Galgate

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.993
longitude= -2.784
official_name= Galgate
civil_parish= Ellel
population =
shire_district= City of Lancaster
shire_county = Lancashire
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Lancaster and Wyre
post_town= LANCASTER
postcode_district = LA2
postcode_area= LA
dial_code= 01524
os_grid_reference= SD485555

Galgate is a small village in northern England, just south of Lancaster University, and about 3 miles south of Lancaster itself in the county of Lancashire. The name "Galgate" is from Old English "Gal-gata", meaning "the road to Scotland". Another, similar view is that the name is a shortening of Galloway Gate, ie the road to Galloway. A popular opinion within Galgate is that it stands for Gallows Gate, the last village which condemned people passed through before reaching Lancaster and their place of execution.

Due to its proximity to the university campus, many students choose to rent houses in the village, in spite of relatively few bus services. The A6 Preston to Lancaster road runs north-south through the centre of the village, and junction 33 of the M6 is nearby. A major railway from Preston to Lancaster passes on a viaduct over the village. The village once had its own station (Galgate railway station) but it closed in 1939 and now the nearest station is stnlnk|Lancaster.

The Lancaster Canal also runs through the village and has a marina for narrowboats. Indeed, the area in which Galgate is situated sees all four modes of transport (road, rail, sea, and air) [http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&db=hcgaz&addr1=&client=public&Submit.x=23&addr2=&advanced=&Submit.y=4&addr3=&pc=&X=348397&quicksearch=Galgate&Y=455609&scale=100000&place=Galgate,Lancashire&coordsys=gb travelling in the same direction] .

Galgate once had a thriving silk industry and many of the installations still stand. One story told, is that because the rhubarb grown locally was used for dyeing the silk, Galgate's community newsletter is named 'Rhubarb City News'. Rhubarb is a prolific plant in Galgate, but this idea that it was used to dye silk seems to have no evidence to support it.

In July 2002 ten-year-old Jade Slack, who was visiting a friend in the village, died of a drug overdose. She became the UK's youngest ecstasy victim after having accidentally taken five of the tablets, believing them to be sweets. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2128937.stm "Three questioned over "ecstasy" death" - BBC News website] ]

Residents in Galgate are presently working to raise money to build a new village hall, between the football pitch and the cricket ground, on the recreation field behind the Plough Inn.

References