The final pitstop of our Victoria Wood jolly was in Lancaster, the county town of Lancashire. Our lodgings for the night were at the historic 17th-century Sun Hotel and Bar with fancy rooms. Like my creaking bones, the creaking floorboards gave its age away.
Founded as a Roman fort in the 1st century CE, the handsome city, stuffed with listed buildings, is wrapped around the medieval castle built on the Roman roots. For us, the castle – until recently a prison – was the main event. Unfortunately, many of the best bits were ‘guided tour only’. Still, an old cell block which currently hosts the Lancashire Police Museum was open to casual callers – a quick frisk by a burly screw* with a bulldog face not required. And instead of ‘porridge’ at His Majesty’s pleasure, it was coffee and cake in the sunny castle courtyard afterwards, then back to our digs for some excellent pub grub washed down with decent vino. Cheers!
*’Screw’ is slang for a prison guard. The term is thought to originate from the 19th century, when prison life was really grim. Back then, inmates were forced to perform gruelling and utterly pointless hard labour by turning a hand-crank for hours on end. Depending on their mood, guards could tighten or loosen the screw on the machine to make the wheel harder or easier to turn. Hence the possible origin of the word still used today.
Perking the Pansies 
Such rich history throughout your country. Here in the US West, things are considered historic when they are 100 years old. And we don’t get much older than that. My great state of Arizona turned 114 in February.
The first European to arrive came in 1535, but the area wasn’t settled until 1752 in the now-town of Tubac, south of Tucson. That’s when the Spanish completed their first mission in the what’s now Arizona.
It is a beautiful mission as is the one in southwestern Tucson. But castles? My goodness, I can’t imagine living where they are simply sitting off in the distance. Or the end of town.
Thanks for the tour.
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You’re welcome 😃 There is history all around us and we do take it all a bit too much for granted. Even my own house is 174 years old. I googled the Spanish mission – fascinating!
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