Everything about Preston totally explained
Preston is a
city and
local government district in
Lancashire,
England, located on the
River Ribble. Preston was granted the
status of a city in 2002, becoming
England's 50th city in the 50th year of
Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
The Mayor of Preston from May 2008 to May 2009 is Councillor John Swindells.
The population of the Preston City Council area is c 130,000. The 2001 census shows 184,836 living in the Preston sub-area and c 335,000 living in the Central Lancashire sub-region, which also includes
Leyland and
Chorley.
History
Early development
During the
Roman period, the main road from
Luguvalium (Carlisle) to
Mancunium (Manchester) forded the
River Ribble at
Walton-le-Dale, ¾ mile (1 km) southeast of the centre of Preston. Here was a Roman camp, probably a regional depot for military equipment or other supplies. At Withy Trees, 1½ miles (2 km) north of Preston, the road crossed another Roman road from
Bremetennacum (the Roman fort at
Ribchester) to the coast.
In
Ripon in 705 AD the lands near the
River Ribble were set on a new foundation, and the parish church was probably erected. Later,
Edward the Elder endowed the lands to the Cathedral at
York and then, by means of successive transfers the lands, were exchanged between lesser churches, hence the origin of the name
Priest's Town or Preston. An alternative explanation of the origin of the name is that the Priest's Town refers to a priory set up by
St. Wilfrid near the Ribble's lowest ford. This idea is supported by the similarity of the lamb on Preston's crest with that on St. Wilfrid's banner.
Guild Merchant
The right to hold a
Guild Merchant was conferred upon the Burgesses of Preston by a charter of
1179; the associated Preston Guild is a civic celebration held every 20 years, with the next in 2012.
Before
1328 a celebration had been held on an irregular basis, but at the Guild of that year it was decreed that subsequent Guilds should be held every twenty years. After this there were breaks in the pattern for various reasons, but an unbroken series were held from
1542 to
1922. A full 400 year sequence was by
World War II, but the cycle resumed in
1952. The expression '(Once) every Preston Guild', meaning 'very infrequently', has passed into fairly common use, especially in Lancashire.
Guild week is always started by the opening of the Guild Court, which since the
Sixteenth Century has traditionally been on the first Monday after the feast of the decollation (the beheading) of
St John the Baptist. As well as concerts and other exhibitions, the main event is a series of processions through the city. Numerous street parties are typically also held in tyhe locality
In 1952 the emphasis was the on the bright new world emerging all after the war. The major event held in Avenham Park had every school participating, and hundreds of children, from toddlers to teenagers, demonstrated different aspects of physical education in the natural amphitheatre of the park.
In the mid-12th century, Preston was in the hundred of
Amounderness, in the deanery of Amounderness and the archdeaconry of
Richmond. The name "Amounderness" is more ancient than the name of any other "Wapentake" or hundred in the County of Lancashire, and the fort at Tulketh, strengthened by
William the Conqueror, shows that the strategic importance of the area was appreciated even then.
The location of the city, almost exactly mid-way between
Glasgow and
London, led to many decisive battles being fought here, most notably during the
English Civil War (1643), and the first
Jacobite rebellion, brought to a conclusion by the defeat of the Jacobite army at the
Battle of Preston (1715). The Battle of Preston remains the most recent major battle on British soil.
Served by the
River Ribble, which flows through the city, Preston was one of the principal ports of Lancashire.
King Charles I demanded a quarter more ship money from Preston than from nearby
Lancaster and twice as much as from
Liverpool.
Industrial Revolution
The 19th century saw a transformation in Preston from a small market town to a much larger industrial one, as the innovations of the latter half of the previous century such as
Richard Arkwright's
water frame (invented in Preston) brought cotton mills to many northern English towns. With industrialisation came examples of both oppression and enlightenment.
The town's forward-looking spirit is typified by it being the first English town outside London to be lit by gas. The Preston Gas Company was established in 1815 by, amongst others, a Catholic priest: Fr. Joseph "Daddy" Dunn of the
Society of Jesus.
The more oppressive side of industrialisation was seen on Saturday 13 August 1842, when a group of cotton workers demonstrated against the poor conditions in the town's mills. The
Riot Act was read and armed troops corralled the demonstrators in front of the Corn Exchange on Lune Street. Shots were fired and four of the demonstrators were killed. A commemorative sculpture now stands on the spot (although the soldiers and demonstrators represented are facing the wrong way). In the 1850s,
Karl Marx visited Preston and later described the town as "the next
St. Petersburg".
