The Lancashire Portal
Lancashire (/ˈlæŋkəʃər/ LAN-kə-shər, /-ʃɪər/ -sheer; abbreviated Lancs) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west.
The county has an area of 3,079 square kilometres (1,189 sq mi) and a population of 1,490,300. After Preston (147,800), the largest settlements are Blackpool (141,100) and Blackburn (124,995); the city of Lancaster has a population of 52,655. For local government purposes, Lancashire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with twelve districts, and two unitary authority areas, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. The county historically included northern Greater Manchester and Merseyside, the Furness and Cartmel peninsulas of Cumbria, and part of northern Cheshire, and excluded the eastern part of the Forest of Bowland. (Full article...)
Selected article -
The Preston Bypass was the United Kingdom's first motorway, opened in 1958. It was designed and engineered by Lancashire County Council surveyor James Drake as part of a larger initiative to create a north-south motorway network that would later form part of the M6 motorway. The original 8+1⁄4-mile (13.3 km) motorway ran around the east side of Preston between Bamber Bridge (now the M6, Junction 29) and Broughton (now the M55, Junction 1) and crossed over the River Ribble at Samlesbury at the M6 Junction 31.
Planning started in 1937, despite no legal powers permitting motorway construction until the introduction of the Special Roads Act 1949. Early work was hampered by heavy rainfall, resulting in the postponement of various heavy engineering works, such as the base foundation; the result of the weather meant the original two-year plan was delayed by a further five months. The bypass was opened on 5 December 1958 by the then Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. Nearly £3 million was spent on its construction. Weeks after opening, the road had to close temporarily due to water causing other problems when the base layer was damaged due to a rapid freeze and thaw cycle. (Full article...)
Topics
Related portals
Recognised content
Featured Articles:
Blackburn Olympic F.C., Pendle witches, Samlesbury witches
Featured Lists:
List of Nelson F.C. seasons, Listed buildings in Rivington
Good Articles:
1920–21 Burnley F.C. season, 1922–23 Nelson F.C. season, East Lancashire Railway 1844–1859, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, Preston railway station, River Irwell, Rivington, Stonyhurst College, Turf Moor, William Sudell
General images -
-
Parsonage Colliery in 1980 (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
Astley Green Colliery, offices and headgear (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
Ribble estuarine alluvium (from Geology of Lancashire) -
Monument to James Anderton OBE, inventor of the power shearer, sited in St.Helens (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
Worsley Delph, the entrance to the Duke of Bridgewater's underground mines (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
Spoil heaps or "rucks" at Wharton Hall Colliery, Little Hulton (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
North Lancashire in 1610. (from History of Lancashire) -
Map of mid-Lancashire, c. 400. (from History of Lancashire) -
The historic county palatine boundaries in red and the ceremonial county in green (from History of Lancashire) -
British Coalfields (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
Southwest Lancashire in 1610. (from History of Lancashire) -
A Chorley cake (left) and an Eccles cake (right) (from Chorley cake) -
The Red Rose of Lancaster is the county flower of Lancashire, and a common symbol for the county. (from History of Lancashire) -
John Speed's map of the County Palatine of Lancaster, 1610 (from History of Lancashire) -
Lancashire, nicknamed "The Red Rose County" within England, showing ancient extent (from History of Lancashire) -
Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese at a restaurant (from Lancashire cheese)
Did you know ...
- ... that the parish churches of Ormskirk (pictured), Purton and Wanborough are the only churches in England to have both a western tower and a central spire?
- ... that former Burnley chairman Bob Lord described coach Billy Dougall, who worked for the football club for 23 years, as the finest servant a club could have?
Subcategories
Cities map
WikiProjects
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
