  We analysed Washington $CMT_1$ photometry of star clusters located along the
minor axis of the LMC, from the LMC optical centre up to $\sim$ 39 degrees
outwards to the North-West. The data base was exploited in order to search for
new star cluster candidates, to produce cluster CMDs cleaned from field star
contamination and to derive age estimates for a statistically complete cluster
sample. We confirmed that 146 star cluster candidates are genuine physical
systems, and concluded that an overall $\sim$ 30 per cent of catalogued
clusters in the surveyed regions are unlikely to be true physical systems. We
did not find any new cluster candidates in the outskirts of the LMC
(deprojected distance $\ge$ 8 degrees). The derived ages of the studied
clusters are in the range 7.2 < log($t$ yr$^{-1}$) $\le$ 9.4, with the sole
exception of the globular cluster NGC\,1786 (log($t$ yr$^{-1}$) = 10.10). We
also calculated the cluster frequency for each region, from which we confirmed
previously proposed outside-in formation scenarios. In addition, we found that
the outer LMC fields show a sudden episode of cluster formation (log($t$
yr$^{-1}$) $\sim$ 7.8-7.9) that continued until log($t$ yr$^{-1}$) $\sim$ 7.3
only in the outermost LMC region. We link these features to the first
pericentre passage of the LMC to the MW, which could have triggered cluster
formation due to ram pressure interaction between the LMC and MW halo.
