Lancashire’s city, with Victorian parks on the river, a football ground with history and a festival held only once every twenty years.
Preston is the administrative centre of Lancashire, and it became a city in 2002. It grew rich as a cotton town in the nineteenth century, and it has an unusual place in history: it was here that Richard Arkwright developed his spinning frame, and here that the word teetotal was coined by the temperance movement in the 1830s.
Today Preston is a lively university city, with fine Victorian parks, a famous football club and one of the tallest church spires in England. It is a good base for exploring the Lancashire coast, the Forest of Bowland and the Ribble Valley. This guide covers six things to see and do.
1. Avenham and Miller Parks
Avenham Park and Miller Park are two beautiful Victorian parks side by side, sloping down to the banks of the River Ribble in the south of the city. They are among the finest parks in the North West. They were laid out in the nineteenth century when Preston was at the height of its wealth.
Avenham Park has a Japanese rock garden, grassy slopes and a riverside walk. It hosts events through the year. On Easter Monday, families gather on its slopes for the traditional egg rolling, a Preston tradition going back generations.
Miller Park has formal gardens, a fountain and a statue of the Earl of Derby. Its flower beds are colourful in summer. Back in Avenham Park, the Belvedere, a small Italianate pavilion, is a lovely spot.
The riverside path runs along the Ribble, with bridges crossing to the south bank and walks in both directions. It is popular with runners and dog walkers. The parks are a short walk from the city centre and the station.
2. The Harris Museum
The Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library stands in the Market Square, in a grand Greek Revival building completed in 1893. It is one of the finest civic buildings in the North. Its columns and pediment dominate the square.
Inside, the building has a spectacular central hall rising through several floors. The collections include fine art, costume, ceramics and the history of Preston. It is one of the most important museums in Lancashire.
The Harris has been through a major restoration, so check opening times and which galleries are open before you go. It has been reimagined as a place for culture, learning and community. Entry has traditionally been free.
The Market Square outside, known as the Flag Market, hosts markets and events. Preston’s covered market, with its Victorian iron canopy, is nearby. The city centre has a mix of shops and restaurants.
3. Deepdale and Preston North End
Deepdale is the home of Preston North End, one of the oldest and most famous football clubs in England. Preston were the first champions of the Football League, in 1888 to 1889. They won the league without losing a match and also won the FA Cup, earning the nickname the Invincibles.
Deepdale is one of the oldest football grounds in the world still in use. Outside the ground stands a statue of Sir Tom Finney, one of the greatest footballers England has produced, who played his whole career for Preston. The statue, known as the Splash, shows him running through a puddle, based on a famous photograph.
The National Football Museum was originally based at Deepdale before moving to Manchester. The club’s history is still celebrated at the ground. Match days are lively, with a loyal local following.
On match days, the roads around the ground are busy. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to get to and from the match.
4. The Preston Guild
The Preston Guild is one of the most unusual festivals in Britain. It is held only once every twenty years, and it has been celebrated in this pattern since 1542. It was missed only once, in 1942, during the Second World War.
The Guild began as a celebration of the rights of the town’s merchant guilds. Today it is a huge festival lasting several days, with processions, concerts, fireworks and events. People who remember one Guild often look forward to the next for twenty years.
The phrase once every Preston Guild is used across Lancashire to mean something that happens very rarely. The last Guild was held in 2012, and the next is due in 2032. If you are in the area then, it is not to be missed.
Between Guilds, Preston holds many other festivals and events, including music and food festivals. The city is lively all year round. Check what is on before you go.
5. St Walburge’s and the city centre
St Walburge’s Church, in the north west of the city centre, has the tallest spire of any parish church in England, rising to about ninety four metres. It was designed by Joseph Hansom, the inventor of the Hansom cab. The spire is a landmark for miles around.
The church is a Victorian Gothic building with a huge hammerbeam roof. Tours of the tower are sometimes available, taking you up the spire for views across Lancashire. It is a remarkable building.
Preston’s bus station, a huge concrete building from the 1960s, is one of the most famous examples of brutalist architecture in Britain. It was saved from demolition and restored, and it is now a listed building. People either love it or hate it.
Arkwright House, where Richard Arkwright developed his spinning frame in 1768, still stands in the city centre. The Ribble Steam Railway, on the docks, runs heritage trains on selected days. The city centre has a good choice of shops, pubs and restaurants.
6. The Forest of Bowland, the Ribble Valley and Blackpool
The Forest of Bowland, a protected landscape of moorland and valleys, is just north east of Preston. It is one of the most beautiful and least crowded areas in England. The Ribble Valley, with its villages and pubs, runs along its southern edge.
Clitheroe, a market town in the Ribble Valley, has a castle and good food. Villages such as Downham, with its stone cottages and no television aerials, are lovely. The area is known for its excellent country pubs.
Blackpool, about twenty minutes west of Preston, is Britain’s most famous seaside resort. It has the Blackpool Tower, the Pleasure Beach, three piers and miles of sandy beach. Every autumn, the Blackpool Illuminations light up the seafront.
Lytham St Annes, just south of Blackpool, is a quieter, more elegant seaside town with a windmill on the green and famous golf courses. A car makes it easy to explore the coast and the countryside.
Getting there and getting around
Preston station is on the West Coast Main Line, with direct trains to London Euston in just over two hours, and to Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Blackpool. It is a short walk from the city centre.
Manchester Airport is about forty five minutes by road, and Liverpool John Lennon Airport about fifty minutes. The M6, M55 and M61 all meet near the city. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Preston and the airports, and to explore Bowland and the coast.
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