Today is Lancashire Day – the annual celebration of the historic county we call home.

From its ancient beginnings to its official creation in 1182, and all the chopping and changing in between up until present day, the county has a rich history developed over the centuries.

It has brought the world many fascinating things and has countless iconic landmarks, inventions and personalities.

To mark the day we thought we would bring you some interesting facts about the Red Rose County that you might not have known.

20 fun facts about Lancashire

  1. The UK’s first KFC restaurant was opened in Preston in 1965, and it's still there in Fishergate.
  2. Jelly Babies were created in Lancashire in 1864 by an Austrian immigrant who was working for Fryers of Lancashire.
  3. It takes seven years to paint Blackpool Tower, and the tower’s lifts travel 3,500 miles every year.
  4. Preston is home to Britain’s first motorway – the Preston Bypass - which is now part of the M6. The eight-mile stretch opened in 1958.
  5. Hoghton Tower is rumoured to be the place where King James I ate a cut of beef loin so delicious that he knighted it, thus coining the 'Sir Loin' steak.
  6. The Lancashire Hotpot – the county’s traditional dish - originally contained oysters. Nowadays it is lamb or mutton.
  7. Eccles cakes were banned in 1650 for having links to paganism, and Oliver Cromwell even threatened to imprison anyone seen eating them. We're glad they were un-banned as they are delicious!
  8. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which flows through many parts of Lancashire, is Britain’s longest canal at 127 miles.
  9. Famous Boltonian Paddy McGuinness said he still thinks his hometown “falls under Lancashire” in an Instagram post from April 2024. There's a campaign to get Bolton back into Lancashire and out of *shudder* Greater Manchester.
  10. The first passenger railway opened in Lancashire in 1830 between Manchester and Liverpool.
  11. The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Beauty covers 802 km² – the same size as New York City.
  12. Mass fingerprinting originated in Lancashire following the murder of a Blackburn girl in 1948.
  13. There is a time capsule under the foundation stone of Blackpool Tower, which includes a voice recording of Sir Matthew White-Ridley -  who became Home Secretary a year after it opened in 1894.
  14. Lancashire has a population of more than one and a half million people, according to the 2021 Census.
  15. Preston bus station was said to be the biggest bus station in Europe when it opened in 1969, with capacity for 80 double-decker buses.
  16. Stonyhurst College in the Ribble Valley is said to have inspired JRR Tolkien when writing Lord of the Rings.
  17. Sir Ian McKellen – the famous Lord of the Rings and Shakespeare actor - was born in Burnley and grew up in Wigan and Bolton.
  18. In 1883, Blackburn Olympic FC became the first Northern football club to win the FA Cup.
  19. The Industrial Revolution began in the cotton factories of Lancashire mill towns.
  20. Britain’s shortest river is the Brun which runs through Burnley. It's only 4.5 miles long!

Did we miss out your favourite Lancashire fact? Let us know in the comments!