The Five Minute Take on Preston

Pretty Preston by the River Ribble, sadly that’s about as far as our attempt at being poetic goes, however, we do love a little consonance here at Five Minutes Spare. It’s incredibly satisfying, as (possibly surprisingly) to many as is a visit to Preston, yes we mean the one in Lancashire, you know the one, home to over 300k people and one of the few towns of its size that has actually achieved the coveted ‘city status’ title. Good on you Preston, we are already tooting your trumpet & waving your flag.

Anyway, poor poetry but rhyming consonance’s aside let’s see how the city has been keeping up appearances for the last few hundred years. Who started Preston and why? Let’s have a look…

 

 

Early Preston

Preston goes all the way back to the Roman invasion, around 80AD. The Romans crisscrossed the country with nice, straight, working roads. There was a Roman fort in Ribchester, as well as one at Luguvalium and Marmucium respectively. Nowadays, these two forts are known as Carlisle and Manchester!

The road would have run along the River Ribble, so it makes sense that there would have been settlers along it – particularly since people would have used the river stones to build houses and walls in the early days. The Ribble had a low fjord across it about ¾ of a mile outside of town. It is thought that a priory here in the early, early days, would have given Preston its name. Back then, Preston hadn’t been shortened yet. It would still have been called by its long name – Priest’s Town.

So we can speculate that there were members of the Christian church here as early as the Romans… back when the story of Jesus was only just reaching the world. That’s bizarre and somehow inspiring to think about… This theory is reinforced by the lamb on Preston’s shield. It was a town of God. We do wonder what he thinks of it now…

Domesday and Beyond

Preston popped up in the Domesday book in 1086, twenty years after the Norman invasion of 1066. By the time of the Domesday Survey (which was a survey of all land ownership in England and is not anything to do with the end of the world), Preston was huge. It fell into the bracket of the largest 20% of settlements.

In the Preston Domesday entry, we can see that there were 71.4 households. We’re not sure what the .4 means, but we do know that other settlements we have examined come nowhere close to this. Perhaps more surprisingly is that only 2 landowners are noted. So only 2 people owned all of this wealth. Sounds about right.

The Land of Drogo of La Beuvriere included 42 villagers, 6 free men, and five smallholders. He owned 26 ploughlands, woodland, a meadow, and several teams to plough the land with. He was exorbitantly rich. His lands made him more than 56 pounds per year. In those days a single pound could keep you for a full year in comfort. In our terms, this man was richer than the Queen.

The second entry shows the rest of the town belonged to one Baldwin (of Flanders) but was presided over by Drogo of La Beuvriere. He was the proprietor of the church, among other things. The single registered priest in town belonged to him. It is worth noting that we rarely come across priests listed in the Domesday Book unless the town is of significant importance. Even by then Preston was important.

Here Come The Vikings

When it came to the Vikings, Preston actually got off pretty lightly. It wasn’t on the right coast to be in direct danger, but it was still a coastal settlement. It is possible that it was so large the Vikings ignored it.

In the 12^th century, Preston was noted as one of the wealthiest in England. The Merchant Guild came to the town in those days and is still celebrated every 20 years. Don’t ask. It’s been a thing so long now that it has become colloquial language to say something rare happens “once in a Preston Guild” (instead of “once in a blue moon”).

In the 12^th century, when Preston was still massive, the Guild hall opened up so that merchants could thrive in Priest’s town. The town was prosperous, and the Vikings left them alone. Not too shabby for a town on the coast. If it was Scotland it would have washed away into the North Sea and never have grown any bigger.

Fun Facts about Preston

Loads of interesting things have happened in Preston over the years, so let’s break up all of this history with a little appreciation. Here are the Five Minutes Spare favourite fun facts about Preston:

• Preston was home to the first KFC that wasn’t in America. Well done Preston, you started a chicken revolution and the rest of England appreciates it!
• The Preston By-Pass was the first Motorway in Britain… we are slightly less thankful for that one but only because spaghetti junction exists.
• It was also the birthplace of the gas lamp in Britain. Evidently, it was still a wealthy town at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution – but we will get to that in a moment.
• Deepdale Stadium is said to be the oldest continuously used football stadium in the UK. It is so old that the National Football Museum used to be here. Locals still hate that it was moved to Manchester. They also boast the first-ever team to be called ‘the Invincibles’ the double-winning side of 1888-89, so if football is your game then this is a great place to be.

As you can see, there is more to this place than first meets the eye. Let’s jump back to the history for a moment and find out more.

The 13^th Century Onwards

In 1260 Franciscan Friars came to Preston, probably reinforcing the name. By that time it was recorded as under the hundred of Amounderness, which was a dividend of the country run from the fort at Tulketh. The fort itself was built by William the Conqueror. The fort remained there until 1959 and grew into a sizeable manor house.

