We can hardly believe it is 25 years since we first opened the doors of Lancaster House to welcome our guests. Where has the time gone?
We’ve hosted hundreds of weddings over the subsequent years, but Sarah and Duncan Roper were our very first wedding couple and we look forward to re-creating their wedding breakfast for them when they visit soon for a mutual Silver Celebration.
Sarah introduces the family and tells us about their ongoing connection with Lancaster House.
Happy Anniversary Lancaster House!
I was brought up in Lancaster, my family having moved to the city when I was very young. My father’s job at the University meant we occasionally spent time living abroad. Duncan grew up in Sheffield where even a trip to Barnsley was a major expedition! We now live in Timperley, Cheshire, in the home that we bought just after we got married.
We’ve got two sons, Joe, 21 who is studying Civil and Structural Engineering at Sheffield University, and Sam who is studying for his A levels at Sale Grammar School.
How did you meet?
Both Duncan and I have been involved in healthcare throughout our professional lives. We were introduced to each other whilst Duncan was working in Burnley for the NHS. We went out one Sunday afternoon for a platonic drink in a real ale pub in Manchester. A fight broke out in the pub (nothing to do with us!) and Duncan grabbed my hand and led me safely away from the fracas – from that moment on everything changed!
Was it a romantic proposal?
A romantic Lake District hotel proposal
The first proposal was on a night out in our local Indian Restaurant – where else? Duncan subsequently delivered a much more romantic ‘official’ proposal during a holiday in the Lake District on the banks of Coniston Water – not an onion bhaji in sight!
Why did you choose Lancaster House?
I was brought up in Lancaster and have many happy memories of the area. My father took up a post in the Physics Department at Lancaster University when it first opened in 1964 and he worked there until he retired.
As a family we have always had a very strong relationship with the University. The Chaplaincy Centre at the University seemed an obvious choice for our wedding ceremony and with the brand spanking new Lancaster House on the doorstep it was the ideal venue for the reception.
Booking our wedding in a hotel whilst it was still under construction did have its risks. I made sure we had a back-up plan ‘just in case’. I’m very glad we didn’t have to use it!
The Big Day
The wedding day just seemed to fly past so quickly. It was everything I had always dreamed of for my wedding – sunshine, family, friends and a lot of fun – oh, and Duncan as well! Our wedding breakfast menu was Melon , Lamb Noisettes followed by a decadent Chocolate and Raspberry Roulade. Duncan’s request for naan bread and tarka daal was politely declined by the management at the time!
Sarah arriving at Lancaster House
A fresh faced John Jesmond welcomes the bride and groom. John is now our F & B Manager.
The Newly Weds!
Continuing Connections
Sarah’s Mum and Dad
My parents, Jean and Peter, remain loyal members of Lancaster House Sandpiper Club. We visit regularly and have celebrated other special birthdays and anniversaries at Lancaster House. Sadly, Duncan’s Mum and Dad, Jean and John, passed away a few years ago but we have an enduring memory of them both from our special day.
Weddings at Lancaster House
Our Wedding Showcase on 25th August, 4.30pm to 8pm is a perfect time to have a personalised wedding show round of Lancaster House, sample our wedding breakfast options and meet our local wedding suppliers. Our Wedding Coordinator, Lauren, and the team will meet you with a complimentary arrival drink and canapés.
The decor at Lancaster House may have changed over the years and we now offer a much wider choice of menu (I’m sure Chef is happy to talk about tarka daal if that is your heart’s desire!) but one thing remains constant – we aim to help make happy memories for our couples for many years to come.
Directors and managers, along with their partners, celebrated 25 years of business and life at Lancaster House with a beautiful three course meal and speeches reflecting on the preceding quarter century. Doesn’t time fly when you are enjoying yourselves!
Photographs of the team over the year recreated in 2016 below:
Directors and Management Team at Lancaster House
Built on an Established Seat of Learning
It all started in 1989 with a letter from Lancaster University to our then Chairman and Managing Director, Michael Berry, asking if we would be interested in building an hotel in the university grounds. It was to be the first ever green field site build.
Tim and Janette Berry.
