From the BBC Website, 20th November 2004

Parts of historic castle closed

Parts of Lancaster Castle have been temporarily closed in the interest of public safety.

Small fractures were discovered in high-level masonry in the Shire Hall terrace, which houses the castle's display of heraldic shields.

The closure is not expected to affect tours of the castle, while repairs are carried out.

The castle, which also houses a Category C training prison and court, dates back to Roman times.

 

See also http://www.lancastercastle.com/

Some old postcards of Lancaster Castle, from my collection.

A couple more old postcards of Lancaster Castle purchased recently.

From Clitheroe Today, 15th March 2006

 

Bank manager is new High Sheriff

 

A former Clitheroe bank manager, who spent several years helping to rejuvenate a neighbouring town, has been appointed Lancashire's new High Sheriff.

 

In 1990, father-of-two Mr Peter Robinson (63), of Shays Drive, was at the helm of an exciting project in Blackburn, which brought him into regular contact with HRH, The Prince of Wales. The ex-bank manager at the town's Barclays Bank was appointed chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Partnership – a scheme launched by the Prince of Wales, which aimed to regenerate Blackburn's economy, reduce unemployment and improve the town's environment.

 

He successfully completed the tough task and when he retired two years ago from the post, he received a personal letter of thanks from Prince Charles for his tremendous efforts in uniting the public and the private sectors. He was also honoured with the Lord Sieff Award for his contribution to the community. A ceremony will be held next month at County Hall in Preston, where Mr Robinson will be sworn in as the new High Sheriff of Lancashire.

 

The High Sheriff is appointed by the Queen in her capacity as Duke of Lancaster and Mr Robinson, who is already a deputy to the county's Lord Lieutenants since 2000, will replace outgoing High Sheriff, ex-England captain and Blackpool FC legend Jimmy Armfield OBE.

 

For the next 12 months, Mr Robinson's duties will include attending significant functions, hosting talks about his role at schools, being part of any Royal visits to Lancashire and representing the region as a whole.

 

Mr Robinson lives with his wife, Jackie, and has two grown-up children who live in Clitheroe – Michael Robinson and Tracey Jacques. He also has two grandchildren, Katie (11) and nine-year-old Thomas.

 

He says he is "over the moon" with the prestigious title. "I have a feeling of huge pride," he commented.

 

"I am aware of the historical importance of the role and it is a great honour. I cannot explain any better than that. I am looking forward to my year in office and meeting interesting people from all walks of life. At the moment it feels as though I am going into the unknown! The response from friends and family has been fantastic. Everyone is very pleased for me and I am looking forward to giving something back to this county of mine."

 

Mr Robinson, who is an active member of Clitheroe Golf Club added: "No doubt my handicap will increase dramatically because I won't have time to play!"

At the installation ceremony next month, Mr Robinson must make a declaration to "serve the Queen's Writs and execute the good laws and statutes of the Realm".

 

In keeping with tradition, a shield in Mr Robinson's newly-created coat of arms has been created to be hung at Lancaster Castle alongside those of other holders of the ancient office.

 

His shield includes two stags – animal emblems associated with the Robinson surname, and two castles – one representing Clitheroe and the other Dalton-in-Furness – his place of birth.

 

He is also commissioning the making of a brooch based on the shield for Mrs Robinson to wear during official visits.

 

Mr Robinson has lived in Clitheroe since 1984 when he took up the post as manager at Barclays Bank in Castle Street.

Another old postcard of Lancaster Castle, recently added to my collection.

A copy of a sketch of the castle, 1944.

An engraving from the Modern Universal British Traveller, c1770.

I've had an old book in my possession for many years, called "Old England" by Charles Knight. It has many engravings of various castles, but due to its size and age, well nigh impossible to scan any pictures from. So I've now managed to obtain a few pages independently, and have started to scan some of the engravings. Here is one of Lancaster Castle - from around 1850.