Nightlife in Lancaster

Do you enjoy movies? Maybe you’re a theatre buff, or like poetry? Or perhaps you’re someone who enjoys sampling different cuisines? Then you will love spending time in Lancaster and the surrounding area 

Lancaster has a lot of different things to do once the sun goes down. There are restaurants, nightclubs, pubs, a cinema, two well established theatres, and the Gregson Centre and the Storey both offer poetry, and other creative outlets.

Restaurants

Lancaster offers a variety of different cuisines, so there is always somewhere good to eat out.

Bella Pasta in the city centre offers Italian food, such as Calzone and pizza

The Borough offers excellent pub food, their burgers are particularly tasty, and they do a deal with both the local theatres, allowing ticket holders a discounted meal.

Molly’s is a small Italian, with an extensive happy hour, offering some dishes at £4.95. Their salmon fettuccine and pizza Margherita is particularly good, but all their food has a great reputation.

Paolo Gianni’s which is a short walk away from Molly’s is a lively place to eat, and offers inexpensive meals with a friendly atmosphere.

Pubs

The Robert Gillow is a city centre pub that hosts regular music nights, it’s a friendly place which has great beers. They host folk, jazz and blues music nights, and a folk band performs there every week.

Merchants is the place to go if you like your pubs to be steeped in history, it’s been on the site since 1688. It’s a small but friendly pub, with several different rooms, which feel like you are in a beer cellar. Good music too!

The White Cross is located on the canal side, and offers wonderful meals. On weekdays you can order a main course for £6 between noon and six. Their fish and chips hold a fond place in my memory, and the staff help add to the warm atmosphere.

Yorkshire House also known as ‘Yorkie’ prides itself on it’s live music. It’s located not far from the bus station and is always full of people. It offers a wide range of music genres, and also has a great reputation for it’s real ale.  

Nightclubs

The Sugarhouse is popular for live music. It’s not a easy place to find at first, located down a side street, but the effort is definitely worth it, if you enjoy dance music. They host local DJs as well as more well known ones, Rudimental and Lethal Bizzle have both done sets there.  

The Mint is a cocktail bar, which some consider a little pricey, but the drinks are excellent. It’s mainly dance music which is played though, and it’s a small place so it can get a little loud for some tastes.

Cinemas

Lancaster has two main places to see a film

The Vue is a multiplex, where you can see all the latest releases and it’s in the city centre.

The Dukes offers well known films but also screens foreign language films. They often have more than one screening of a film.

Theatres

If you’re a culture vulture, then Lancaster boasts two excellent theatres

The Dukes is a theatre and a cinema. They have a wide range of different things on, and put on matinees every week. The ticket prices for the theatre start at £5, for a standing only ticket. There are a lot of different things on every week, in one week they publicised a ballet one night, and then Andi Osho (Comedian from Mock the Week) the next night, and then there was a Brazilian film screening on the night after.

The Grand hosts a number of nationally known comedians, and has it’s own amateur dramatics troupe who often put on productions. The pantomimes are particularly popular if you come at Christmas time.

(Information correct up to 15th February 2016)

If after reading this article, you have found some places that you would like to visit, and need to book a taxi, then you need to call Coastal Taxis.

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Lancaster for families

Poldark? Downton Abbey? War and Peace? If these have been part of your regular viewing on television, then come to Lancaster. You can see what people were really doing in the past. 

 Museums 

Maritime Museum is on the quay. It shows the history of Lancaster as a port city, referring to the slave trade, and the ships which used to travel along the canal.It’s an impressive building, and the staff are very well informed about the history of Lancaster’s maritime trading. It costs £3 for adults and £2 for concessions.

Lancaster Castle is one of the oldest prisons in the country. It’s only recently stopped being a working one, but is still in use as a Crown Court. The staff run tours throughout the year, which are full of information about the past. It also includes a chance, for those who wish it, to be closed into one of the cells that were used to house those accused of witchcraft in 1612. Tickets for families cost £20.

Judges Lodgings is a large museum, where the judges used to stay between 1776 and 1975. It’s also the oldest town house in the city. Now it is home to an impressive collection of Gillow furniture, and also the Museum of Childhood, showing toys which date from the 18th century to the present day. It’s not far from the castle, and is within walking distance of one of the former Gillow factories. It costs £3 for adults, and £2 for concessions.

Lancaster City Museum sits right in the town square. It’s an imposing Georgian building, and the ground floor tends to host exhibitions. They are changed quite often, but are well publicised. The upper level is filled with items from the long history of Lancaster, showing it’s growth from the Roman city to today. It’s free to enter the City Museum, and children friendly activities are often run by the Museum staff.

Parks 

Williamson’s Park can be seen for miles, thanks to the prominent Ashton Memorial which sits atop one of the hills. It’s a local landmark, and in the summer the Dukes often put on performances. There’s a butterfly house, and a nice cafe, as well as a children’s play area. It’s a lovely park, particularly popular in the summer months, but if it snows in the winter, people come to use their toboggans on the long sloping hills. It’s free admission to the park, but the other attractions such as the butterfly house do cost money to get in.

