Tag: Lancaster Castle

Lancaster Venues 11 to 13

When attending a gig at Lancaster Library earlier this year we made our first visit to the new Tite and Locke bar on the station platform and noted a poster outlining the upcoming 13th edition of the Lancaster Music festival which piqued our interest. Thus, it came to pass on 14/10/23 that a group of seven made our debut appearance at the event.

It is an excellent well attended free festival taking place over three days over the weekend (Friday through to Sunday). It is a very wide ranging encompassing over 50 venues across the city including events within schools, musuems, theatres, cinemas, busking stops and also in a novel addition, even gigs taking place on a floating mobile stage on a barge on Lancaster Canal! The local legends Lovely Eggs headlined the festival on the Sunday night.

After an initial meeting and whistle wetting in the Tite and Locke at 1pm, we left the station and headed down to the nearby historic Lancaster Castle which I had not visited for a very long time. There was a decent crowd already gathered at this early hour and there were a suite of merchandise and food and drink stalls scattered around and there were festival programmes on sale.

Lancaster Castle. Image Credit melodromestage.co.uk

They had also set up a small outdoor stage within the castle grounds embossed in medieval ‘Game of Thrones’ style and named it the Melodrome Stage and a band called 2nd Leg were performing. They were a vibrant seven-piece combo complete with fiddles, harps and mandolins performing Irish and Scottish jigs and they had evolved from the Irish dance group Absolutely Legless. 

Nearby and standing as a gateway to Castle Hill is the Lancaster Storey Gardens Craic Inn where a stage had been set up in the gardens adjoining the building. The Grade II listed Storey building was constructed in 1887 and funded by local philanthropist Thomas Storey. It was built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee and was designed as a creative hub and covers diverse events such as business conferences, films, music and theatrical recitals.

Lancaster Storey building. Image Credit Visit Lancashire

On the outdoor stage we saw the Dundee folk singer Rhuari Campbell play. After playing in many other bands for a few years he was now heading out as a solo artist. There were also bands playing in the grand indoor building setting, but we unfortunately landed between the scheduled sets, so it didn’t allow me to tick this off as visited venue, at least not yet!  

A further short walk away and you arrived at China Street and the established rock venue in town The Pub. The establishment has been around for many years, and I recall visiting as far back as the late 1990’s but had never yet encountered a live act there. On the day they were rotating bands across two stages with Space set up as the headliners.

We landed at Lancaster The Pub Outdoor Stage set up in the beer garden and we shuffled out to there after purchasing an aperitif from the indoor bar. It was extremely busy and reputedly the most well attended venue on the day. On stage were a noisy rock band from Manchester called Luna Market and these kids could play. They were covering 1970’s standards and had a powerful female lead singer and an excellent guitarist, though I think he had played one too many games of ‘Guitar Legend’.

The Pub. Image Credit flickr.com

Whilst I stood there, I had a moment of clarity as I was thinking what more can there be in the world than watching a commendable rock band in an outside space at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon with a cold beer in hand and in attendance with good friends and like-minded punters, sounds like my kind of heaven!   

Lancaster Venues 4 to 7

If you take a left turn outside the main entrance of Lancaster train station, there is a path that takes you over the hill by Lancaster Castle. The Castle itself has a long history including its role as a bastion against the Picts and Scots tribes and was the location of the trials of the Lancashire Witches and has rather grimly witnessed over 200 executions. As recently as 2011 it was a fully functioning HM prison and in recent years has also become a music venue alongside 50 others within the October Lancaster Music Festival, an event I have yet to visit.

The path then drops back down to the River Lune where I used to visit the Wagon and Horses and then onto the George and Dragon pub. If you then walk along the riverfront towards the centre this brings you to Lancaster Three Mariners on Bridge Lane.

Lancaster Three Mariners. Image Credit whatpub.com

The pub is the oldest in the city and the Grade II listed building dates to the 15th century and has an olde world feel with wood beams and low doorframes and is reputedly haunted. It is a CAMRA award winning pub and as a result you can purchase some tasty ales. One night in 2017 I saw an act called Acoustic Blues play there.

As you continue to walk past the bus station and up Bridge Lane you reach the highly recommended Bombay Balti House where I have been visiting on and off for around twenty years and attended as part of my 40th birthday celebrations.  

If you then turn into Church Street and past my favourite Lancaster pub, the Sun you arrive at Lancaster Study Room. This is a very chilled establishment which also contains a restaurant. Whilst visiting here on a night out in September 2016 there was a young local acoustic artist called Oliver strumming away in the corner.  

On the other side of St Nicholas Arcade shopping centre from there lies Lancaster Tap House which can be found down a quiet side road called Gage Street. As the pub name implies, they have a plethora of fine ales and over fifty bottled beers to peruse and choose from and is a terrific little bar. They have regular musical content and on one visit in August 2013 we enjoyed a set by a decent young local singer called Sarah Comer.

Further across town on Parliament Street, you would find the Lancaster Yorkshire House. It has more recently changed its name to Yorkshire Taps and is run by the local Mitchells Brewery. On a Christmas lads’ night out in 2013, we could hear music emanating from the function room upstairs so obviously had to investigate further.

Lancaster Yorkshire House. Image Credit tripadvisor.co.uk

In the small music room, a band called Two For Joy were on stage. They are led by prolific local musician and artist Ben Hall who is joined by other band members. They have supported local legends Lovely Eggs who have also played at this venue. Ben has also exhibited his art works in the city been involved in a musical side project called Mr Ben and the Bens. My records display to me that from a statistical viewpoint this became my 200th different venue visited.