Industry in Preston

Preston City Centre Management Company continues to be a multi-sector, multi-agency partnership based organisation, building on the previous work of the Preston Town/City Centre initiative. Membership currently directly includes:

Preston & District Chamber of Trade, Preston City Council, Fishergate & St George’s Shopping Centres, Marks & Spencer, Boots, University of Central Lancashire, Preston College, Holiday inn, Preston Bus, Lancashire Constabulary, Preston CVS and the Community Network , Andrew Kok Lighting, Bella Roma, Brown’s Cafe Bar, Garside Waddingham, Halifax Bank, Hellewells Menswear, isis Jewellers,Lancashire Evening Post, Next, Novello & Co, O’Donnells

Solicitors, PCC of Parish Preston, Peter Jackson Jewellers,Sign-a Rama, Simply Heathcotes, Woolworths.

Funding is also received from the AvenCentral Partnership and European Regional Development Fund, Priority 1.

1. Aims & Objectives

1.1 Primary Objectives
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Shopping in Preston

The City of Preston stands out from the competition with its selection of high quality independent stores right in the heart of the city centre.

As well as all the major high street stores like Debenhams, Marks and Spencer and George, Preston is a fabulous destination for that unusual gift or exclusive outfit. There is a huge choice of individual, specialist outlets from clothing to cards and gifts, florists to jewellers.

Take a walk down any of the quaint side streets situated off Fishergate and Friargate and see the boutiques, antiques and gifts that the city has to offer.
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Pubs & Clubs : Attraction of Preston

There’s so much to choose from when socialising in Preston City Centre. if its traditional drinking venues you’re after then Friargate serves both the student community and local citizens in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere with top national brands like Wetherspoons, O’Neils and it’s a Scream.

if you prefer themed bars and lively music then Church St and Glovers Court are the streets for you with music from the 80’s, R&B and dance plus a range of cocktails, spirits and beers from bars such as Browns, Loft, Hush, Reflex, Academy and Squares.

There are plenty of nightclubs to suit all music tastes from Tokyo Jo’s and Squires playing a mixture of dance and chart, Preston’s newest R&B club Truth and student venues Roper Hall and The Warehouse. Preston comes alive in the evening, whatever the night.

Moor Park : Attraction of Preston

Moor Park is large park (approx 2 miles perimeter) to the north of Preston, Lancashire. Created in 1833-35, the park is reputed to the first in which the inalienable right of public access was assured.

Avenham Park : Attraction of Preston

Avenham Park is a public parkland located on the banks of the river Ribble in Preston, Lancashire in north west England. it was established in the Victorian era, and now has many fully grown trees, including horse chestnuts and oaks. The park is one of two city centre Victorian parklands in Preston, the other being its sister and neighbour the smaller Miller Park. The two parks are separated by an embankment constructed for a railway which closed in the 1970s. The embankment leads to a viaduct across the river, which is a Grade ii listed building.

The land has been preserved as parkland because building work would be difficult as the embankment of the river floods from time to time. The park was designed by Edward Milner.

This park is more informal than its neighbour and includes long open lawn areas. On Easter Sunday children roll decorated eggs down its grassy slopes in a race. The park contains a large Japanese garden which is one of the best of its kind. However a lot of weathered limestone is used, which is considered to be environmentally unfriendly to the limestone pavements from which they are taken.

The field in the centre of the park has a gentle slope towards the river, and acts as a natural amphitheatre. A brick and concrete stage dating from the 1950s was built to enable the area to be used for concerts. This construction has surprisingly good acoustic qualities. in recent years, the park has been used as the location for a number of festivals including Preston’s Mela, which celebrates the culture of the city’s large Asian community.
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Miller Park : Attraction of Preston

Miller Park is a public parkland and gardens located on the banks of the river Ribble in Preston, Lancashire in north west England. The park is one of two city centre Victorian era parklands in Preston, the other being its sister and neighbour the larger Avenham Park.

The park is laid out in Victorian symmetrical formal style, with a fountain and a statue of Edward Geoffrey Smith Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, occupying pride of space.

The park has many full-sized trees including Horse-chestnut and oak trees. The park has many attractive flower beds which are maintained by the employees of Preston City Council’s Parks Department.

The land has been preserved as parkland because building work would be difficult on the embankment of the river which floods from time to time. The park was designed by Edward Milner and covers 10.22 acres (41,000 m²).
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British Commercial Vehicle Museum : Attraction of Preston

The British Commercial Vehicle Museum is located in Leyland, Lancashire, England, and contains many vehicles dating back through the ages. in particular, there are many antiquarian buses on display.

Lancashire Queens Regiment Museum : Attraction of Preston

The Lancashire Queens Regiment Museum is a military museum in Preston. it chronicles the men of Lancashire, England who fought for their country during the wars. it also acts as a fascinating archive of battles fought by the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment.

The museum conducts research at Fulwood Barracks, which has drawn negative media attention recently.

