The later fort is the only example in north-west Britain of a 4th-century type, with massive curtain-wall and projecting bastions typical of the Saxon Shore or Wales.

[17] Church Street and some of St Leonard's Gate probably mark the initial course of the Roman road up the valley to the fort at Over Burrow.

[22] Lancaster Castle, partly built in the 13th century and enlarged by Elizabeth I, stands on the site of a Roman garrison.

[24] It also figured prominently in the suppression of Catholicism during the Reformation – at least eleven Catholic priests were executed and a memorial to them as the Lancaster Martyrs stands by the city centre.

[29] The last slave ship to be constructed in Lancaster was the 267-tonne Trafalgar, built in 1806 at Brockbank’s shipyard for Samuel Hinderland and William Hinde.

[30] Lancaster's role as a major port diminished as the river began to silt up[26] and Morecambe, Glasson Dock and Sunderland Point became preeminent for brief periods.

In recent years, a high-tech sector has emerged from information technology and telecommunications companies investing in the city.

At the May 2007 local elections, Labour lost ground to the Greens in Lancaster and the MBIs in Morecambe, resulting in no overall control, with all parties represented in a PR administration.

[45] The central area of the city can be roughly defined by the railway to the west, the canal to the south and east, and the river to the north.

[46] Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham have been identified by the Office for National Statistics as forming the Lancaster/Morecambe Built-up area, with a population of 97,150 in the 2011 census.

[48] There is a small portion of green belt on the northern fringe of Lancaster, covering the area into Carnforth and helping to prevent further urban expansion towards nearby Morecambe, Hest Bank, Slyne and Bolton-le-Sands.

[46] The road leads south to Preston, Chorley and Manchester and north to Carnforth, Kendal, Penrith and Carlisle.

The city council aims to open a railway station serving the university and south Lancaster, although this is not feasible in the short or medium term with current levels of demand.

Lancaster Castle, the Priory Church of St Mary and the Edwardian Ashton Memorial are among the sites of historical importance.

Its programmes include Lancaster's Nuffield Theatre, one of the largest professional studio theatres in Europe, the Peter Scott Gallery, with the most significant collection of Royal Lancastrian ceramics in Britain, and the Lancaster International Concerts Series, drawing nationally and internationally renowned classical and world-music artists.

[73] The Storey Creative Industries Centre is also home to Lancaster's Litfest, which runs an annual literature festival.

[77] The Lancaster Grand Theatre and the Dukes are notable venues for live performance, as are the Yorkshire House (currently closed), Jailors Barrel, The John O' Gaunt and The Bobbin.

[78] Every November the city hosts a daylight and art festival entitled "Light Up Lancaster",[79] which includes a prominent fireworks display.

One of these, together with a poetical illustration (which relates to the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay) by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833.

As part of the band Bad English, John Waite also had a #1 hit in the Billboard top hundred in the 1970s called "When I See You Smile".

Lancaster continues to produce bands and musicians such as singer-songwriter Jay Diggins, and acts like The Lovely Eggs, receiving considerable national radio play and press coverage in recent years.

Musicians such as Clean Bandit, The Long Blondes, Ellie Goulding, Marina And The Diamonds, Jessie J, Wolf Alice, The Wombats, The Thrills, Kate Nash, Adele and Bat for Lashes have taken part.

[91] Local TV coverage is provided by BBC North West Tonight and ITV Granada Reports.

[citation needed] Commercially available newspapers include The Lancaster Guardian and The Visitor (mainly targeted at residents of Morecambe).

Virtual Lancaster, founded in 1999, is a non-commercial volunteer-led resource website also featuring local news, events and visitor information.

[108] Lancaster is also home to a campus of the University of Cumbria – more centrally located on the site of the former St Martin's College – which was inaugurated in 2007.

It provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the arts, social sciences, business, teacher training, health care and nursing.

The club plays home matches at the Giant Axe, which has a capacity of 3,500 (513 seated) and was formed in 1911 as Lancaster Town F.C.

It is one of the cities that rotates hosting the International Youth Games, a multi-sport Olympics-style event featuring competitors from Lancaster's twin towns: Rendsburg (Germany), Perpignan (France), Viana do Castelo (Portugal), Aalborg (Denmark), Almere (Netherlands), Lublin (Poland) and Växjö (Sweden).

Rugby union is a popular sport in the area, with the local clubs being Vale of Lune RUFC and Lancaster CATS.