There have been several battles throughout history that have been called the Battle of Preston. It is about halfway up the country between north and south, so any attacks heading for the capital inevitably come through here. It is a strategically important city on the island of Britain – probably another reason the battle-savvy Vikings left it alone.

Preston saw a battle during the English Civil War, then again during the first Jacobite Rebellion. Sometime in the 16^th century King Henry VIII took over and disbanded all the churches, so the friary was closed down. On his way north to Culloden, Bonnie Prince Charlie rested here for the night with his army. It is historically noted that from Preston to the north the army were welcomed. From Preston to the south they were hated and feared. History, as they say, is written by the victorious.

The English Civil War

Preston was captured during the 17^th century by the Parliamentarians. This led them into another battle in 1643 in yet another civil war (England has had a few). The town was taken back pretty soon and then everyone went home… or at least left Preston alone for a while. By 1680 the town had a population of 3,000 and was being lit by oil lamps. London wasn’t fully lit yet, so again, this is evidence of how well they were doing.

A little over a hundred years later, the Preston Gas Company was established. They would start by lighting the lamps in Preston and go one to light a large proportion of Lancashire. Around the same time, the water frame was invented here by Sir Richard Arkwright. Cotton mills suddenly maximised production and spread from Preston outwards. In 1838 the railway came through, bringing with its people, parts, new goods and new opportunities. A ship-breaking yard was opened at Preston Dock, which grew exponentially as goods arrived by sea. A canal was added, connecting this port town with the rest of the world in yet another way.

Preston In the Industrial Revolution

Things kicked off big time for Preston in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Industrialisation swept through town in a way other places could only dream of. What happened here that was so unique? Preston workers went out on strike as early as 1842, in order to protest rubbish working and living conditions. Troops read the (literal) Riot Act and dispersed them using live rounds. Four cotton mill workers were shot and killed.

In 1854 those same Cotton Workers were on strike again, this time for nearly thirty weeks. Charles Dickens visited to see what all the fuss was about. He then went on to write Hard Times. By the 1920s Preston had a full-on worker’s union for the textile industry. While everyone else was living in the 20^th century they were already living in the nineties. Karl Marx visited it specifically… the place is inspiring.

Preston was so advanced that they had their own council in 1835. It took another fifty years or so for everyone else to get this type of rule. In 1901 it had more than 120k residents. Shipbuilding, aircraft and motor vehicle building, fabrics, dyes – you name it and it was made in Preston. Although a huge town, it was also on the west coast, reasonably safe from the Germans in the Wars.

WWII Preston

A warplane did crash in a portion of the city in ’44. 61 people, the pilot included, were killed as a result. It wasn’t bombed much but there was some damage from blitz bombings. After the First World War, some 3,000 council houses were built in Preston. After WWII many of these were filled with allied soldier’s families. There was a significant Caribbean contingent in the city that remains to this day.

In the ’70s the booming industry that had pushed Preston started to ease off. Retail replaced manufacturing and rehousing halted almost entirely. Shopping centres were built and were closely followed by the M6 motorway. The town was suddenly connected to Birmingham as well as Manchester and thrived because of it.

Preston was eventually granted city status in 2002 but in our hearts and minds, it has been a city for a lot longer than that. This is a town of inspirational firsts. We can’t wait to see what they will come up with next!

Famous People from Preston

A city with such an illustrious history must surely have more than its fair share of famous faces. Some of our favourite Preston famous people include:

• Roy Barraclough – from Coronation Street – is Preston born. So is Tupele Dorgu (who plays Kelly Crabtree).
• Cyclist Hugh Carthy is from this sweet city.
• Commonwealth boxer and gold winner Scott Fitzgerald comes from Preston.
• Nick Park is from Preston. You might not know his name, but you will know his creations. He is the animator responsible for Wallace and Gromit, and Chicken Run!
• Leo Baxendale, another cartoonist, was born here. Leo is responsible for Minnie the Minx and the Bash Street Kids cartoons!

So Preston isn’t just a town of firsts, it is a town of talented people, all round! You can find a fuller list than ours here, just remember to come back because we are not done yet.

Preston Attractions

Preston is filled with sights and sounds you really need to see if you are spending time there. Here are some of our favourite attractions in the city of Preston, to help take some of the difficult decision making off of your hands.

Historic Attractions and Landmarks

There aren’t many castles in the Preston area that are still standing. Go and see Preston Manor though. This Edwardian house is absolutely breathtaking and you can spend a long afternoon in the gardens or stopping for high tea.

Galleries and Museums

There are plenty of museums to choose from. Arguably, the Harris Museum and combined Art Gallery is the most popular in town. It is also a library and is often used for school outings. You can find it in the Market Square.

