with Cumbria, is theArnside and Silverdale National Landscape, characterised by itslimestone pavements and home to theLeighton Moss nature reserve.
The north of the ceremonial county is less densely populated than the south, especially inland. TheFylde coast is continuously built-up fromLytham St Annes toFleetwood, includingBlackpool, and further northLancaster,Morecambe, andHeysham form a conurbation. The rest of the region is characterised by small towns and villages in the flat farmland surrounding the lower reaches of theRibble,Wyre, andLune and the sparsely populated uplands of theForest of Bowland.
TheNorth West Green Belt covers a large part of the south and centre of the county to prevents the settlements there from converging both with each other and with the nearbyMerseyside and Greater Manchester conurbations. It includes all of the non-urban areas in the boroughs of West Lancashire and South Ribble and the majority of Chorley; elsewhere it is less extensive, but covers the areas between the major settlements. There is a further area of green belt in the north of the county between Lancaster, Morecambe, andCarnforth.
Blackpool andBlackburn with Darwen areunitary authority areas, meaning their councils combine the functions of a district and county council. They were formed in 1996, before which each district was part of the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire.[38] Both authorities currently have a majority Labour administration.
TheDuchy of Lancaster, the private estate of the sovereign, exercises the right ofthe Crown in the County Palatine of Lancaster.[41] The most prominent effect of this is that the Duchy administersbona vacantia within the County Palatine, receiving the property of persons who die intestate and where the legal ownership cannot be ascertained.[42] The county palatine boundaries remain the same as thehistoric boundaries, ignoring subsequent local government reforms.[43]
Workers cutting corrugated asbestos sheets in a Lancashire factory, September 1918
Lancashire in the 19th century was a major centre of economic activity, and hence one of wealth. Activities included coal mining, textile production, particularly that which used cotton, and fishing. Preston Docks, an industrial port is now disused. Lancashire was historically the location of the port ofLiverpool whileBarrow-in-Furness is famous forshipbuilding.
Other companies with a major presence in Lancashire include:
Airline Network, an internet travel company with headquarters in Preston.
Baxi, a heating equipment manufacturer has a large manufacturing site in Bamber Bridge.
Crown Paints, a major paint manufacturer based in Darwen.
Dr. Oetker, an international food processing company, has a factory in Leyland that produces frozen pizza mostly under the Chicago Town and Ristorante brands.
Enterprise plc, one of the UK's leading support services based in Leyland.
Hanson plc, a building supplies company operates the Accrington brick works.
Holland's Pies, a major manufacturer of baked goods based in Baxenden near Accrington.
Xchanging, a company providing business process outsourcing services, with operations in Fulwood.
AB InBev, a multinational beverage company, brews Budweiser, Stella Artois, Brahma, Bass and Boddingtons in Samlesbury.
Fisherman's Friend, a confection company, famous for making strong mints and lozenges, based in Fleetwood.
The Foulnazecockle fishery is in Lytham. It has only opened the coastal cockle beds three times in twenty years; August 2013 was the last of these openings.[44]
The creation of Lancashire Enterprise Zone was announced in 2011. It was launched in April 2012, based at the airfields owned by BAE Systems in Warton and Samlesbury.[45]Warton Aerodrome covers 72 hectares (180 acres) andSamlesbury Aerodrome is 74 hectares.[46] Development is coordinated by Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, Lancashire County Council and BAE Systems.[45] The first businesses to move into the zone did so in March 2015, at Warton.[47]
In March 2015 the government announced a newenterprise zone would be created atBlackpool Airport, using some airport and adjoining land.[48] Operations at the airport will not be affected.[49]
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire at basic prices published by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.[50]
Lancashire has a mostly comprehensive system with four state grammar schools. Not includingsixth form colleges, there are 77 state schools (not including Burnley's new schools) and 24 independent schools. Sixth form provision is limited at most schools in most districts, with only Fylde and Lancaster districts having mostly sixth forms at schools. The rest depend on FE colleges and sixth form colleges, where they exist. South Ribble has the largest school population and Fylde the smallest (only three schools). Burnley's schools have had a new broom and have essentially been knocked down and started again in 2006. There are many Church of England and Catholic faith schools in Lancashire.
