Читать книгу The Lancashire Cycleway. The tour and 17 day rides онлайн

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There’s a fine view across the city from the top of the steps alongside the church. Prominent buildings include some 19th-century mills, the Town Hall, and St Peter’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, but lording it over everything on the hilltop opposite is the Ashton Memorial. Variously described as ‘England’s grandest folly’ and ‘the Taj Mahal of the North’, it was traditionally known locally just as ‘T’Structure’. The white Portland stone building, completed in 1909, was built for Lord Ashton, formerly ‘Lile Jimmy’ Williamson, as a memorial to his wife. He made a fortune from linoleum and oilcloth and in the late 19th century was the undisputed overlord of the town. Today the memorial houses displays and exhibitions and there are superb views from its balconies – but it’s a steep climb, and out of your way. Still, every passer-by wonders what it is, and now you know.

BY THE RIVER LUNE

The route runs behind St George’s Quay, the core of the former Port of Lancaster. In the mid-18th century it was, briefly, the second port of the nation. Many warehouses survive, now converted to other, mainly residential uses. Recent additions are very much in keeping, so the whole Quay retains a distinctly Georgian appearance. The centrepiece is the beautiful Customs House, dating from 1764, which now houses the Maritime Museum.