A trip to Lancaster and the university
going north visit lancaster on the way.
its a great small city steeped in history.
Lancaster was once known as the ‘hanging town’ and later earned a reputation for ‘lunatics and linoleum’. All that has changed. The ‘lunatic asylum’ of Moor Hospital, where Alan Bennett’s mother was treated, is now luxury flats. The lino industry is no more. It’s still a great place to ‘hang’ but not literally, thankfully. Now the city of just 46,000 has a more tourist-friendly strapline: ‘Small city big story.’
Lancaster Castle
Dating back 1,000 years, this hilltop grade I-listed fortress was a prison for centuries. Outside London, more people were hanged here than anywhere else in England, earning Lancaster the sobriquet of ‘the hanging town’. You no longer need to be a criminal to visit. Since 2013, it’s been open to tourists. The Georgian courtrooms are impressive. lancastercastle.com
Coffee quarter
J.Atkinson & Co coffee roasters, established in 1837, claims to be the city’s oldest business. New owners are injecting the city with a caffeine buzz. Their two cafes, The Hall and The Music Room are especially popular. Upcycled, vintage and ‘hipster’ - but without silly beards. The Hall won ‘best flat white in the UK’ in 2013. thecoffeehopper.com
Cycleways
There are some 50 miles of traffic-free cycleways in and around Lancaster. Lancaster to Morecambe promenade is just three miles or follow the River Lune on a tarmac, car-free cycle path from Glasson Dock to the Forest of Bowland AONB and the Crook O' Lune, a bend in the river, painted by JMW Turner. celebratingcycling.org
Ashton Memorial, Williamson Park
This Edwardian Baroque memorial, like a mini St Paul’s high on a hill, dominates Lancaster’s skyline. 150ft tall, the ‘jelly mould’ was commissioned by Lancaster’s ‘Lino King’, Lord Ashton. Legend has it that he commissioned the memorial to honour his late wife but before it was completed he’d remarried. Awkward. There are fine views to the coast. lancaster.gov.uk
Maritime Museum
Lancaster was once among the five busiest ports in Britain. Tall ships carrying sugar, spices, tea and coffee sailed up the River Lune into the city. The colonnaded customs house, a fine Georgian building, is now a maritime museum that also tells of the slave trade. lancashire.gov.uk
Judge’s Lodgings
Originally home to a keeper of Lancaster Castle who was a notorious witch hunter, this grand house is the oldest in Lancaster, with parts dating to 1550. Between 1776 and 1975 judges visiting the court at nearby Lancaster Castle lodged here. Now it’s a museum with a renowned collection of Gillow furniture. lancashire.gov.uk
How Coffee can Save the World | Ian Steel | TEDxLancasterU
He has enjoyed two careers, as a TV Producer and a Coffee Roaster, both strangely related, in seeing ideas through from conception to realisation. A vital part of his current job it to tell the stories of farmers to the coffee drinking publicly, to help farmers add more value to their product by concentrating on quality by re-investing both in his company, Atkinsons, locally and initiatives at origin, to benefit both ends of the supply chain.
Ian is known as a coffee hopper, as part of his work he travels around the developing world in search of great beans and stories of farmers. In his talk, Ian will show the impact that coffee can have on the communities that grow it.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at