Charles Dickens visited Preston in January 1854 during a strike by cotton workers that had by that stage lasted for 23 weeks. This was part of his research for the novel
Hard Times in which the town of "Coketown" is based on the city of Preston.
The Preston Temperance Society, led by Joseph Livesey pioneered the
Temperance Movement in the 19th century. Indeed the term
teetotalism is believed to have been coined at one of its meetings. The website of the
University of Central Lancashire library has a great deal of information on Joseph Livesey and the Temperance Movement in Preston.
Preston was one of only a few industrial towns in Lancashire to have a functioning corporation (local council) in 1835, its charter dating to 1685, and was reformed as a
municipal borough by the
Municipal Corporations Act 1835. It became a
county borough under the
Local Government Act 1888. In 1974, county boroughs were abolished, and it became the larger part of the new non-metropolitan district of Preston in Lancashire, also including
Fulwood and part of
Preston Rural District.
Geography
Physical geography
The
River Ribble borders the city. The
Forest of Bowland forms a backdrop to Preston.
On 10 August
1893 Preston entered the
UK Weather Records, with the
Highest 5-min total rainfall of 32 mm. As of July 2006 this remains a record.
Areas and Estates
Adelphi,
Ashton-on-Ribble,
Avenham,
Barton, Broadgate, Brockholes,
Brookfield,
Broughton,
Cadley, Callon,
Cottam, Cumeragh,
Deepdale Farringdon Park, Fishwick, Frenchwood,
Fulwood,
Goosnargh, Grange, Greenlands,
Grimsargh,
Haighton, Holme Slack,
Ingol, Ladyewell,
Lane Ends, Larches,
Lea, Longsands, Maudlands,
Miller Park, Moor Nook,
Moor Park, Nooklands,
Plungington,
Ribbleton,
Riversway, Savick, St. Matthews, Sharoe Green, Sherwood, Springfields,
Tanterton,
Tulketh,
Whittingham,
Woodplumpton, Wychnor.
Out of city Areas/Towns
Unlike other towns and cities Preston's city centre is on the city's southern border with the
South Ribble borough. This means that some of the areas and towns associated with Preston are not actually in the city itself but in neighbouring boroughs. Listed below are towns and villages which, while associated with Preston, don't belong to the city boundaries.
Bamber Bridge,
Coupe Green,
Gregson Lane,
Higher Walton, Howick,
Hutton,
Penwortham,
Leyland,
Longridge,
Longton,
Lostock Hall,
Much Hoole,
Middleforth,
New Longton,
Walton-le-Dale.
Civic geography
The southern part of the district is mostly urbanised but the northern part is quite rural. The current borders came into effect on
April 1,
1974, when the
Local Government Act 1972 merged the existing
County Borough of Preston with
Fulwood Urban District and part of
Preston Rural District. Preston was designated as part of the
Central Lancashire new town in 1970. The former Preston Rural District part of the district is divided into a number of
civil parishes:
Electoral arrangements
The City of Preston is divided into 22 district council wards represented by 57 councillors. There are nine wards with two councillors and 13 wards with three councillors. The two seat wards cover c. 3600 electors and the three seat wards c. 5400 electors. Preston City councillors serve a four-year term. Preston City Council is elected "by thirds", 19 at a time. One councillor from each of the three-member wards is elected every year for three years. In each of those years six of the nine two-seat wards also elect a councillor. Every fourth year there are no Preston City Council elections, Lancashire County Council elections taking place instead.
After the
2007 local election the Conservatives, with 11,826 votes across and wins in 8 wards across the city, were supported by the Liberal Democrats to take control of the cabinet all committees except the Scrutiny committee. This continued after the 2008 local election.
Recent electoral results in Preston can be found at
Preston local elections. The local areas of Preston can be found at
Districts of Preston
The City of Preston contains ten Lancashire County Council districts with one county councillor in each distrct.
The City of Preston is currently divided into three Westminster constituencies, which will be altered in size and shape when proposed boundary changes are implemented for the
next United Kingdom general election.
Currently the three constituencies are:
Preston,
Ribble Valley, and
Fylde. When the proposed boundary changes are implemented, the city will continue to be divided between Preston, and Fylde seats, whilst the northern quarters will be placed within
Wyre and Preston North.
