The Lancashire Portal
Lancashire (/ˈlæŋkəʃər/ LAN-kə-shər, /-ʃɪər/ -sheer; abbreviated Lancs) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The largest settlement is Preston, and the county town is the city of Lancaster.
The county has an area of 3,079 square kilometres (1,189 sq mi) and a population of 1,490,300. Preston is located near the centre of the county, which is urbanised and includes the towns of Blackburn and Burnley; the seaside resort of Blackpool lies to the west, and Lancaster is in the north. For local government purposes the ceremonial county of Lancashire comprises the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, with twelve districts, and two unitary authority areas: Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. Lancashire County Council and the two unitary councils collaborate through the Lancashire Combined County Authority. The county historically included northern Greater Manchester and Merseyside, the Furness and Cartmel peninsulas of Cumbria, and part of northern Cheshire, but excluded the eastern part of the Forest of Bowland. (Full article...)
Selected article -
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cultural icon and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. He has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and five Emmy Awards.
McKellen made his stage debut in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre as a member of its repertory company, and in 1965 made his first West End appearance. In 1969, he was invited to join the Prospect Theatre Company to play the lead parts in Shakespeare's Richard II and Marlowe's Edward II. In the 1970s McKellen became a stalwart of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain. He has earned five Olivier Awards for his roles in Pillars of the Community (1977), The Alchemist (1978), Bent (1979), Wild Honey (1984), and Richard III (1995). McKellen made his Broadway debut in The Promise (1965). He went on to receive the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1980). He was further nominated for Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare (1984). He returned to Broadway in Wild Honey (1986), Dance of Death (1990), No Man's Land (2013), and Waiting for Godot (2013), the latter two being a joint production with Patrick Stewart. (Full article...)
Topics
Related portals
Recognised content
Featured Articles:
Blackburn Olympic F.C., Pendle witches, Samlesbury witches
Featured Lists:
List of Nelson F.C. seasons, Listed buildings in Rivington
Good Articles:
1920–21 Burnley F.C. season, 1922–23 Nelson F.C. season, East Lancashire Railway 1844–1859, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, Preston railway station, River Irwell, Rivington, Stonyhurst College, Turf Moor, William Sudell
General images -
-
Map of mid-Lancashire, c. 400. (from History of Lancashire) -
The Red Rose of Lancaster is the county flower of Lancashire, and a common symbol for the county. (from History of Lancashire) -
A Chorley cake (left) and an Eccles cake (right) (from Chorley cake) -
John Speed's map of the County Palatine of Lancaster, 1610 (from History of Lancashire) -
Parsonage Colliery in 1980 (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
Eccles cake and Lancashire cheese at a restaurant (from Lancashire cheese) -
Monument to James Anderton OBE, inventor of the power shearer, sited in St.Helens (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
North Lancashire in 1610. (from History of Lancashire) -
Ribble estuarine alluvium (from Geology of Lancashire) -
Southwest Lancashire in 1610. (from History of Lancashire) -
Worsley Delph, the entrance to the Duke of Bridgewater's underground mines (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
The historic county palatine boundaries in red and the ceremonial county in green (from History of Lancashire) -
Astley Green Colliery, offices and headgear (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
British Coalfields (from Lancashire Coalfield) -
Lancashire, nicknamed "The Red Rose County" within England, showing ancient extent (from History of Lancashire) -
Spoil heaps or "rucks" at Wharton Hall Colliery, Little Hulton (from Lancashire Coalfield)
Did you know ...
- ... that the flushwork decorating parts of St John the Baptist's Church, Pilling (pictured), Lancashire, is in two colours of sandstone rather than the more usual materials of flint and stone?
- ... that in 1920–21, Burnley were crowned champions of English football for the first time?
Subcategories
Cities map
WikiProjects
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