The Lancashire economy relies strongly on theM6 motorway which runs from north to south, past Lancaster and Preston. TheM55 connects Preston to Blackpool and is 11.5 miles (18.3 km) long. TheM65 motorway fromColne, connects Burnley, Accrington, Blackburn to Preston. TheM61 from Preston viaChorley and theM66 starting 500 metres (0.3 mi) inside the county boundary nearEdenfield, provide links between Lancashire and Manchester, and the trans-PennineM62. TheM58 crosses the southernmost part of the county from the M6 near Wigan to Liverpool viaSkelmersdale.
The north of the county is predominantly rural and sparsely populated, except for the city ofLancaster and the towns ofMorecambe andHeysham, the three of which form a large conurbation of almost 100,000 people. Lancashire is home to a significantAsian population, numbering over 70,000 and 6% of the county's population, and concentrated largely in the former cotton mill towns in the south east.
Population totals within the post-1998 boundaries of the non-metropolitan county
The county's most prominent football rivalries are theEast Lancashire derby between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley, and theWest Lancashire derby between Blackpool and Preston North End.
A further nine professional full-time teams lie within the historical borders of Lancashire but outside of the current ceremonial county. These include the Premier League clubsEverton,Liverpool,Manchester City andManchester United.
Along with Yorkshire and Cumberland, Lancashire is recognised as the heartland of Rugby League. The county has produced many successful top flight clubs such asSt. Helens,Wigan,Warrington,Oldham,Salford andWidnes. The county was once the focal point for many of the sport's professional competitions including theLancashire League competition which ran from 1895 to 1970, and theLancashire County Cup which ran until 1993. Rugby League has also seen a representative fixture betweenLancashire and Yorkshire contested 89 times since its inception in 1895.[68] In recent times there were severalrugby league teams that are based within the ceremonial county which includeBlackpool Panthers,East Lancashire Lions, andBlackpool Sea Eagles.
There are many archery clubs located within Lancashire.[69] In 2004 Lancashire took the winning title at the Inter-counties championships fromYorkshire who had held it for 7 years.[70]
Lancashire has a centuries-long history of combat sports and wrestling, developing its own style calledLancashire wrestling, and becoming a breeding ground for many of Britain's best amateur and professional wrestlers.[71] Through travelling performers and immigration, the style spread abroad to British colonies, Europe, the United States, and other countries. It was a primary influence oncatch wrestling and its descendants includingfreestyle wrestling, Americanfolkstyle wrestling, theatricalprofessional wrestling, andmixed martial arts. It was preserved due to the influence of Lancashire nativeBilly Riley and his gym, popularly known asThe Snake Pit, and students such asKarl Gotch andBilly Robinson. It became particularly influential in Japan, where catch wrestling is popularly referred to as "Lancashire style"(ランカシャースタイル).[72][73][74]
Lancashire has a long and highly productive tradition of music making. In the early modern era the county shared in the national tradition ofballadry, including perhaps the finestborder ballad, "The Ballad of Chevy Chase", thought to have been composed by the Lancashire-born minstrel Richard Sheale.[75] The county was also a common location forfolk songs, including "The Lancashire Miller", "Warrington Ale" and "The soldier's farewell to Manchester", while Liverpool, as a major seaport, was the subject of manysea shanties, including "The Leaving of Liverpool" and "Maggie May",[76] beside several localWassailing songs.[75] In theIndustrial Revolution changing social and economic patterns helped create new traditions and styles of folk song, often linked to migration and patterns of work.[77] These included processional dances, often associated with rushbearing or theWakes Week festivities, and types ofstep dance, most famouslyclog dancing.[77][78]
A local pioneer of folk song collection in the first half of the 19th century was Shakespearean scholarJames Orchard Halliwell,[79] but it was not until the secondfolk revival in the 20th century that the full range of song from the county, includingindustrial folk song, began to gain attention.[78] The county produced one of the major figures of the revival inEwan MacColl, but also a local champion inHarry Boardman, who from 1965 onwards probably did more than anyone to popularise and record the folk song of the county.[80] Perhaps the most influential folk artists to emerge from the region in the late 20th century were Liverpool folk groupthe Spinners, and from Manchester folk troubadourRoy Harper and musician, comedian and broadcasterMike Harding.[81][82][83] The region is home to numerousfolk clubs, many of them catering toIrish andScottish folk music. Regularfolk festivals include the Fylde Folk Festival atFleetwood.[84]