Historically, Preston was divided into such constituencies as
Preston North,
Preston South, and
Fylde South
Demographics
Ethnicity
Preston is a diverse city, although the vast majority of the non-indigenous people belong to one ethnic group (
South Asians in particular
Indians). The ethnic makeup of Preston based on 2005 estimates is as follows: 82.3%
White British, 1.1%
White Irish, 1.5%
Other White. 1.5%
Mixed Race. 8.3%
Indian, 2.4%
Pakistani, 0.3%
Bangladeshi, 0.5%
Other South Asian. 0.7%
Black Caribbean, 0.3%
Black African, 0.1%
Other Black. 0.7%
Chinese and 0.3%
Other East Asian and
Arab.
Religion
The 2001
Census recorded 71.5% of the population as Christians (mostly Catholics ), 9.8% as having no religion, and 8.2% as Muslims. The Hindu and Sikh populations are smaller at 2.6% and 0.6% respectively, but in both cases this represents the highest percentage of any local authority area in the North West. 1.8% of the city's population were born in other EU countries. Preston is said to be the most Catholic city in England.
Though still small in number in Preston, the
Mormons (officially known as members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - LDS for short) maintain a large profile. As early as 1837 the first LDS missionaries to Great Britain began preaching in Preston and, in particular, other small towns situated along the river Ribble. Preston is home to the world's oldest continuous
branch (a small congregation) of the Mormon Church. In 1998 the LDS erected a large temple near Preston that was described in the Telegraph newspaper as
spectacular. The temple is officially known as the
Preston England Temple.
Landmarks
Preston's premier
landmark is probably
St Walburge's Church designed by
Joseph Hansom of
Hansom Cab fame and which has, at, the tallest spire in
England on a
church that isn't a
cathedral. There are still many notable buildings dotted in and around the city centre. For example, the Miller Arcade, the Town Hall, the Harris Building, St. John's
Minster, the former Corn Exchange, Fishergate Baptist Church and many beautiful Georgian buildings at Winckley Square.
Museums
Harris Museum and Art Gallery
The National Football Museum
The Museum of Lancashire
The Queen's Lancashire Regiment Museum
Broughton Cottage Museum
Ribble Steam Railway
Parks
Winckley Square
Miller Park, Preston
Ribbleton Park (formerly known as Waverley Park)
Avenham Park
Moor Park
Grange Park
Haslam Park
Ashton Park
Economy
Preston is a major centre of the British defence aerospace industry with BAE Systems, the UK's principal military aircraft design, development and manufacture supplier, having its Military Aircraft headquarters located in nearby Warton. The company has two of its major facilities located some miles on either side of the city. BAE Warton is located to the western side of the city whilst BAE Samlesbury is located to the east, over the M6 motorway. BAe Systems also operate large office facilities at the Portway area within the city.
The Westinghouse Electric Company (formerly BNFL) Springfield nuclear processing plant also lies to the west of the City boundary.
The city is home to Alstom Transport's main UK spare parts
distribution centre which is located on Strand Road. Matalan Retail Ltd was also founded in Preston under the name Matalan Cash and Carry. Although the head office of Matalan moved to Skelmersdale in 1998, the city still has the tax office for the company (located in Winckley Square). Plumbs Ltd founded in the 1950s is still a family run business employing over 300 people at its Preston base.
Convenience store chain operator James Hall and Co who supply SPAR stores in the north of England have their head office located in the Ribbleton district, although it's soon to be moved to a new building in the Bluebell Way area of the city, which would be the biggest building in the city.
The financial sector also has a large presence in the city with a large selection of consultancies, insurance and law firms including national debt collection agency Legal & Trade based in Winckley Square in the city centre.
Preston is the home of Airline network - the consumer brand of Gold Medal Travel - one of the UK's largest travel companies.
On the 20 February 2006 mobile phone retailer The Carphone Warehouse took over Tulketh Mill (formerly the home of the Littlewoods catalogue call centre) a listed building in the Ashton-on-Ribble area of the city. The building has undergone an extensive redevelopment of the interior and is now the workplace of some 800 employees (as of 3rd March 2007). The main purpose of the site is a call centre for its broadband and landline service TalkTalk as well as its LLU company Opal Telecom. It was officially opened on 19 December 2006 by CEO Charles Dunstone and the Mayor ff Preston.
Preston is also home to the large "new business" department of finance broker loans.co.uk, which took over New City House when Norwich Union moved its call centre to India.
Retail is also a major contributor to Preston's economy. The city houses two major shopping centres:
Fishergate Shopping Centre - which has a large Debenhams department store, Primark, TK Maxx, Argos and T.J. Hughes stores.
