Ribchester Roman Museum

Lancashire’s only dedicated Roman antiquities museum sits on an old Roman cavalry fort called Bremetennacum with six known Roman roads connecting other settlements to the village. The museum leads to the ruins of the fort and the bath house found on a short walk into the village, it exhibits connected artefacts that tell the story of Roman Britain.

Roman Ribchester: Ribchester is flooded with a Roman heritage boasting a partially excavated Bremetennacum Veteranorum (Roman Fort), a Bath House, plenty of uncovered hoards and even Roman columns beautifully framing the entrance of The White Bull, thought to have been pulled from the river just down the road.

10 things to spot walking around Roman Ribchester

1. Roman Museum – Start your trip off with the Roman Museum which takes you through time to get a better sense of what to find in Ribchester

2. Granaries

3. Roman Columns at The White Bull

4. Roman Bath House

5. The Sundial in the graveyard marks where the Strong Room was (pay chests for soldiers wages)

6. Principia Pillar Column

7. Millennium Column

8. Churchgates (A well is preserved in the ground of the former Commander's house)

9. Ribchester Playing Fields – military annex/ parade ground many artefacts found here

10. Western Ditch (Punic Ditch) western end of St Wilfred’s Church ribchestermuseum.org

Browsholme Hall

The oldest family home in Lancashire, Browsholme Hall dates back 14 generations. The privately-owned Elizabethan home offers guided tours of its magnificent interior and external architecture. Over the Christmas period, guests can discover how beautifully the house has been decorated for the festive season. Check out their website for a full programme of events and opening times.

Robert Parker: Robert was 20 when he inherited Browsholme Hall from his 4th cousin once removed. He had never seen the hall beforehand and when he made his way up North from Oxford to see his inheritance, the hall was in such a state of disrepair that he had the whole family move to Lancashire to help.

Dangerous wiring, undrinkable water, antique bathrooms, no heating, and little sanitation are just a few of the issues that were wrong with the Hall, but over the next 40 years, Browsholme was restored to its former glory and its history revealed on guided tours.

Opening the house to the public and becoming active in community events allowed the Parker family’s hard work to be appreciated and funding to be available to restore their Tudor house. Today Browsholme Hall stands proud and proper in the green countryside, boasting manicured lawns, lily ponds, a restored café, a glamping site and a wedding barn and courtyard, with plenty of space and events for all the family to enjoy.

browsholme.com