Lancashire had a lively culture of choral andclassical music, with very large numbers of local churchchoirs from the 17th century,[85] leading to the foundation of local choral societies from the mid-18th century, often particularly focused on performances of the music ofHandel and his contemporaries.[86] It also played a major part in the development ofbrass bands which emerged in the county, particularly in the textile and coalfield areas, in the 19th century.[87] The first open competition for brass bands was held at Manchester in 1853, and continued annually until the 1980s.[88]
The vibrant brass band culture of the area made an important contribution to the foundation and staffing of theHallé Orchestra from 1857, the oldest extant professional orchestra in the United Kingdom.[89] The same local musical tradition produced eminent figures such as SirWilliam Walton (1902–88), son of an Oldham choirmaster and music teacher,[90] SirThomas Beecham (1879–1961), born in St. Helens, who began his career by conducting local orchestras[91] andAlan Rawsthorne (1905–71) born in Haslingden.[92] The conductorDavid Atherton, co-founder of theLondon Sinfonietta, was born in Blackpool in 1944.[93] Lancashire also produced more populist figures, such as earlymusical theatre composerLeslie Stuart (1863–1928), born in Southport, who began his musical career as organist ofSalford Cathedral.[94]
The Beatles began in Liverpool before the city's county was changed from Lancashire toMerseyside
Liverpool, both during its time in Lancashire and after being moved to the new county ofMerseyside, has produced a number of successful musicians. This includes pop stars such asFrankie Vaughan andLita Roza, as well as rock stars such asBilly Fury, who is considered to be one of the most successfulBritish rock and roll stars of all time.[81] Many Lancashire towns had vibrantskiffle scenes in the late 1950s, out of which a culture ofbeat groups emerged by the early 1960s, particularly around Liverpool andManchester. It has been estimated that there were at least 350 bands—includingthe Beatles—active in and around Liverpool during this era, playing ballrooms, concert halls, and clubs.[104] A number of Liverpool performers followed the Beatles into the charts, includingGerry & the Pacemakers,the Searchers, andCilla Black.
The first musicians to break through in the UK who were not from Liverpool or managed by Beatles managerBrian Epstein were Manchester'sFreddie and the Dreamers,[105] withHerman's Hermits andthe Hollies also hailing from Manchester.[106] The Beatles led a movement by various beat groups from the region which culminated in theBritish Invasion of the US, which in turn made a major contribution to the development of modernrock music.[107] After the decline of beat groups in the late 1960s, the centre of rock culture shifted to London, and there were relatively few Lancashire bands who achieved national prominence until the growth of adisco scene and thepunk rock revolution in the mid-and-late 1970s.[108]
Buryblack pudding has long been associated with the county. The most notable brand, Chadwick's Original Bury Black Puddings, are still sold onBury Market,[109] and are manufactured inRossendale.
Butter cake: slice of bread and butter.
Butter pie: a savoury pie containing potatoes, onion and butter. Usually associated withPreston.
Clapbread: a thinoatcake made from unleavened dough cooked on a griddle.
Eccles cakes are small, round cakes filled with currants and made from flaky pastry with butter, originally made in Eccles.
Fag pie: pie made from chopped dried figs, sugar and lard. Associated withBlackburn andBurnley, where it was the highlight ofFag Pie Sunday (Mid-Lent Sunday).
Fish and chips: the first fish and chip shop in northern England opened inMossley, near Oldham, around 1863.[110]
Whistle Down the Wind (1961) was directed by Bryan Forbes, set at the foot of Worsaw Hill and inBurnley, and starred local Lancashire schoolchildren.
The tunnel scene was shot on the old Bacup-Rochdale railway line, location 53°41'29.65"N, 2°11'25.18"W, off the A6066 (New Line) where the line passes beneath Stack Lane. The tunnel is still there, in use as an industrial unit but the railway has long since been removed.
Funny Bones (1995) was set mostly in Blackpool, after opening scenes in Las Vegas.
Rivington Pike, nearHorwich, atop theWest Pennine Moors, is one of the most popular walking destinations in the county; on a clear day the whole of the county can be viewed from here.
Queen Street Mill, the world's only surviving steam-driven cotton weaving shed, located inBurnley
^Harris and Thacker (1987) write on page 252: "Certainly there were links between Cheshire and south Lancashire before 1000, when Wulfric Spot held lands in both territories. Wulfric's estates remained grouped together after his death, when they were left to his brother Aelfhelm. And indeed, there still seems to have been some kind of connexion in 1086, when south Lancashire was surveyed together with Cheshire by the Domesday commissioners. Nevertheless, the two territories do seem to have been distinguished from one another in some way and it is not certain that the shire-moot and the reeves referred to in the south Lancashire section of Domesday were the Cheshire ones."