The Mall (formerly St. George's) - a popular centrally located shopping mall dating from the 1960s.
Another shopping centre in Preston is the Miller Arcade, a specialist shopping centre in a listed building, which formerly included public baths, situated next to the Harris Museum.
Preston's main high streets are Fishergate and Friargate which offer shops, bars and restaurants with many more tucked away down the side streets.
An £800 million regeneration project known as the Tithebarn Project is also planned for Preston. The project is being managed by property giants Grosvenor and Lend Lease Corporation and is dependent upon a number of requirements (such as the re-location of the current Bus Station).
Since city status was awarded in the Queen's Jubilee year, Preston has been targeted by a number of developers. Residential developments are particularly popular with new apartments planned in and around the city centre. Office and hotel space is also in demand and a new Central Business District is being planned as well as a number of new hotels.
Transport
Road
The Preston by-pass, opened 5 December 1958, became the first stretch of motorway in the UK and is now part of the M6 with a short section now forming part of the M55. It was built to ease traffic congestion in Preston caused by tourists travelling to the popular destinations of Blackpool and The Lake District.
In the 1980s, a motorway running around the west of the city which would have been an extension of the M65 running to the M55 was started but never finished. That is the reason that the M55 has no junction 2, because it was reserved for the new western bypass. However, the existing M6 between junctions 30 and 32 was widened extensively between 1993-95 to compensate for this. A new junction, 31A was opened in 1997 to serve a new business park close to the motorway.
As well as the M6 (North and South), there are 3 other motorways which terminate close to the city -
M61 - Preston to Manchester via Chorley and Bolton
M65 - Preston to Colne via Blackburn, Accrington and Burnley
M55 - Preston to Blackpool via Kirkham
Rail
Preston Railway Station is a major stop on the West Coast Main Line, with regular long distance train services to London (Euston) and the South East, and Glasgow to the North. Preston is also a hub for connecting rail services in the North West, with direct services to Blackpool, Lancaster, Blackburn, Bradford, Leeds, Wigan, Bolton, Manchester and Liverpool.
Water
The former Preston Port has been the site of an expanding commercial and residential complex since 1988. Known as Riversway or The Docks, it's the biggest man-made marina in the UK, with 40 acres of deep water at all states of the tide. The Dock is no longer used for commercial shipping, is too small a space to cruise on and because of an infestation of blue-green algae (which gives the water a deep green colouration and the surrounding area a pungent smell depending on the how bad the water is at the time) it isn't safe for dinghy sailing.
The Marina is just north of the River Ribble which enters into the east of the Irish Sea. This marina has its own chandlery and coffee shop, training courses and boat sales
There are multi-million pound plans to redevelop Preston's Docks (as well as large sections of the River Ribble running through the city) to introduce leisure facilities (ie watersports), new landmark buildings, a new central park opposite Avenham Park, office and retail space, new residential developments and the re-opening of some of Preston's old canals. However, these plans, collectively known as Riverworks, have yet to undergo public consultation, and have already raised concerns amongst locals due to the potential loss of green space and increased risk of flooding.
Bus
Although lacking any rail based rapid transit network, Preston has a very comprehensive bus network. The 3 main local operators are:
Preston Bus - Serving Preston Borough and Penwortham
Stagecoach in Lancashire (formerly Stagecoach Ribble) - serving most areas outside the borough, particular emphasis on Walton-le-Dale, Penwortham/Longton and Longridge
John Fishwick & Sons - providing frequent services into the city centre for Lower Penwortham, Lostock Hall, Leyland, Euxton and Chorley
Preston also has its own park and ride at Walton-le-Dale and Portway.
Preston is also served by many national bus services. Stagecoach Express, National Express, Eurolines, and Megabus all have a large presence at Preston Bus Station.
Preston was one of the first cities in the UK to have its bus network fitted with Realtime, a satellite based technology fitted to every bus stop which aims to provide an accurate time and destination of the next bus arriving using GPS tracking. This service was initially restricted to all services within the borough, however, it has now been expanded to cover Fishwick's 111 City Centre/Leyland route due to its popularity.
Preston Bus Station is one of the largest in Europe. Despite its impressive size, the building has proved very controversial.
Air
Although not a public airport; Warton Aerodrome is an active airfield west of the city and is the airfield for the BAE Warton factory. BAE Samlesbury to the east of the town is a former active aerodrome but today it serves as a facility for BAE Systems » Blackpool International Airport is located only 20 miles west from the city.
