Escowbeck House a country

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

on Caton Lane in Quernmore near

Lancaster, Lancashire Lancaster (, ) is a city in Lancashire, England, and the main cultural hub, economic and commercial centre of City of Lancaster district. The city is on the River Lune, directly inland from Morecambe Bay. Lancaster is the county town, although ...

was constructed in 1842 in extensive parkland and countryside. It is situated overlooking the Crook of Lune south of the road from Lancaster to Caton and Hornby, near where the Escow Beck from which it takes its name, flows into the

River Lune The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. Etymology Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic languages, Brittonic ...

. The name Escow Beck is derived from the Old Norse ''eski'' + ''hofud'' and ''bekkr'' meaning the beck by the ash tree hill. It was recorded as Escouthebroc in 1225 and Escouthe bec in 1241. The gardens, created in the early 20th century, had a fish pond through which the Escow Beck flows and boat house. The house was divided into five houses during the 1950s.

Residents

John Greg moved to the area in 1820 to manage a mill in Caton, part of Samuel Greg & Company, owned by his father. John Greg built Escowbeck and founded the Lancaster Guardian. After the death of John Greg, the Dobson family leased the house. The family suffered from

typhus fever Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure ...

and were isolated as part of an epidemic for more than a year. Thomas Hodgson who built Lowe Mill in Caton lived at Escowbeck. In 1938 Lieutenant Colonel Sir Norman Seddon-Brown moved into the house.

Greg Observatory

The Gregs were interested in astronomy and John Greg built an

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

in a wooden structure built on stone foundations at Escowbeck. John's brother Robert and his sons Edward and John Phillip shared the interest. John Phillip Greg retired early to pursue his interest and was credited with being one of the first people to recognise the Geminid meteor shower. After the death of John Greg in 1882, his son Albert gave the contents of the observatory to Lancaster Corporation, and they were rehoused in a public observatory as a memorial to John Greg. Greg was an important employer and public figure who had been mayor of Lancaster three times, a magistrate and a charity and port commissioner.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Country houses in Lancashire Buildings and structures in the City of Lancaster {{Lancashire-struct-stub