Douglas Dale, Operations Director, moved into a portacabin on site in June 1990, exchanging his suit and tie for an outdoor jacket and hardhat. It was fitting that Janette Berry attended the anniversary celebration as it was Janette that assisted Douglas with much of the pre-start up organisation, together forging the way ahead and creating a sense of direction for the next phase of business.
Branding, the Good Old Fashioned Way!
Douglas entertaining the party with stories of the early days at Lancaster House
With wry humour Douglas explained that things may have changed a little over the years. Back then it was not unusual for interviews to take place in the car park with construction workers busy in the background. Nowadays much combined thought and deliberation, with storyboards, Estate Agents Waterloo, marketing gurus and careful pantone referencing are all part of the mix when it comes to branding across an hotel.
In 1990 it fell Douglas’ responsibility to come up with suitable names and titles for everything and everybody! The leisure club was named ‘Sandpiper’ with a nod to the local bird species – a name that has stood the test of time. The Gressingham dining room was named after a local village and our Dalton Suite was named whilst Douglas was stuck in a traffic jam in town beside the sign for ‘Dalton Square’.
George Sandeman with Lancaster House Barman, Tom Chalmers
An unusual and fortuitous meeting at 39,000 feet in the air was responsible for the naming of the Bar. Douglas was on a flight to Spain and got chatting to the gentleman sitting next to him, discovering that he was David Sandeman, 8th generation Chairman and Managing Director of Sandeman Port and Sherry. Douglas was further intrigued to learn of the branch of the Sandeman family that lived almost on the doorstep of Lancaster House. So our Sandeman Bar was named and a friendship spanning over 25 years with the family began.
Topping off ceremony at Lancaster House. Michael Berry on right.
A Royal Connection
Lancaster House flung opened its doors on 12th July 1991 to welcome the first of our guests. Later than year Princess Alexandra performed the official opening ceremony and attended a banquet in her honour. Diplomacy at the time dictated that the original French wine suggested for the main course was rejected in favour of a carefully chosen wine from a Commonwealth country which was more politically correct at the time. Douglas recalls that when it came to serving the wine it was tasted by one of Princess Alexandra’s aids but when it offered to the Princess we were informed that she didn’t drink wine at all.
Congratulations to the team at Lancaster House, past and present. We look forward to many more years offering a warm Lancashire welcome to all our guests. Take a look at Lancaster House today.
Lancaster House is delighted to be adding another Lancashire cheese to our cheese larder. Our free Range Creamy Lancashire is produced by Chris and Steph Stephenson, who already supply our free range milk. In conversation we discovered that this new tasty cheese also shares a Sandeman connection with Lancaster House.
Chris and Steph Stephenson on the farm
Free Range Milk – Better for You
Lancaster House are proud to be supporting our local farmers and producers. Our milk comes from Stephenson’s Dairy, just a few miles down the road. Chris and Steph Stephenson, pioneers in the dairy industry, were the first in the UK to introduce Free Range Milk. This means that the cows are grazed outside for at least half the year, guaranteed by the farmers with a fully traceable Pasture Promise. The benefits of this are not confined simply to the nutritious fodder from the North West’s rich pasture land, but it also enables the cows’ freedom to roam, to forage and to fulfil their social nature alongside their fellow herd members. Happy, healthy cows produce higher quality milk.
It is also healthier for us. Increasing evidence shows that cows fed on grass produce milk with less saturated fat and more healthy Omega-3 fat. Add to that the fact that local farmers are paid a higher price for their milk to ensure they run a sustainable business, and there’s lots to feel good about!
Free Range Creamy Lancashire
Stephensons Free Range Creamy Lancashire has a light, slightly acidic flavour, perfect with a good chutney, a slice of fruit cake or crumbled in a salad. Some have dubbed Creamy Lancashire as the British alternative to Feta.
The Cheese and Port Sandeman Connection
Lancaster House has had a connection with Sandeman Port since before we opened our doors in 1991. In Summer 1989 our Operations Director, Douglas Dale, was on a flight to Jerez in Spain and got chatting to the gentleman sitting next to him. He discovered that his fellow passenger was David Sandeman, 8th generation Chairman and Managing Director of Sandeman Port and Sherry. Douglas was further intrigued to learn of the branch of the Sandeman family that lived almost on the doorstep of Lancaster House, at that time existing only on an architect’s drawing board. Thus, a friendship spanning over 25 years with the Sandeman family began.