Of course, nobody stops here without visiting the British Commercial Vehicle Museum. This place showcases the trams and coaches, trucks and vans that made Britain great to begin with. This place celebrates Preston’s long history with vehicle manufacture – and so it should. When it comes to cars and aeroplanes, Preston has a lot to be proud of.

There are two other museums in town you may want to check out. Both the Lancashire Infantry Museum and the Ribchester Roman Museum are two sights that you don’t want to leave town without taking in. If you are a history or military buff, then you will find Preston a rich resource.

Shopping and Retail

The Fishergate Shopping Centre is where you go to spend your Christmas money or to do your Christmas shopping. If that’s not to your liking, then you have loads of other places you can go. There is also an indoor covered market that you can visit. As usual, in such places, watch out for pickpockets!

Sports and Leisure

You can’t not note Deepdale Stadium. It is one of the longest, time-served football stadiums in the UK. It’s home to the Preston North End team and has a rich history of association with league games. The stadium itself as been in operation since a farm was converted in 1875. Today you can catch a game or a tour, maybe even a fairly awesome pie.

The Preston Guild Hall holds a Charter Theatre where they often rent out spaces. They have exhibitions, balls, and shows here. Check the timetable to see what is on. If you want some good, old-fashioned outdoor hiking, head to the Bowland Wild Boar Park. It’s fascinating stuff that gets you out for some exercise.

Outdoors and Nature

Out in the nearby woods of Preston, you will find the Turbary Woods Owl and Bird of Prey Sanctuary. If you are looking for something outdoors to do with the kids and you happen to be in the area, then this gets five stars from just about everyone. Go see the birdies.

Want To See An Osprey

The Brookeholes Nature Reserve is the second on our top attractions in Preston list. It’s fun, it’s outdoors, it gives you ample opportunities for picnics and play areas. If the summer sun is shining, then this is where you will find the locals. They have 250 acres, but they are prone to flooding in the rain. An Osprey turned up there in 2019 and there is high hopes that they might get a breeding pair there going forward. Now that would be something to see!

Check out Haslam Park, too, it makes for a fun day for the family and you don’t need to pay an entry fee.

Finally, Avenham and Miller Parks are some of the finest examples of Victorian park design for miles around. Stroll the gardens by the river and enjoy a fine day out. An activity best kept for warmer weather.

Where to Eat, Drink and Party in Preston?

There are loads of places to eat and drink in town. For the best-of-the-best in fine dining, check out the Patten Arms. The Mad Hunter comes in highly recommended for family food though. Residents report a more than satisfactory meal every time. If you don’t like either, then there are plenty of Pizza places to choose from!

For the best cocktails in town, we suggest you head to the Review Wine Bar. This place will get you drunk in a high class way. If you prefer the gutters with the rest of us, you can get a solid pint at the Wellington. You can also get a nice family meal there.

Dancing might be your thing and Preston has nightclubs aplenty for you to choose form. Check out Evoque in the student side of town. Popworld is better for entertaining teenagers though. Peter Andre is a regular appearance here… at least during the festival season. There are loads of breweries in town too. You can get a tour at the Beer Brothers place if you are old enough. Don’t forget that ID!

Other Notable Attractions

We found so many great fun things to do in Preston that we couldn’t fit them all in. We added a few of the local delicacies, below.

1. Preston Docks – visit the historic dockyard where ships have been built for generations… or at least broken down when they are done with.
2. Preston is home to a number of wildlife and nature spotting parks. Try the Claylands park for a free day out in Preston. You could also spend a day wandering around the River Ribble.
3. Cuerden Valley Park, Beacon Fell Country Park, and Wild Discovery are all outdoor options in Preston. There is simply a ton of things to do in this city!
4. Trainspotters love Preston. The West Lancashire Light Railway runs through here and is great fun for kids. You can also visit the historic train station and spot some older models from the platform… just keep back from the edge.

As you can see, Preston is full of great ideas for things to do. Whether you are here on holiday for a few weeks or whether you live nearby, you probably haven’t explored it enough yet!

How to get there?

Now you know everything about Preston except how to get there! Don’t panic! We found that out too.

By Road

Follow the M6 north from the south of England. If you are coming from the North, you also follow the M6. Be careful you don’t take the wrong turn and end up on the by-pass…

By Rail

The main train station in the city is Preston Railway Station. Interestingly, it is 194 miles from Glasgow and 206 miles from London… it really is the halfway point between the two!

By Air

If travelling by air gead for Liverpool John Lennon airport. It’s about 30 miles away but well within train or coach distance.

By Sea

Preston Port is open for business.

Got Five More Minutes?

If you still have time left to burn, entertain yourself by learning some trivia over at Five Minutes Spare. Learn a new hobby or skill or plan your next travel itinerary. There is something for everyone when you have us as your knowledge site of choice…

 

 

[ii] https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2013/11/sixteen-excellent-things-preston-gave-the-world/