What more romantic gesture could there be than building a landmark to your love that can be seen from miles around?

Well, legend has it, that's why Lancaster's Ashton Memorial was built.

From the stories we've heard, you wouldn't think Lord Ashton was lovey-dovey but apparently he commissioned the Ashton Memorial as a tribute to his late wife, Jessie Hume.

Jessie, the second daughter of James Stewart of Clapham, was the second wife of James Williamson Jnr and they were married in London in 1880.

Jessie died in 1904 and two years later construction of the memorial began.

Since it opened, Williamson Park has always been a popular place for a romantic stroll and the views from the Ashton Memorial must have set many hearts fluttering over the years.

When the law about where people can marry changed, the Ashton Memorial capitalised on its romantic setting and history by becoming one of the most popular places in the area for weddings.

Among the other most romantic places in our district has to be Carnforth Railway Station, primarily for its connection with one of the greatest British tearjerkers of all time – Brief Encounter.

Railway stations have long been associated with romance, especially in the age of steam. How many couples must have said goodbye or been reunited on the nation's railway platforms?

Thousands of people visit Carnforth station every year to see the place where Trevor Howard (Alec) and Celia Johnson (Laura) first met in the classic film and for many, a romantic photo under the famous railway clock is a must. But did you know that as filming took place at night, the time shown on the clock would be wrong? The original clock appeared blurred on camera, so a replacement clock face was used to distinguish the time more clearly.

Film experts believe that the Brief Encounter love story endures as the couple involved are two ordinary people. The heroine is not stunningly beautiful, nor is the hero a chisel-faced hunk unlike the movie stars who appear in today's chick flicks.

The centenary of David Lean who directed Brief Encounter is fast approaching – on March 25 – and to commemorate the occasion, a week long calendar of activities is being staged at Carnforth Station Visitor Centre and the Dukes Theatre in Lancaster. Special screenings of recently restored films including Brief Encounter, Dr Zhivago, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist will be shown at both venues.

After Dark Theatre Company will present Noel Coward's play Still Life, and there will be an exhibition to commemorate Lean's life and career.