Other landmarks 

The Priory Church is in the grounds of the castle, and has been a place of worship for centuries. It’s beautiful inside, and is well worth a look if you have an interest in architecture.

Other family activities 

The Zone is a indoor soft play area with three levels. It’s separated into different age categories, with space for babies, toddlers, and junior children. It’s located in Dalton Square, and is open most days during the school holidays.

Lancaster Canal cruises and waterbus offer guided cruises complete with historical talks about the local area. The cruise includes food and drink, with allergies catered for.

(information all correct as of 15th February 2016)

If after reading this article, you have found some places that you would like to visit, and need to book a taxi, then you need to call Coastal Taxis.
01524 424424 (Morecambe)
01524 60000 (Lancaster)

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Reliable, recommended, tracked, tested, monitored – these aren’t just the words our customers use about us; they represent our values.

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Morecambe's Brightest Star

Eric Morecambe is known across the world, by people who might not know that he had his origins in the little town in the north of England which bears his name.  He was born John Eric Bartholomew, to George and Sadie Bartholomew.

His mother was one of his earliest supporters, in his ambitions to be an entertainer, taking a job as a waitress to pay for his dance classes.  Sadie’s belief in her son paid off when he won several competitions, one of which led to him meeting Ernie Wise. The pair that would eventually become known as Morecambe and Wise, and become one of the best loved comedic duos in history, met in 1941.  They were booked separately for Jack Hylton’s revue in Nottingham, but quickly became close friends.

Sadie encouraged them to try to develop a double act, and Hylton eventually allowed them to perform it as part of the revue. It was successful enough that Hylton kept it as part of the regular set, and also let them perform separately.

War service put a end to their burgeoning success, as Eric joined the Merchant Navy when he came of age.  They reunited unexpectedly in 1946, as they were both performing at Swansea Empire, and joined forces. That was the true beginning, as the pair worked together until 1984.

The first foray into television, in Running Wild broadcast in 1954, wasn’t very successful, and made them determined to have a greater hand in what they were performing.  When they went on Winifred Atwell’s show in 1956, it had more impact, and they were eventually offered their own series by Lew Grade. It was called Two of a kind, and ran for seven years (1961- 1968)

Unfortunately Eric suffered his first heart attack on 8th November 1968, and was helped to hospital by a passerby. After leaving hospital he cut down on his professional engagements, taking six months off.  The writing staff that had been working with Eric and Ernie at the time, didn’t believe that Eric would work in comedy again, and therefore decided to cut professional ties during his recuperation. The duo returned to the stage, in Aug 1969 and received a four minute standing ovation from the audience in Bournemouth.

They were soon back on the television in Morecambe and Wise show (1968-1977) , as well as having the Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise show on Radio 2 between 1975- 1978. Their 1977 Christmas show had viewing figures of over 28 million. Their final foray into television was also called the Morecambe and Wise show, running between 1978 and Christmas 1983.

Together they produced some of the most well loved comedic sketches in history, such as the ‘Singing in the Rain’ parody, where Ernie is in the Kelly role, happily dancing, but it’s Eric as the policeman who gets soaked to the skin.

It’s a testament to the enduring popularity of Morecambe and Wise that their television programmes, and the specials are still re run despite the fact that unfortunately neither are here anymore.

Legacy 

He was voted the funniest person of the 20th century, in 1999, gaining more than 20% of the vote and beating Tommy Cooper among others.

Kenneth Branagh directed a West End play based on one of Ernie’s catchphrases ‘The Play what I wrote’, it featured Kylie Minogue, Roger Moore and Nigel Havers, as well as Prince Charles, who is a fan of the pair. It ran in 2001, and went to Broadway.

His eldest son published a book ‘Life’s not Hollywood, it’s Cricklewood’ revealing his father to be like his on screen persona, if a little watered down. The book included family photographs, and was published in 2003.

His daughter Gail regularly speaks about him to interested parties, and runs a website in her father’s memory.

A poll run in 2005 by comedians and comedy insiders voted Morecambe and Wise to be the fourth greatest comedy act ever.


If you have enjoyed this article, and it has made you want to visit Morecambe, then you might need a taxi service. The one that you want to call is Coastal Taxis.

Safe, Reliable Taxi Services 

Safe and reliable. Punctual and polite.  Reliable, recommended, tracked, tested, monitored – these aren’t just the words our customers use about us; they represent our values.  Whether you’re a student wanting to move your stuff or a company looking for a great value taxi contract, you’ll find first class service at Coastal Taxis.

Call us today – Or BOOK ONLINE.

01524 424424 (Morecambe)
01524 60000 (Lancaster)

Our Services – Your Choices

24 hour a day, round-the-clock Service, 7 days a week (including Christmas)

Male and Female Private Hire and Hackney Carriage drivers, All drivers are DBS Checked and NVQ qualified.

Choose from saloon cars, minibuses, pram and wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Single journeys, regular runs or on-demand contracts, Text confirmation of your vehicle and your driver.