place

West Coast Railways

1998 establishments in EnglandCompanies based in LancashirePost-privatisation British railway companiesRailway companies established in 1998
West coast railways logo
West coast railways logo

West Coast Railways (WCR) is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator based at Carnforth MPD in Lancashire. Using buildings and other facilities previously owned by the Steamtown Carnforth visitor attraction, in June 1998 the company became the first privately owned company to be given a licence as a train operating company.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article West Coast Railways (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

West Coast Railways
Warton Road, Lancaster

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: West Coast RailwaysContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 54.1311 ° E -2.7727 °
placeShow on map

Address

Carnforth Station Junction

Warton Road
LA5 9EX Lancaster
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

West coast railways logo
West coast railways logo
Share experience

Nearby Places

Old Rectory, Warton
Old Rectory, Warton

The Old Rectory (also known as Parsonage Court) is a ruin of a former rectory in the village of Warton, near Lancaster, Lancashire, England. Owned by English Heritage, it has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building.The rectory is believed to have been built in the early 14th century as the residence of the rector of the parish of St Oswald's, Warton, probably by two younger sons of Marmaduke, Lord Thweng. Manorial courts were also held here. The walls are of limestone rubble with sandstone dressings, and a cross passage originally separated the full-height great hall on the southern side from service rooms and a first floor chamber at the other end of the house. The doorway at the eastern end of the cross passage is interpreted as the main entrance, while the western one led into a garden, and both originally had a porch. A doorway in the northern gable wall led into a courtyard with an external kitchen and a well. In the south-west corner of the great hall is a doorway that led to another building which survives as part of the modern vicarage. The southern gable had an ogee quatrefoiled window under the apex to provide light.It is not known exactly when the rectory was abandoned, after being replaced by a new rectory, but it was a ruin by 1721. Some time later, a cottage was constructed in the north end of the ruin, which was occupied well into the 20th century, however these additions have since been removed. The ruin is considered to be well preserved, with the gables surviving to almost their full height. It is open to visitors, free of charge.

Warton Crag
Warton Crag

Warton Crag is a limestone hill in north west Lancashire, England. It lies to the north west of Warton village, in City of Lancaster district. At 163 metres (535 ft) it is the highest point in the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is listed as a "HuMP" or "Hundred Metre Prominence", having a "drop" or "prominence" of 126 metres (413 ft) with its parent being Hutton Roof Crags. Two areas are Local Nature Reserves, called Warton Crag and Warton Crag Quarry. Different sections are owned by Lancashire County Council, the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, Lancaster City Council and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.Two caves on the west side of the hill called Dog Holes and Badger Hole show signs of early human occupation, with excavations finding a range of artefacts.The summit of the hill is the site of a small multivallate hillfort, which has long been assumed to date to the Iron Age period. The approximately 3.2-hectare (7.9-acre) enclosure was defended by rock scarps and steep slopes to the south and west with triple stone ramparts forming an arc on the other sides. However research by Historic England in 2016 using lidar proposed that the structure was instead "some form of non-defensive hilltop enclosure, possibly dating to the Late Bronze Age." A beacon was erected on the crag in 1988 as part of a re-enactment of the beacon chain alerting the country to the Spanish Armada, on its 400th anniversary. It was lit again in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, in 2016 for her 90th birthday, and in 2022 for her Platinum Jubilee.Many plants are found on the crag, including horseshoe vetch near its northern limit, spindle tree and many ferns. The site is rich in butterflies, including the rare pearl bordered fritillary and high brown fritillary. Much of the hill is listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, being considered the best example of limestone grassland in Lancashire, with areas of Limestone pavement.The former quarry on the west of the crag is a regular breeding site for peregrine falcons and is protected by a Falcon Watch team of volunteers.The crag is used by rock-climbers, and a fell race on the crag takes place annually as part of Warton Children's Sports Day.