When Lancaster House was completed in 1991, given the proximity of a branch of the Sandeman family and with the blessing of David Sandeman, our Sandeman Bar was created featuring artefacts from the 200 year House of Sandeman production history as well as a selection of the vintage port.
The Sandeman connection now stretches to the Creamy Lancashire Cheese – the milk from the cheese coming from cows on Sellerley Farm, previously part of the Sandeman estate and now owned by the Newsham family. The cows producing the milk for the cheese literally gaze and graze in fields next to the hotel.
Cheese and Port at Lancaster House
Why not call 01524 844 822 to book a table at Lancaster House and taste for yourself the world-renowned Lancashire cheeses available.
Emma Underwood, Operations Manager at Lancaster House is responsible for ensuring that we maintain the highest possible standards in Green Tourism. She leads a team of Green Champions who are always on the look-out for creative ways to conserve, re-cycle and reduce our carbon footprint. To celebrate National Coffee Day they’ve come up with ten tips for using your coffee grounds.
Emma with our Green Tourism Certificate[/caption]
Beauty Tips
- Makes a fantastic exfoliant – mix with a little warm water and a few drops of natural coconut oil. A body scrub that will leave your skin soft and rejuvenated.
Pretty woman against an abstract background with circles and copyspace.[/caption]- Ease tired or puffy eyes. Mix with some cold water. Lie down and gently place under the eyes. Have 15 minutes of peace and quiet, after which eyes should feel more ‘wide awake’.
- Hair can get dull with a build-up of products. On wet hair, rub in a handful of coffee grinds to leave it squeaky clean. The added benefit for brunettes is that it can also intensity the colour.
Pretty woman against an abstract background with circles and copyspace.[/caption]Around the Home
- Mix the grinds with a little soapy water and use to remove stubborn stains on the kitchen worktop or grill.
- In the same way, great as a pan scourer.
- Mix up the grounds with vinegar and warm water and leave to ‘brew’ for a few hours. Then rub gently onto a scratched furniture. Leave to dry and brush away any loose coffee. Apply a second coat for a deeper colour. Good as new!
Coffee grounds can be used to carefully remove scratches from furniture[/caption]
Coffee grounds can be used to carefully remove scratches from furniture[/caption]7. Place a container of dry grounds in your fridge to neutralize stale food odours.
In the Garden
- Put some grinds in your compost heap and let it break down. They are rich in nitrogen and a real attraction to worms. This is classified as ‘green’ matter and needs to be balanced with the correct ratio of ‘brown’ matter.
- Spread over the soil around your hydrangeas (and other acid-loving plants). The reduced pH levels will produce bright blue flowers in season.
Pet Care
10. After giving pooch a shampoo, rub a handful of grounds into their fur before rinsing to remove any fleas.
Morning Coffee at Lancaster House
Enjoy a Lovely Cup of Coffee at Lancaster House, safe in the knowledge that the team will be making the best use of the coffee grounds.
We are counting the days to the Lancaster Food and Drink Festival – this year over THREE days. Who wouldn’t want to spend their May Bank Holiday with fellow foodies, soaking up a carnival atmosphere and tasting the best of Lancashire produce?
Based at the site of GB Antiques Centre, the country’s biggest indoor antiques and furniture centre, Lancaster Food and Drink Festival is just half a mile from Lancaster’s historic city centre. Green fields and open countryside, perfect for a day out with the family.
Everything from paella to pancakes, cordials to chocolate churros, artisan bread to locally brewed ale, spices to pizza slices, pork sausage to prosecco. Remember to bring your appetite.
Tasty Miniatures
The kitchen and bar teams at Lancaster House have designed some tasty miniature examples of our popular Lancashire dishes. Bite-size portions of what’s available from our Foodworks Restaurant and Sandeman Bar menus at Lancaster House. We’ve even managed to wrap a Roast Beef Dinner in a Yorkshire Pudding. These are free samples, but we are supporting North West Cancer Research, and all donations will be greatly appreciated.