Museum of Lancashire : Attraction of Preston

The Museum of Lancashire is housed in an old courthouse in Preston, Lancashire. it is mostly a historical museum dedicated to describing life in Preston during World War ii. it also displays information about the role of woman during the war and that of life in the World War i trenches. interactive exhibits include a Victorian classroom.

National Football Museum : Attraction of Preston

The National Football Museum is a museum in Preston, England, founded to preserve, conserve and interpret several important collections of association football memorabilia.

Collections

Located at the Deepdale stadium in Preston, the museum opened in June 2001. it is an independent charity holding the following collections:
The FiFA Museum Collection
The Football Association Collection
The Football League Collection
The Wembley Stadium Collection.
The FiFA Book Collection
The People’s Collection
The Preston North End FC Collection
The Harry Langton Collection
The Sir Stanley Matthews Collection
The Littlewoods Collection

At any time, around 2,000 items from the Museum’s collections are on display, with a further 30,000 items held. Key items include:
The ball from the first World Cup Final in 1930.
The ball from the 1966 World Cup Final.
The unique replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy, made in secret by the FA in 1966 after the original was stolen, and paraded by the England players at the World Cup Final in 1966.
The England captain’s jersey and cap from the world’s first official international football match, England v Scotland, in 1872.
The world’s oldest women’s football kit, from the 1890s.
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St Walburge’s Church : Attraction of Preston

St Walburge’s Church across the river Ribble.

St Walburge’s RC Church is a church located in Preston, Lancashire, England.

it is one of the tallest building in Lancashire with a steeple or spire (tower) of 309 feet. This makes the building one of the tallest churches in the United Kingdom.

Work began on the construction of the church in May 1850 and was completed for an opening ceremony on August 3, 1854.

The church resembles a cathedral and holds a commanding position over Preston city. The tower contains a single bell of 30 Cwt (1.5 Tonnes) cast by John Taylor Bellfounders of Loughborough and is thought to be the heaviest swinging bell in Lancashire.

The St Walburge’s has the tallest steeple of any non-cathedral church in the United Kingdom, the only two taller examples being found on cathedrals. The steeple is constructed from limestone sleepers which originally carried the nearby Preston to Longridge railway line, giving the spire a red tint during sunset. The steeple was the last to be worked upon by steeplejack and TV personality Fred Dibnah.

Facts About Preston

Geography

Grid reference: SD534290

Status: City (2002)

Region: North West England

Admin. County: Lancashire

Area: Ranked 215th
- Total 142.22 km²

Admin. HQ: Preston

ONS code: 30UK

Demographics

Population: Ranked 139th
- Total (2004 est.) 131,000
- Density 921 / km²

Ethnicity: 85.5% White, 11.6% S.Asian

Politics

Leadership: Leader & Cabinet

Executive: Labour

MPs: Nigel Evans, Mark Hendrick, Michael Jack

History Of Preston

During the Roman period the road from the Setantian port of Neb of the Nese passed one mile north of Preston and intersected the road from Languavallium in Cumberland to Condate in Cheshire in Preston at Tulketh-hall.

In Ripon in 705 the lands near the River Ribble were set on a new foundation, and the parish church was probably erected. Later Edward the Elder passed the lands to cathedral at York and then from successive transfers the lands were passed round between churches, hence 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 reinforced by similarity of Preston’s crest bearing a lamb with St. Wilfrid’s banner (Walsh and Butler 1992).

The strategic location of the city, almost exactly mid-way between Glasgow and London, is demonstrated in that decisive battles of the English Civil War (1643) and the first Jacobite rebellion (1715) were fought in Preston.

In 1825 Preston was in the hundred of Amounderness, in the deanery of Amounderness and the archdeaconry of Richmond. The name of Amounderness is more ancient than the name of any other Wapentake or hundred in the County of Lancaster, and so Preston dates from at least the High Saxon period. Served by the River Ribble, Preston was one of the principal ports of Lancaster. King Charles I demanded a quarter more ship money than from Lancaster and twice as much as from Liverpool.
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Preston

Preston is a city and local government district in North West England. it is the administrative centre of Lancashire, and is 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’s reign.

Among other things, Preston is famous for Preston North End F.C., one of the oldest Football League teams, the National Football Museum the home of English Football heritage, St Walburge’s Church (the tallest church in England designed by Joseph Hansom of Hansom Cab fame, with the third-highest spire at 94 metres), and Europe’s second largest bus station (with 79 gates).

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.

Situated in the heart of the colourful county of Lancashire, Preston is the gateway to Lancashire’s beautiful landscape and historical sights. Preston, the administrative capital of Lancashire, is the largest and most important commercial centre in the County and it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Preston’s history dates back to the Doomsday Book and to 1179 with the granting of the Charter, which gave the right to hold a Guild Merchant every 20 years. The “Once in a Preston Guild” tradition continues to this day and we look forward to the next in 2012.
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