It all started back in November 1991. Alan Seymour and Terry Harrison were sitting in the Kings Head having a quiet pint when Bob Madrell came over after a meal with his wife. It wasn't long before the subject of bikes came up and the idea of getting together for a chat to relieve the boredom of not getting out on the bikes during the off season. Posters were put up at the 'Hill', Durham and locally, advertising the new club which was to be called the Lanchester M.C.C
The first meeting was held at Alan's house, a week later we were joined by Geoff Osmond and his wife Helen. The next meeting was held at Bob's and after a few weeks at the Bluebell, a permanent place was found at the King's Head. A ride out by Terry and Alan to Weardale, resulted in a chance meeting with the Witton lads who joined the following week. After about two years, the club logo was changed from the Harley Wings & Bike Wheel to the Roman Helmet and the name changed to Lanchester Centurions. At present, club membership stands at approx 80 and we meet at the Lanchester Cricket Club, although most club functions are held in Lanchester Social Club.

Lanchester village, site of the Roman fort of LONGOVICIUM. Lanchester is in the valley of the River Browney, which joins the River Wear near Durham City. Longovicium means the `long settlement', and there seems to have been a large Roman civilian settlement or VICUS at Lanchester in addition to the fort. he fort which is in fact half a mile south west of Lanchester was built around the time of Hadrian's Wall (A.D 122).

It superseeded the earlier VINDOMARA (Ebchester) and VINOVIA (Binchester), which are the neighbouring forts on Dere Street. Longovicium was in use until the 4th century A.D. Some of the stones from the ruins of Longovicium are incorporated into local farm buildings and into Lanchester's attractive Norman church of All Saints.Inside the south porch of the church, a Roman altar can be seen dedicated to a godess called Garmangabis.

Such Roman remains were of great interest to Canon William Greenwell (1822-1919), the historian, archaeologist and archivist who is burried in Lanchester churchyard. Greenwell was for forty six years a librarian at Durham Cathedral and was noted for his studies of archaeological sites, like ancient barrows. He was also a keen angler and is perhaps best remembered in the name of Greenwell's Glory, a type of fishing fly, which he invented Greenwell's father had been a great friend of the Durham historian Robert Surtees, but Lanchester is more closely associated with the principal historian of Northumberland, the Reverend John Hodgson, who lived here between 1804 and 1806. In his time at Lanchester, Hodgson made extensive studies of the fort of Longovicium.