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The long life of the recently demolished Preston Odeon cinema

The Odeon cinema in the mid 1960s Pic: Preston Digital Archive The now-demolished ex-Odeon cinema on Church Street has a long and fascinating history. It opened in 1928 as the New Victoria Theatre and was in a prime location in the […]

6 days ago
Preston’s lost garages and what is left of the West Lancashire line?

Bradshaw’s Garage in Marsh Lane Pic: Preston Digital Archive There are some interesting connections between early motor car makers and the railways in Preston. In the early 20th century Preston had a good number of motor car garages. It […]

2 weeks ago
Preston’s 1830s Irish community, “a less civilised population spreading themselves” 

Evictions during the Irish potato famine, 1848 Pic: Preston Digital Archive The lead image shows tenants being evicted during the Irish Potato Famine of 1848. Over one million died of starvation and many left Ireland. Some came to Preston. However, Preston […]

3 weeks ago
Preston in the early 1970s, apples at 10p per pound, hats and cigarettes

Preston Market in 1972 Pic: Richard Jackson Preston in the early 1970s was still in the thrall of redevelopment with large swathes of the town looking like bomb sites. The lead image shows the thriving market. Notable […]

4 weeks ago
Advertisement Advertisement Preston in the 1840s, new railways and old problems

A typical 1840s locomotive Pic: Science Museum The year 1846 was an important year in Preston. It was the year that the Blackburn and Preston Railway opened. It was also a period of deprivation among the working […]

1 month ago
Preston in the Middle Ages, priests, lepers and friars

The old St John’s Church; this was the previous building before rebuilding in the 1850s Pic: Preston Digital Archive 900 years ago, religion dominated the lives of medieval Prestonians. Much land in the area was owned by the parish church and the church had almost three times the wealth […]

1 month ago
Death, disease and murder in Victorian Preston

A damaged locomotive Pic: Wikimedia There were many ways to die in Victorian Preston; everything from exploding locomotives to cholera and murder were reported in the local press. Knowledge of disease was limited until the […]

2 months ago
Preston in 1965, the beginnings of the modern world?

Two children survey the still working Docks in 1965 Pic: Preston Digital Archive Preston in 1965 was a strange mixture of ancient and modern; steam trains still plied through the station, while the UK’s first KFC was opened. The locomotive above is a […]

2 months ago
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