Lancashire
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| Lancashire | |
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| Geography | |
| Status: | Ceremonial & (smaller) Administrative County |
| Region: | North West England |
| Area: - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area | Ranked 17th 3,075 km² Ranked 16th 2,903 km² |
| Admin HQ: | Preston |
| ISO 3166-2: | GB-LAN |
| ONS code: | 30 |
| NUTS 3: | UKD43 |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2003 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop. | Ranked 8th 1,429,212 465 / km² Ranked 4th 1,146,979 |
| Ethnicity: | 93.4% White 5.3% S.Asian |
| Politics | |
 Lancashire County Council http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/ | |
| Executive: | Labour |
| Members of Parliament | |
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Janet Anderson, David Borrow, Rosie Cooper, Nigel Evans, Mark Hendrick, Lindsay Hoyle, Joan Humble, Michael Jack, Gordon Marsden, Greg Pope, Gordon Prentice, Geraldine Smith, Jack Straw, Kitty Ussher, Ben Wallace | |
| Districts | |
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Lancashire (archaically, the County of Lancaster) is a county palatine of England, lying on the Irish Sea. Its name is sometimes abbreviated to Lancs. Its traditional county town was Lancaster, but the county council is now based in Preston.
The county borders Cumbria, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside, and contains the unitary authorities of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen.
Lancashire is divided into a number of local government districts. These are Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, the Ribble Valley, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, and Wyre.
The highest point of the county is Green Hill, near Whernside, which reaches a height of 687m.
| Contents |
Settlements
These are the main towns in Lancashire, for a complete list of settlements see list of places in Lancashire.
- Accrington, Adlington
- Bacup, Bamber Bridge, Barnoldswick, Bickerstaffe, Blackburn, Blackpool, Burnley, Burscough, Brindle
- Carnforth, Chipping, Chorley, Clayton-le-Moors, Cleveleys, Clitheroe, Colne
- Dalton, Darwen
- Earby
- Fleetwood, Freckleton
- Galgate, Garstang, Gisburn, Goosnargh, Great Harwood
- Haslingden, Heysham, Hoghton
- Kirkham, Knott End-on-sea
- Lancaster, Lathom, Leyland, Longridge, Lytham
- Mawdesley, Morecambe
- Nelson
- Ormskirk, Oswaldtwistle
- Padiham, Parbold, Pendle, Poulton-le-Fylde, Preston
- Rawtenstall, Ribchester, Rufford
- Silverdale, Skelmersdale, Slaidburn, St Annes
- Thornton, Trawden, Tyldesley
- Upholland
- Whalley
Places of interest
- Astley Green Colliery Museum, Tyldesley
- Astley Hall
- British Commercial Vehicle Museum, Leyland
- East Lancashire Railway, a heritage railway
- Helmshore Textile Museum
- Hoghton Tower
- Samlesbury Hall
- Lathom Park Chapel, site of Lathom Hall, seat of the Earls of Derby
- Lancaster Castle
- Forest of Bowland
- Forest of Bowland AONB - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- Morecambe Bay
- WWT Martin Mere, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve, Burscough
- Wyre Forest NNR National Nature Reserve
- Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Ribble Link
- River Ribble, River Douglas, River Tawd, River Lostock, River Irwell, River Roch
- Williamson Park and the Ashton Memorial
History
Main article: History of Lancashire.
The county was established in 1183. In the Domesday Book, its lands had been treated as part of Cheshire and of Yorkshire. It bordered Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire, and Cheshire.
The historic county was divided into the six hundreds of Amounderness, Blackburn, Leyland, Lonsdale, Salford and West Derby. Lonsdale was further partitioned into Lonsdale North, which was the detached part north of Morecambe Bay (also known as Furness), and Lonsdale South.
The Loyal Toast, 'The Queen, the Duke of Lancaster' is still in regular use. See also Duchy of Lancaster.
The modern administrative area is now rather smaller than that of the historic county due to a local government reform.
On April 1, 1974 the Furness exclave was given to the new county of Cumbria, the south east being given to Greater Manchester, and the south-west becoming Merseyside.
Warrington and surrounding districts including the villages of Winwick and Croft and Risley and Culcheth were annexed to Cheshire. A part of the West Riding of Yorkshire near Clitheroe, was transferred to Lancashire also.
In 1998 Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen became independent of the county as unitary authorities, but remained in Lancashire for ceremonial purposes, as well as for fire and rescue and policing.
Rejected options for change
On May 25, 2004 the Boundary Committee for England published recommendations for systems of Unitary Authorities to be put to referendum as described under Subdivisions of England, but on Thursday 4 November 2004 the referendum for the North East decided by a margin of 78% to 22% against an elected regional assembly. On 8 November the Deputy Prime Minister announced "I will not therefore be bringing forward orders for referendums in either the North West, or Yorkshire and the Humber".
- Statement by Deputy Prime Minister (http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_about/documents/page/odpm_about_032697.hcsp)
External links
- Lancashire County Council (http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/)
- Friends of Real Lancashire (http://www.forl.co.uk/)
- Traditions of Lancashire (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/15271), Volume 1 (of 2), by John Roby
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