Here’s our Samples Menu:
Saturday, 5th May
Traditional Lancashire Parched Peas
Lancashire Lamb Hot Pot
Sandeman Port Cocktail
Miniature Lancashire Hot Pot
Sunday, 6th May
Battered Lancashire Haggis
Roast Beef Dinner wrapped in Yorkshire pudding with Pigs in Blankets
White Sandeman Port Cocktail
Monday, 7th May
Lancashire Ginger Parkin and Toffee Sauce
Taste of Lancashire Cheese served with Sandeman Port Jelly
Lancashire Ginger Parkin and Toffee Sauce
Lancaster Food and Drink Festival – See you there!
Fifty Artisan Stalls; Hot Street Food; Craft Ales; Gifts & Goodies; Live Music; Children’s Activities; Demonstrations
Where?
The Beer Garden at Lancaster Leisure Park, Wyresdale Road, Lancaster, LA1 3LA
When?
Saturday, 5th May to Monday, 7th May, noon to 6 pm each day
All Welcome!
FREE of charge event and FREE parking
Lancaster House is sharing it’s biggest secret – The Forest of Bowland.
‘Grandeur’, ‘Isolation’, ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’ are words and phrases used to describe this spectacular area right on the doorstep of Lancaster House. It is a place that will tick most people’s holiday wish list. Here are just five of the many wonderful walks available. Packed with intriguing history, rural villages, art, wild life, protected species, wonderful views. Enough to have you looking out those boots at the back of the cupboard.
Bell Sykes Hay Meadow Walk
A walk through flower rich meadows. Starting at the village of Slaidburn, surrounded by the Bowland Fells, the meadows at Bell Sykes are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest because of the wide variety of meadow species they contain. Here it is possible to be entirely surrounded by one of the rarest habitats in England. There is an abundance of flower species as well as the attendant butterflies, insects and swallows. Distance: 2 miles (3.3 km)
Time: 2 Hrs
Grid Ref: SD 7136 5235
Aitken Wood and Pendle Sculpture Tramper Trail
A short woodland walk loaded with history, art and intrigue in the shadow of Pendle Hill. The history of the Pendle Witches of 1612 was the inspiration of four artists who have created a range of sculptures in wood, steel and stone including Phillippe Handford’s curving tree sculptures. The route through Aitken Wood is at times moderately steep but you will be rewarded with great views of Pendle Hill and you may well spot any number of carefully protected bird species, or hear the Goldcrest, our smallest breeding bird, weighing only 5 or 6 grams. Listen out for its very high-pitched trill which it uses whilst moving through the tops of the trees.
Distance: 2.75miles (4.5 km)
Time: 2 Hrs
Grid Ref: SD 8231 4034
Downham, Worsaw Hill, and Chatburn
We are grateful to Mike Brockhurst, The Walking Englishman, for the next two walks. Known as Lancashire’s prettiest village, Downham is the starting point of this 5 mile circular route. It was the scene of iconic black and white 1960s film Whistle Down the Wind, starring Hayley Mills. A scene from Wuthering Heights was also shot nearby. By design, it remains relatively unchanged over the years – you won’t find any overhead wires, satellite dishes or road signs in this haven from the past.
The first part of the walk along footpaths and lanes is overlooked by Pendle Hill, home to the ten so-called witches sentenced to death in 1612.
Expansive green and undulating landscapes take you past Chatburn, another pretty Lancashire village. Highlights along the route are Fairy Bridge, a beautiful small stone packhorse bridge, and a pretty limestone knoll near Downham Mill.
Distance: 5.2 miles (8.4 km)
Time: 2 – 3 hours
Grid Ref: SD785441
Cross of Greet Bridge, Bowland Knotts, Raven’s Castle and Cloven Stones
Stunning views in every direction, this circular walk gives particularly good vistas north to the Yorkshire Dales Three Peaks. The route starts at Cross of Greet Bridge and to begin with follows the River Hodder. There are warnings of boggy ground at times throughout the course of the route, very much depending on weather conditions in the weeks leading up to your walk.
