Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy - this week in Lancaster

ONE of the best places to explore the city of Lancaster is from the river bank.

There is plenty of parking along the side of the River Lune from which the city takes its name - Lunecaster, the city alongside the Lune.

For those who enjoy strolling around historic cities then Lancaster is a treat.

From the Maritime Museum, follow the signs steeply uphill, passing the Roman bath house on your left and then reaching the priory church and famous castle set high on a hill overlooking the river.

Buried beneath these two ancient buildings is the old Roman fort, which provided the Imperial troops with a link to the empire. By river and over land there were links with Walton-le-Dale on the River Darwen and Ribchester on the Ribble.

Also from the Maritime Museum, a riverside footpath follows the river and the old railway line down to the Lune estuary at Glasson Dock.

The Maritime Museum is a splendid spot with a well-stocked book shop and a pleasant cafe, an ideal starting or stopping point for those following either of the two walks suggested here.

The museum is open every day except Christmas and New Year's Day. From Easter to October the opening times are 12.30pm to 4pm while in the lighter months the times are from 11am to 5pm.

The telephone number is 01524 64637. The museum concentrates on the maritime history of the Lancaster and Morecambe area from the time when Roman sailors had their base to the present day.

Part of the museum occupies the former customs house, built by the Lancaster Port Commission in 1764.

The architect was Richard Gillow, of the famous furniture making family based in Lancaster.

The structure, with its majestic pillared front, was restored by the city council in the early 1980s.

The museum also occupies the top floor of the adjoining five storey warehouse, which was built between 1780 and 1797 when Lancaster's Atlantic trade was going at full swing.

The exhibits certainly reflect this trade, which involved sugar, cotton, tobacco and, no doubt stimulated by the Gallows, exotic timber, including mahogany.

Lancaster also played some part in the slave trade.

The Maritime Museum is not a place to explore quickly. It is full of history and exhibits include one showing the modern oil drilling enterprises in the bay, old methods of fishing and natural history.

There is also a substantial section devoted to the Lancaster Canal, which has just celebrated its 200th anniversary.

I enjoyed seeing the displays of exotic (erotic in some cases) ships' figureheads and a display showing work in the old warehouses.

The exterior of the museum which is also wonderful and this is an excellent base from which to explore the history of Lancaster.

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