Manchester Airport is a large international airport about 40 miles south-east of the city.
Education
The city is home to the University of Central Lancashire. Formerly known as Preston Polytechnic, "UCLan" is now the sixth largest university in the country. The university currently has over 33,000 students.
As well as the university, the Preston area is home to many other higher and further education institutes:
Preston College - Based in Fulwood with 2 campuses near the RPH and Moor Park. Specialising in A levels, vocational courses and adult courses. Also has COVE (Centre of Vocational Excellence) status in Retail.
Cardinal Newman College - Based on a single campus in Avenham, close to the city centre.
TUC Education Unit - Based at Buckingham House, Preston city centre
Royal Preston Hospital - A teaching hospital, with a proportion of medical students from the University of Manchester based here for their clinical training.
Runshaw College - Based south of the city in Leyland.
Myerscough College - Agricultural college based just north of the city in Bilsborrow but named after neighbouring village Myerscough.
Hutton Grammar School Sixth Form College, located in Hutton, South Ribble, southwest of Preston.
Media
Local Radio Stations
BBC Radio Lancashire - Lancashire wide news, talk and classic hits
105.4 Century FM - North West 80s - present pop and sport
Frequency 1350 - Student radio 1350 kHz AM MW
Magic 999 - Preston and Blackpool classic hits
Central Radio 106.5 - Launches mid 2008
Rock FM - Preston and Blackpool pop music
100.4 Smooth FM - North West Easy Listening
Preston FM - Community Radio Station
City Radio Preston - Launches Mid 2008
Newspapers
The Lancashire Evening Post is based in Fulwood, a suburb to the north of Preston
Sport
Preston is famous for Preston North End F.C. (one of the founder members of the Football League and the first team to be crowned English football champions) and the National Football Museum, the home of English football heritage, currently located at Deepdale Football Ground. Deepdale is the oldest continuously used professional soccer venue in the world. Dick, Kerr's Ladies are arguably the most famous early women's football team in Britain and called Preston home.
Preston Hockey Club was established in 1903 and has since remained one of the North's most prominent clubs. With six men’s, four ladies and two junior sides playing each weekend plus a regular mixed team, the club offers competitive and social hockey for all ages, abilities and sex. The men's 1st XI wishes to achieve National League status and with every side in the club strengthening its league standing year after year, the club's aim to become the strongest and most successful in the North is on course. The ladies 1st XI play at North Premier level.
The Preston Arena is used for cycle racing.
England Test Cricket all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is a Preston native.
The Preston Mountaineering Club is based in the town and has been in existence for over 70 years.
Speedway racing, then known as Dirt Track Racing was staged at Farringdon Park in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Preston team raced in the English Dirt Track League of 1929 and the Northern League of 1930 and 1931. The best known rider of the team was Joe "Iron Man" Abbott who went on to Test Match successes riding before the war for Belle Vue. After the war Joe appeared for Harringay and Bradford.
Religion
Christianity
Preston has a strong Christian (particularly Catholic) history and tradition. One of the proposed derivations of the name Preston is from 'Priests town' and the Lamb on the city emblem is a Biblical image of Jesus Christ.
As well as mainstream denominations like Roman Catholicism and the Church of England, the city has seen a recent emergence of new evangelical churches. Preston has a strong history for Free Methodism, as there are currently four Free Methodist churches in the area. Preston's Guild Hall plays host to a large evangelical worship music event called 'Encounter' every year.
Preston is also the site for a large temple belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, sometimes known as Mormons.
Islam
The city has a number of well established mosques.
Notable people
Twin cities/towns
Trivia
The first Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in the UK was opened in Fishergate in Preston.
The first traffic cones were used in building Preston bypass in the late 1950s, replacing red lantern paraffin burners.
The parents of legendary American outlaw Butch Cassidy emigrated from Preston to escape religious persecution of their Mormon faith. It was said that, unlike Paul Newman's cinematic portrayal, Butch spoke with a thick Lancashire accent.
Benjamin Franklin (one of the Founding Fathers of the United States) once owned a property on the site of a coffee bar in the city centre, on the corner of Cheapside and Friargate. A Blue Plaque on the wall of the building commemorates the spot.
Robert W. Service, the poet associated with the Yukon, was born in Preston and lived for a time on Winckley Street in the town centre. There is a Blue Plaque commemorating this.
Preston is the home city of the animator Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, and in September 2007, the city council announced that they'd be raising £100,000 in order to build a bronze statue of the two characters.Further Information
Get more info on 'Preston'.
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