Visit Lancashire

Guest blog - Re Lancastrianising Leonora

Edge Hill University in Ormskirk celebrated at the end of June the Centenary of the birth in Lancashire of one of the world's most renowned surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington.

Born in 1917 in Clayton Le Woods, Chorley, and raised in Lancashire, Leonora became a 'national treasure' in her adoptive home of    Mexico, where she lived from 1942 till her death in 2011. She arrived in Mexico via an art fueled adventure that took in the    legendary International Surrealist Exhibition in London in 1936; life with Dadaist and Surrealist, Max Ernst, in France; a catastrophic    breakdown in Spain; escape to New York's artistic milieu followed by a warm welcome from Mexico, a country then liberally    embracing European artists and intellectuals in flight from Nazism.

100+ attendees assembled at the University's 'creative campus' just outside Ormskirk on June 30th for a day of academic papers,    talks, films, dance performances, drama, poetry and short stories, all based on or responding to Leonora's vast repertoire of    creative work, both visual and literary.

International academics from Universities in Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, France and Mexico visited Edge Hill University to take    part in the Symposium, joining many similarly minded from a host of UK Universities.

Welcome to Lancashire, Where Life Feels Good!

Come and enjoy our rich culture and heritage, take to our coast and hills for fresh-air fun and some of the best outdoor activities around, or to learn why we’re referred to as the ‘food and drink county’ thanks to authentic local produce that’s second to none.

Jump on a Virgin train from London and be in the centre of Lancashire in just two hours, then it’s just a short hop to the bright lights and entertainment of Blackpool- the UK’s favourite seaside resort or to the wide open spaces of the Forest of Bowland, the geographic centre of the United Kingdom and the latest star-gazers paradise.

This county of contrasts has something for everyone, here is just a taste of what to expect this spring!

#LoveTheNorth #WhereLifeFeelsGood

To find out more about the huge choice of events, festivals, activities and experiences go to our What's On Guide

Get Active in Lancashire

Forget the gym, let our beautiful (and sometimes challenging) Lancashire landscape inspire you to get active.

Walking
Its free, doesn’t require specialist equipment (except for comfy shoes) and you can do it anywhere. This vastly underrated form of exercise is proven to help reduce the risk of developing chronic illnesses, is suitable for all ages AND we’ve got loads of free walking routes to download from visitlancashire.com.

Spring into Lancashire during English Tourism Week

This year the English Tourism Week (14-22 March) coincides with the first day of Spring – so what better way to celebrate Lancashire’s fantastic choice of visitor experiences than with our 
Top Five Things to do in Lancashire this Spring.

1. Celebrate the natural world with a visit to a nature reserve. 
See Avocets at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Burscough which is celebrating its 40^th year with events throughout 2015. The new hide at Brockholes Nature Reserve near Preston (just off J31) with floor to ceiling glass gives visitors a brand new way to view the birdlife on No 1 Pit Lake and the new Sand Martin Wall.  See more nature reserves in Lancashire

2015 Highlights

2015 promises to be another action packed year in Lancashire including a fantastic range of events and things to do across the county.

Whether you want to fly like the Red Arrows, celebrate 40 years of wildlife conservation at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre, spend a week in Lytham for the new Proms Festival or indulge in a gourmet break at Northcote in the Ribble Valley, you'll find it all in Lancashire during 2015.

 

Marchpane, sugar mice and mince pies

Christmas through the ages at Rufford Old Hall

As you sit down to tuck into a traditional turkey lunch on Christmas Day, have you ever thought how our ancestors marked the festive season? At Rufford Old Hall near Ormskirk they’ve delved into the past to find out. 

Rufford is one of Lancashire’s finest Tudor buildings – it’s magnificent Great Hall the scene of many feasts and festivities. It also has a beautiful Victorian interior and it was when she was planning Rufford’s Christmas programme this year that Catherine Hazley, Rufford’s Visitor Services Officer decided to link these two historical periods with the theme of festive food through the ages.


Christmas with the Tudors

“Christmas was the greatest festival celebrated by the Tudors” says Catherine. Advent was a time of fasting with no meat, cheese, eggs or dairy products being eaten – although you could get around this by drinking milk made from almonds.

Cool Colne

I’ve been intrigued by the chatter and the ‘buzz’ on social media
about the retailers and cafes in Colne so, not being one to miss a chance to shop, I headed off one sunny day to explore Lancashire’s newest capital of cool with fellow PR and stylista, Laura.

It must be said that Albert Road, the main street, is very attractive, especially at the moment with almost every building festooned in flowers - the hanging baskets and window boxes filled to bursting.  What a treat too to find that the first, well-signed car park is actually FREE; a great way to encourage trade and welcome new visitors!

From Lancashire to the World!

The Life and Times of Mitchell & Kenyon from Lancashire to the World, a brand new ‘play with songs’ opened last week at the Dukes in Lancaster – something I’d been looking forward to since last year when I’d first seen the evocative promotional trailer.

The Lancashire film making duo were long forgotten until a chance discovery in Blackburn in 1994 when literally reams and reams (and reams!) of now fragile film footage was found, restored, digitised and shown to the world by the British Film Institute. There were few who weren’t moved by the streams of mill workers caught on film leaving factories, or the ‘topical’ films showing northern seaside towns, football matches and village fetes. I found the films fascinating and compelling to watch. 

Guest blog: Learning about taxidermy at Blackburn Museum

With thanks to Caroline Eccles from Huckleberry Films in Accrington for sharing his blog with visitlancashire.com.  

Just before Christmas I attended a 1 day beginners taxidermy course at Blackburn Museum. It was led by self taught vegan taxidermist Nicola Hebson, who has been practicing taxidermy since 2011.

Nicola welcomed us all to the class, and explained the techniques by demonstrating on a little white mouse.  I was a little bit queasy watching as she made the first incision - but it was a lot less messy than I’d expected, and really amazing to see how quickly she worked. Then it was time for us to put on our latex gloves and get started ourselves! We each selected our own mouse, and began to follow the same process that we had just watched. Nicola was really helpful, assisting with tricky bits and offering advice throughout.

Guest Blog: Lancashire Churches Stained Glass Heritage

With thanks to Daniel James Burke at  Lightworks Stained Glass, Clitheroe, for sharing his blog with visitlancashire.com.  

A series of articles featuring selected examples of stunning stained glass windows to be found through-out Lancashire’s churches

No 1: The Virgin Mary & Child, St. Mary & All Saints Church, Whalley

This modestly proportioned gem of a stained glass window by eminent arts & crafts stained glass artist, Christopher Whitworth Whall, can be found to the east of the main entrance door-way within the south elevation of beautiful Grade I* listed Whalley Parish Church.