Explore Preston’s history with a new kind of A to Z

From cotton barons to clocks there’s all kinds of Preston history in a new book about the city.

Preston A-Z is not the type of book you keep in the glove compartment pre-Google Maps to figure out where you are, but a treasure trove of facts about the city.

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Mr Johnson said: “This A-Z is of Preston in Lancashire is all about its people, places and past times. It is an opportunity to admire the progress from the days of poverty and pestilence to the city of today. If you glimpse the Index you will soon observe it is not a definitive guide to Preston in an alphabetical or content sense, but a journey from the deep past to the present day, in the place known as ‘Proud Preston’.”

“Of course, A could have been for Arkwright or Avenham Park but it is not, although they both get a mention in the script. Likewise, C could have been for the cotton woven into Preston’s history, instead that cherished industry is recalled within the letter L, with C in my A-Z simply reserved for curling. Nor is F for Finney because Sir Tom is listed with the Knights, instead F is for the Fazackerleys who were a law unto themselves. Neither is H for Harris, but instead it is for Horology and the keeping of time in our city. Nor is Z for the Zoological Gardens that once graced Farringdon Park, but for the Zebra crossings we use everyday.

“This book is not confined to the traditional constraints of an A-Z merely listing everything and everybody from a place or time. It is an attempt to put together various historical elements, tales and anecdotes, being ever aware that many events and tales have been chronicled in my previous books, along with those books published by other local authors whom I much admire. In truth, it is a collection of features that I found fascinating to discover and I hope will entertain you.”

The book is available to buy from Amazon and is priced £14.94 for paperback or £12 for Kindle.