^Crosby, A. (1996) writes on page 31: "The Domesday Survey (1086) included south Lancashire with Cheshire for convenience, but the Mersey, the name of which means 'boundary river' is known to have divided the kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia and there is no doubt that this was the real boundary."
^"Lancashire: County History". High Sheriff's Association of England and Wales (The Shrievalty Association). Archived fromthe original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved26 August 2013.
^OPSIArchived 30 September 2007 at theWayback Machine – The Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside (County and Metropolitan Borough Boundaries) Order 1993
^Christopher Thomond (13 August 2013)."Eyewitness: Lytham, Lancashire"(Image upload).The Guardian.Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved14 August 2013.
^abD. Gregory,The Songs of the People for Me: The Victorian Rediscovery of Lancashire Vernacular Song',Canadian Folk Music/Musique folklorique canadienne, 40 (2006), pp. 12–21
^J. Shepherd, D. Horn, and D. Laing,Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World (London: Continuum, 2003),ISBN0-8264-7436-5, p. 360
^abG. Boyes,The Imagined Village: Culture, Ideology, and the English Folk Revival (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1993), 0-71902-914-7, p. 214
^E. D. Gregory,Victorian Songhunters: the Recovery and Editing of English Vernacular Ballads and Folk Lyrics, 1820–1883 (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2006),ISBN0-8108-5703-0, p. 248
^Folk North West,"Harry Boardman". Archived fromthe original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved25 February 2009., retrieved 16 February 2009
^abP. Frame,Pete Frame's Rockin' Around Britain: Rock'n'Roll Landmarks of the UK and Ireland (London: Music Sales Group, 1999),ISBN0-7119-6973-6, pp. 72–6
^Falstaff, John C. (February–March 1994)."Roy Harper".Dirty Linen. Archived fromthe original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved4 November 2018.
^R. Cowgill and P. Holman,Music in the British Provinces, 1690–1914 (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2007),ISBN0-7546-3160-5, p. 207
^R. Southey,Music-Making in North-East England During the Eighteenth Century (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2006),ISBN0-7546-5097-9, pp. 131–2
^D. Russell,Popular Music in England, 1840–1914: a Social History (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1987),ISBN0-7190-2361-0, p. 163
^A. Baines,The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992),ISBN0-19-311334-1, p. 41
^D. Russell,Popular Music in England, 1840–1914: a Social History (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1987),ISBN0-7190-2361-0, p. 230
^D. Clark and J. Staines,Rough Guide to Classical Music (Rough Guides, 3rd edn., 2001),ISBN1-85828-721-9, p. 568
^L. Jenkins,While Spring and Summer Sang: Thomas Beecham and the Music of Frederick Delius (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2005),ISBN0-7546-0721-6, p. 1
^J. McCabe,Alan Rawsthorne: Portrait of a Composer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999),ISBN0-19-816693-1
^V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine,All Music Guide to Rock: the Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul (Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 3rd edn., 2002),ISBN0-87930-653-X, pp. 1316–7
^S. Cohen,Rock Culture in Liverpool: Popular Music in the Making (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991),ISBN0-19-816178-6, p. 14
Crosby, A. (1996).A History of Cheshire. The Darwen County History Series. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Phillimore & Co. Ltd.ISBN0-85033-932-4.
Harris, B. E., and Thacker, A. T. (1987).The Victoria History of the County of Chester. Volume 1:Physique, Prehistory, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Domesday. Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-722761-9.
Morgan, P. (1978).Domesday Book Cheshire: Including Lancashire, Cumbria, and North Wales. Chichester, Sussex: Phillimore & Co. Ltd.ISBN0-85033-140-4.
Phillips A. D. M., and Phillips, C. B. (2002).A New Historical Atlas of Cheshire. Chester, UK: Cheshire County Council and Cheshire Community Council Publications Trust.ISBN0-904532-46-1.
Sylvester, D. (1980).A History of Cheshire (2nd ed.). The Darwen County History Series. London and Chichester, Sussex: Phillimore & Co. Ltd.ISBN0-85033-384-9.
Lancashire On Line Parish Clerk an active project to transcribe and publish records of Births, Marriages and Deaths in Lancashire from the time records began in Edward VI's reign
Lancashire Archives' online catalogue – over 1 million descriptions of unique historical documents, accessible to the public, which tell the county's story
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