Highlights include the 160 m climb to Hasgill Fell and the fine views as a result. Bowland Knotts, a series of jagged outcrops, evokes a sense of remoteness and tranquillity, again with views south to Forest of Bowland fells, west to the Lake District fells and north to a particularly good view of the Three Peaks – Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent.
Distance: 7.7 miles (12.4 km)
Time: 3 – 4 hours
Grid Ref: SD702589
Roeburndale
Not for the faint hearted, this walk contains some steep sections and you will need sturdy footwear. An extensive valley of trees and breeding birds. The eastern edge is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest containing a wide range of ancient woodland and a range of breeding birds including Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Green Woodpecker. The names Roeburn, Harterbeck and Bowskill Wood all give clues to this areas rich history as a vast hunting ground. Even the name Barkin Wood relates to the strange barking calls made by the deer.
Distance: 8 miles (12.9 km)
Time: 3 – 4 hours
Grid Ref: SD 6060 6747
A Warm Lancashire Welcome
Just four miles to the edge of the Forest of Bowland, Lancaster House is the perfect place to come home to. Fabulous local produce, the most comfortable beds, gym, swimming pool and outdoor hot tub. We have everything to complete your holiday adventures in The Forest of Bowland. Call 0333 220 3107 to start your forest adventure.
‘Grandeur’, ‘Isolation’, ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’ are words and phrases used to describe the spectacular Forest of Bowland, which is right on the doorstep of Lancaster House.
It may not be an area that immediately springs to mind when planning a holiday, but we’d like to show you in a series of blogs why this is a place that will tick most people’s holiday wish list. Here’s ten facts about the Forest of Bowland to whet your appetite.
Ten Interesting Facts About The Forest of Bowland
1. The geographical centre of Great Britain can be found at the heart of the Forest of Bowland.
2. The area has been dubbed ‘Switzerland of England’ or ‘Little Switzerland’
3. Forest’ here does not refer to a swathe of land with densely populated trees as you would expect. It means ‘Royal Hunting Ground’. Much of the land is heather and sweeping moorland.
4. The Village of Downham has remained unchanged for centuries. As such it was the perfect backdrop to the 1960s film starring Hayley Mills, Whistle Down the Wind, and more recently, the tv series Born and Bred.
5. Thirteen per cent of the 312 square miles is designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest. Distinct areas are designated for breeding Merlin and Hen Harriers (the Forest of Bowland logo).
6. There are an astonishing eighteen Cheese producers in the Forest of Bowland. Many have won international awards for the quality of their cheese
7. Forest of Bowland is home to no less than 500 listed buildings and monuments.
8. Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hunting is also the patron saint of the Forest of Bowland. There’s a chapel dedicated to him at Dunsop Bridge.
9. The Forest of Bowland has 17 caves and 585m underground passages. The more notable caves are Hell Hole, Whitewell Cave and Whitewell Pot. Access to the caves is by permit from the Council of Northern Caving Clubs (CNCC).
10. Whilst spending time at Stonyhurst College in the Ribble Valley J R R Tolkien was inspired to write The Lord of the Rings. Arthur Conan Doyle was a former pupil at the College.
A Warm Lancashire Welcome
Just four miles to the edge of the forest, Lancaster House is the perfect place to come home to. Fabulous local produce, the most comfortable beds, gym, swimming pool and outdoor hot tub. We have everything to complete your holiday adventures in The Forest of Bowland. Call 0333 220 3107 to start your Forest of Bowland adventure.
Here’s a few more suggestions for days out for all the family in Lancashire …
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We like to keep our visitors to Lancaster House informed of what’s going on in the area. We’ve selected just a few activities in and around Lancaster to suit different interests, price ranges and age levels. Take your pick …
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When I heard that Luis Marcoleta of Rioja Vega was visiting Lancaster House with Tony Jackson and Sandy Potts of Lakeland Vintners, the diary was cleared for the afternoon so that I could join the celebration of wines from this delightful part of the world.
The Rioja Vega building in the heart of Spain’s wine making countryside
