Lancaster Castle


Lancaster Castle - John O' Gaunt Gateway
Click on the picture for a better view.

Lancaster Castle is open to the public daily - except that when the Courts are in session, some of the Castle rooms are unavailable and the itinerary is changed. The entrance for the public tour is half way round the Castle from the John O' Gaunt Gateway, and is opposite the gateway to Lancaster Priory. There is an admission charge to the Castle. There are many steps in this historic Castle, and it is not suitable for wheelchair access. The part of Lancaster Castle which is still a working prison is not open to the public at any time.

In 1086 Roger de Poitou, third son of a cousin of William the Conqueror, started building the Castle, probably using stone left on the hilltop from the late-Roman Fort. The first phase was completed in 1090. He must have had some help!

King John is said to have held Court at Lancaster Castle. The main gateway, named after John O' Gaunt, is thought to date from 1405 - slightly after his time [he died in 1399 - see the Lancaster Priory Timeline ]. Construction continued over 500 years, to around the 1570s to 1580s. The statue in the niche above the John O' Gaunt gateway is by Claude Nimmo and is relatively modern, dating from 1826.

At the beginning of the English Civil War, Lancaster Castle was held by the Royalists. They surrendered to the Parliamentarians without a shot being fired. This annoyed the Earl of Derby so much, that he laid seige to the Castle in March 1643 for two whole days. When he found he wasn't getting anywhere - look for the musket ball marks to the left of the John O' Gaunt gateway - he burnt the town down. Two hundred civilians died. In 1651 the Castle was ordered to be destroyed and the outer wall was taken down. As Senior Castle Guide Eric Wilkinson remarked, someone then noticed that they were destroying the County Gaol, so they stopped. The outer wall was missing for 135 years. In 1785, a fever hit the town, and the Governor of the Castle died. The outer wall was then rebuilt, four times bigger than before.

There have been many famous trials and executions at the Castle. The first trial we know of was in 1196. There were more death sentences handed down at Lancaster Castle than any other Court in England, except Old Newgate in London. Surprisingly, more people were executed for forgery than for any other offence. There were two hundred separate offences which carried the death penalty until 1825. The age of criminal responsibility, that is when you were subject to adult sentences, including the death penalty, was nine years old. Crowds of between five thousand and seven thousand people used to turn up to watch public executions outside the Castle. The last execution in Lancaster, which was not in public, was in 1910.

From 1614 until the war of independence, some offenders were deported to America. From 1788 until 1868, three thousand people were deported to Australia from Lancaster. In all, 200,000 people were deported from Lancaster. In Hadrian's Tower, you can see the chains which held the captives as they walked to their fate. You can also see - and if you wish, be locked in - a thick stone walled, 500 year old dark, dank dungeon cell (an old prison - not in modern use). The cell floors were originally earth, covered with straw. Inmates had to share the cells, and had no washing or latrine facilities. They were allowed out briefly, twice a week to clean out their cell. Prisoners on remand [waiting for trial] were incarcerated along with the others, even though in theory they were innocent until proven guilty. As the Assize Courts happened twice a year, there could be a long wait. If you do choose to be locked in a cell - it will only be for about a minute - you will see how dark it would have been, illuminated just by the light filtering through a little grille above the door, from a (now electric) candle on the wall opposite. By the way, Lancashire County Council ensures that the stone flagged floors are now immaculate, so there's no offensive smell !

Hadrian's Tower is situated at the centre of the old Roman Cavalry fort. The walls are 9 feet 6 inches thick - about 2•89 metres. In addition to the displays of old weapons [look up as well as around ! ] and methods of restraint, it now houses a Roman Altar to their god Mars, which was unearthed around 1797, during the building of the Shire Hall and rebuilding of the Castle outer wall.

You may also see old implements of torture and branding irons ('M' for malefactor), escape tools, a device for preventing women from speaking (never used on men !) while they were kept in Market Square for an hour for the amusement of the populace; and chairs used for restraining the mentally ill who were known as 'lunatics', got no medical treatment and little sympathy.

The Shire Hall was opened in 1800 and is still used to try civil law cases. There is a large display of miniature coats of arms (shields) in the Shire Hall showing the arms of Monarchs, High Sheriffs of Lancashire (which was a much larger County than it is today, after the 1972 county boundary re-organisation), and Constables of the Castle. The Shire Hall was designed by a Yorkshire architect, Thomas Harrison, and the internationally renowned Lancaster cabinet makers, Gillow, made the woodwork in 1799. There is a modern 'dock', also made in wood, but to a much less exacting standard, installed for the late 20th century 'Birmingham Bomb' trial.

The other Court you may see, provided that it is not in session, is the Crown Court, which is the oldest working court-room in Britain. It also holds the dubious distinction of being the place in Britain where most death sentences have been passed. The upstairs room which is at present used as a Jury waiting room was used as a court room for the trial of the Quaker George Fox, and for the Lancashire 'Witches'. Its ceiling, apparently panelled in light oak, is actually painted. The Drop Room, which is at present used by Juries while they consider their verdict, is the place from where those sentenced to death walked straight out on to the scaffold. There is a small model to show how the scaffold worked. There are also an attractive old painting of the Castle and Priory, an old map of Lancaster with the history of the town written at the bottom, and display cases containing copies of the last speeches or letters of people about to be executed and a hangman's small noose. There are twelve chairs for the jurors around a round table.

