Following the sad passing of Sir Tom Finney the Preston & South Ribble Civic Trust looked into the viability of a blue plaque dedicated to the memory of Sir Tom.

They are happy to fund a plaque in honour of our greatest Prestonian. But if a plaque were to be installed to commemorate the memory of Sir Tom the question is where will it be erected? On the house where he was born? Do we know for certain where he was born? Does anyone written evidence of the address?

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The Tom Finney exhibition from a few years ago mentioned as a child he lived on St Michaels Road in Deepdale. He later moved to Daisy Lane.

Finney’s mother died when he was just 4 years old and he was brought up by his father and grandmother. When his father remarried they moved to a larger home at Rose Lane in Holme Slack, Preston.

If we know for certain where he was born and first lived in Preston that would be an ideal location for his memorial.

Enter Tim Davies. A Preston lad who just happens to live in the house that Sir Tom Finney was born in back in 1922.

Tim bought a house on St Michaels Road in Deepdale in the late eighties. A couple of months after buying the house Tim watched an episode of ‘This is Your Life’ broadcast on ITV on 9th November 1988 featuring Tom Finney.

Presenter Michael Aspel declared Finney was born on St Michaels Road in the Borough of Deepdale in Preston on 5th April 1922. It didn’t even register with Tim that this was his home address!

Over the years he had many people knocking on his door asking to take pictures of Finney’s old house. Tim thinks they must have good information that Sir Tom was indeed born in his home in Deepdale and this is where the plaque to Tom should be installed.

Tim suggested the erection of a commemorative plaque on the front of his house – the birthplace of Sir Tom.

He is waiting for a final decision to be made about the plaque and we understand that the final location of a blue plaque would be in consultation with the Civic Trust and the Finney family. Peter Rankin, leader of Preston City Council commented It’s a great idea and we’ll make it happen in a month or two.’

The proposed plaque would form part of a walking tour around the city.

The ‘Preston Plumber’ was born on St Michaels Road within earshot of the Deepdale ground and spent hours practising his skills on nearby Holme Slack playing fields. Tom later attended nearby Deepdale County Primary and Secondary Modern.