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Essential Hotels > England > Lancashire
Lancashire is a county in the north-west of England; the county boundaries have changed considerably over the years, most notably during the latter years of the 20th century. While at one time Lancashire extended far into the Lake District (the famous Three Shires Stone denotes the triple-point at which the counties of Lancashire, Cumberland and Westmorland once met), this is now no longer the case, and the modern county of Cumbria now lies to the north of a much smaller Lancashire.
Changes have also occurred in the south of the county – at one time Manchester was part of Lancashire (Lancashire County Cricket Club is still based at Manchester’s Old Trafford), as well as towns such as Wigan, Bolton, Oldham and Rochdale; these are all now collectively part of Greater Manchester. Similarly, much of the area surrounding Liverpool was also part of Lancashire, although they now fall under the Merseyside banner.
Lancashire also shares borders with North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. The traditional rivalries between Yorkshire and Lancashire have been well documented, beginning with the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, when the House of Lancaster (represented then, as Lancashire still is now, by a red rose symbol) endured many bloody battles with its adversary the House of York, which wore a white rose, a symbol still used by Yorkshire today.
Today the rivalry still exists, albeit in a somewhat less violent way; nowhere is this more evident than in sport, particularly in cricket and rugby league. It is also worth mentioning that of the twelve founder members of the Football League, six of the teams were from Lancashire; Blackburn Rovers remain the last football team from a town (rather than a city) to win the league championship, while neighbours Preston North End – the first ever league champions in 1888-89 – hosted the Football League Museum at their Deepdale ground until it moved to Manchester.
The county lies on the west coast of England and so has bays and beaches, with Morecambe Bay and Blackpool among the most well known. The latter of these was once one of the great English seaside destinations and is home to the iconic Blackpool Tower and the Blackpool Pleasure Beach theme park with its series of thrilling rides and fun activities.
Changes have also occurred in the south of the county – at one time Manchester was part of Lancashire (Lancashire County Cricket Club is still based at Manchester’s Old Trafford), as well as towns such as Wigan, Bolton, Oldham and Rochdale; these are all now collectively part of Greater Manchester. Similarly, much of the area surrounding Liverpool was also part of Lancashire, although they now fall under the Merseyside banner.
Lancashire also shares borders with North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. The traditional rivalries between Yorkshire and Lancashire have been well documented, beginning with the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, when the House of Lancaster (represented then, as Lancashire still is now, by a red rose symbol) endured many bloody battles with its adversary the House of York, which wore a white rose, a symbol still used by Yorkshire today.
Today the rivalry still exists, albeit in a somewhat less violent way; nowhere is this more evident than in sport, particularly in cricket and rugby league. It is also worth mentioning that of the twelve founder members of the Football League, six of the teams were from Lancashire; Blackburn Rovers remain the last football team from a town (rather than a city) to win the league championship, while neighbours Preston North End – the first ever league champions in 1888-89 – hosted the Football League Museum at their Deepdale ground until it moved to Manchester.
The county lies on the west coast of England and so has bays and beaches, with Morecambe Bay and Blackpool among the most well known. The latter of these was once one of the great English seaside destinations and is home to the iconic Blackpool Tower and the Blackpool Pleasure Beach theme park with its series of thrilling rides and fun activities.