Two cotton magnates dominated Preston in the 18th and 19th centuries: John Watson and John Horrocks. Watson ‘imported’ child labour from London to work in his factories. The ‘Wat apprentices’ […]

Maps are a great way of seeing how Preston has developed over the last 350 years, revealing some long lost buildings and rivers. The map above shows the original core […]

Once lepers were shunned as cursed by God, often the only help they received came from the Church! Religion dominated the lives of medieval people in Preston. For example, the […]

Before public drainage, the only way to empty the cess pits and privies used by most houses was to deploy a wheelbarrow and shovel! Medieval Preston was small and largely […]

The story of Red Scar Manor is a romantic tale of a lost mansion and a now defunct railway. Once there was a rich lawyer who wanted to be Lord […]

Shipbuilding in Preston arguably goes back to prehistoric times as log boats were uncovered during the building of the new docks, in the 1890s. The Romans sailed up the Ribble […]

Preston once had a canal that terminated just off Fishergate. The Lancaster Canal still exists but now stops by Aqueduct Street in Ashton-on-Ribble. Trade was brisk as coal headed north, […]

After Preston fell to the Parliamentarians in 1643, the escaped Gilbert Hoghton was pursued to Hoghton Tower. Captain Sharkey the Parliamentarian commander, approached the stronghold with trepidation. Importantly, several cannon […]