Facts About Lancashire

The Palatine of Lancashire was established as far back as 1183 and  the Monarch is always referred to as "The Duke of Lancaster". The little village of Dunsop Bridge in the Forest of Bowland is at the centre of the British Isles. The county is one of the largest shires covering an area of 3,075 sq km with a population in 2001 of 1,134,974.
Pendle Hill, famous for its witches, is only 165ft short of being called a mountain and you can see Blackburn & Burnley (where the Industrial Revolution started in the 18th century) from the top. Roger Bannister, the world's first four minute miler lived at what is now the Pendle Heritage Centre. The highest point in Lancashire however is Green Hill near Whernside which stands at 687 metres.
Britain's longest canal, The Leeds to Liverpool, flows through large parts of the county whilst Bashall Town near Clitheroe is the smallest town in England. The Forest of Bowland is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is largely "undiscovered" and covers 802 sq km, the same area as New York City.

The Queen, who once expressed a desire to retire to the Ribble Valley, owns Lancaster Castle which has dominated the skyline for almost a thousand years. The castle is still used as a prison and has a sitting Crown Court where, in the past, thousands of prisoners were convicted and sent for transportation to Australia. The trial of "The Pendle Witches" took place at Lancaster Court in 1612 and is probably the most famous of its kind.
The country's oldest continuously trading shop is the Post Office and Craft Shop in Chipping, which has been in existence since the 1600's.
Morcambe's famous potted shrimps carry the Royal Seal of approval whilst the town's favourite son (Eric Morcambe) has been immortalised with a life-sized statue on the seafront.
Captain of the ship that took the Pilgrim Fathers to America was a Chorley born man called Miles Standish and the word "dinosaur" was created by Richard Owen who was a scientist born in Lancaster. Other famous people born in Lancashire in more recent times include: Sir Tom Finney (football); Andrew Flintoff (cricket); Bill Beaumont (rugby); Kathleen Ferrier (opera) and Nick Park (animated film).

Blackpool has long been the playground of the working man and sees over seven million visitors each year with the Pleasure Beach as the UK's number one visitor attraction welcoming over six million visitors each season. Another big draw is the ten weeks of illuminations throughout September & October when over a million bulbs are used to depict displays & patterns at a cost of  £2.4 million . Blackpool Tower is a copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and was built in 1894. It takes seven years to paint from top to bottom and the lifts travel 3,500 miles up and down every year. Blackpool's electric street tramway was opened in 1885 and was the world's first, only the promenade is serviced by trams today but plans are in the pipeline to greatly improve the network service. Blackpool International Airport stands on Squires Gate which was the first airport in the UK. According to Camelot more multi-million pound lottery winners choose Blackpool as their favourite British destination.

The professional game of football began in Lancashire and England's newest City of Preston houses the National Football Museum which has the world's six most famous football collections.
Lord of the Rings author J.R. Tolkein is said to have been inspired by Stonyhurst College and the surrounding Ribble Valley for Middle Earth when visiting his son who boarded at the college. Lancashire's largest lake, Martin Mere, is reputedly the last known home of King Arthur's sword Excaliber and local folk lore also tells the tale of King James 1st eating a joint of beef at Hoghton Tower and enjoying it so much that he knighted it "Sir Loin".

During 2003 there were 61 million visitors to Lancashire and Blackpool contributing £1.75 billion to the economy and helping to support 42,000 jobs. By 2008 it is projected that there will be 70 million visitors spending £2.04 billion with an increase of 6,000 jobs.
Taste Lancashire 08 is a year of food and drink to celebrate Lancashire’s great local produce, in partnership with Liverpool’s 2008 European Capital of Culture celebrations. It’s a year of events and promotions championing accredited eateries, local producers, farmers` markets, young chefs and fine local food and drink including Lancashire cheese, Morecambe Bay potted shrimps, Sarsaparilla. Visit www.tastelancashire08.com

 Facts & figures supplied by Lancashire & Blackpool Tourist Board