- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1093 · 11th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Coordinates
- 54.0498°, -2.8056°
History
The hill above the River Lune once held Roman forts, and at the end of the 11th century Roger of Poitou founded a Norman castle here. A stone keep followed in the 12th century, and in the early 15th century Henry IV, the first Lancastrian king, built a mighty twin-towered gatehouse. From the Middle Ages the castle served as a court and prison; in 1612 it saw the trial of the Pendle witches, which ended with ten people executed. In the late 18th century Thomas Harrison added the Gothic Revival Shire Hall courtroom. The prison remained in use until 2011, and the Crown Court still sits in the castle, which belongs to the Duchy of Lancaster.
What to see
Guided tours take in the Shire Hall with hundreds of coats of arms on its walls, the Crown Court, the cells and the former prison wing. From outside, the most impressive feature is Henry IV's gatehouse, often called the John of Gaunt Gate. Lancaster Priory, a medieval church, stands beside the castle, and the hill looks out over the town and the Lune estuary.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q2969640
Popularity: articles about this site in 16 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).