Lancaster Castle from the Priory Ringing Chamber
Click on the picture for a better view.

Between World War 1 and World War 2, Lancaster Castle was used as a training centre for the Lancashire County Constabulary (Police Force). You can see a picture from around this period which shows cannons on Castle Green. The modern prison was opened in part of the Castle in 1966. Since then, the battlements are no longer open for public inspection. There are plans to open the whole Castle to the public when the modern prison is closed, however the Home Office [government department responsible for prisons] has postponed this on more than one occasion. In 1812, there were 510 prisoners in Lancaster Castle. The present maximum is 240.

Lancaster Castle is owned by the Duke of Lancaster - who is also the reigning Monarch, currently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She visited the Priory and Castle in July 1999. The Castle is administered on her behalf, by Lancashire County Council. The section used as a modern prison is administered by the Home Office.

The current Constable of Lancaster Castle - the person responsible to the Queen for the safe keeping of the Castle, and holder of the keys in her absence, is Mr. Gordon Johnson.

Eric Jones, who retired as Constable at the end of May 2004, was the first working man ever to hold this appointment. Previously, all Constables were appointed from the aristocracy. Mr Jones used to work for the local electricity supply company, Norweb, and his coat of arms reflects his occupation with the incorporation of two lightning flashes. See if you can find it in the Shire Hall near the centre of the rows of shields. Mr Jones was a County Magistrate and County Councillor.

The Constable of the Castle presides at the annual Shield Hanging ceremony. The three keys the Constable is responsible for may be seen in the Shire Hall. One is Victorian, dating from 1851, one is from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I dating from 1590, and the oldest, for the main Gatehouse dates from 1410. The Constable is paid an honorarium which hasn't kept up with inflation - a mere five guineas a year. In pre-decimal money, that was five pounds and five shillings. In decimal currency, that amounts to £5-25 - hardly a monarch's ransom.

SPACE
From the East side - click on each picture for a better view - from the North West.

Photographs are copyright © Lancaster Priory.

Why not visit both Lancaster Castle and Lancaster Priory together. . Admission to Lancaster Priory is free, and, from Easter to October, you can get a snack or light meal in the Priory Refectory. If you'd like to arrange a conducted tour of Lancaster Priory for a coach party, please contact our Chief Guide Mr James Glen MBE on 01524-65338 or email the Lancaster Priory Education Outreach Officer Cindy Rigney at lancasterpriory@yahoo.co.uk, to arrange a school visit working with material based on the UK National Curriculum.

Souvenirs are available both in the Priory Bell Tower Book and Gift shop and in the Castle.

Lancaster Castle is administered by Lancashire County Council on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.
Lancaster Castle tours usually start at 10-30am (1030), and finish at 4pm (1600).
At Weekends, and during the week when the law Courts are not in session, tours will usually start at 1030 and every subsequent half-hour up to and including 4pm (1600). Mid-week tours may start at 1130 - please check if you need to.
From 1st April 2006 the cost for the tour is £5-00 for each adult, £4-00 for each child aged between 6 and 16, or student (with student card) or senior citizen; or £14-00 for a family ticket which entitles 2 adults and 2 concessions (including senior citizens) to admission - additional children are charged £4-00 each. Admission for children under 6 years old is free.

Towers and Dungeons Tour  On Mondays to Fridays when the Courts are in session, some of the rooms are unavailable, so a shorter 40 minute tour is provided which includes Hadrians Tower and the Cells. If the weather is good, a bonus tour of the external walls plus Hanging Corner will be included.

On these days, tours usually start at 1030, 1100, 1130, 1230, 1pm (1300), 2pm (1400), 2-30pm (1430), 3pm (1500) and 4pm (1600).

This will cost £2-50 for adults, and £1-50 for concessions.

Please telephone the Lancaster Castle Shire Hall Administrator on 01524-64998 near the time of your visit to confirm tour times.
The Castle flagpole now sports an un-inspiring HM Prison Service flag, so you can no longer tell if the Courts are in session by the Union Flag (Union Jack) being flown.

Various events are held through the year, more details later . . .

Prices and times may vary, so please contact the booking office for more details, or pick up an information leaflet.

The Castle booking office is open daily 10am (1000) until 5pm (1700) on Lancaster 01524 - 64998.
Credit card bookings are accepted.

[Information correct at 5th April 2007. Please check before travelling to an event.]

Further information for visitors to the area is available from Lancaster Tourism - find contact details on our Civic and Tourism Information Links. Check out the map to find your way around.
You can find out more about Lancaster Castle by following the links to the Lancashire County Council website from the History (non-ecclesiastical) section of our Links page.



Some historical information is from a guided tour by Senior Castle Guide Eric Wilkinson; some from Lancaster Priory Chief Guide James Glen MBE. Other information is from sources credited on the Timeline page.

This page is Bobby approved - it meets the 5th May 1999 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

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