History

The roof of the former orphanage on Mount Street in the city centre

Victorian newspaper cutting on St Joseph’s Orphanage

12th, July 2011 by

The history of the former St Joseph’s Orphanage has been a hot topic on Blog Preston for nearly two years since we conducted our first local history investigation into its past. Our post has triggered tens of comments from across the globe from people who were born, lived and worked in the orphanage – some positive, and some less so. Reader Heather Crook sent in [...]

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domesday book

Domesday Book online maps Preston in 1086

23rd, May 2011 by

The Domesday Book has been published online for the first time, and you can check out what Preston was like all the way back in 1086. Open Domesday, set up by Anna Powell-Smith, allows you to type in your postcode and find the Domesday listing nearest to you. Preston was part of the Amounderness – a hundred small territories in (present-day) Lancashire that have now [...]

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John, centre, with the Yes2AV campaign team

Yes2AV: ‘Canada is proof that the system is broken’

4th, May 2011 by

On Monday night, Canada went to the polls and gave us a perfect example of why the Canadian and British ‘first past the post’ (FPTP) voting system is broken, unfair and needs to be replaced. Only 39.6% of the vote went to the right wing Canadian Conservative Party while 59.5% of the vote went to centre-left parties. What was the result? An absolute majority for [...]

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Napoleonic eagle

French Revolution room to open at Regimental museum in Fulwood

14th, April 2011 by

The Queen’s Lancashire Regimental Museum in Fulwood is due to open a new room, dedicated to the French Revolution. The Waterloo Room contains a rare Napoleonic Eagle and other memorabilia, including medals, clothing, pictures, rifles and swords, and should be ready to open later this year. Once touched by Napoleon himself, the Eagle was taken from the 22nd Regiment French Brenier’s division during the French [...]

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Wedding shop

Preston shops unable to capitalise on Royal Wedding

21st, March 2011 by

It seems everybody wants to cash in on the Royal Wedding, from knitted souvenirs to tours of where Kate Middleton lives, new money-making schemes pop up daily. However, a trade not benefitting is the wedding industry. Surprisingly, despite the endless coverage, such businesses have not seen an increase in customers. “I don’t think the fact it’s happening makes a difference. It’s not going to inspire [...]

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Lesley Pritchard, left, and Valerie Wise open the day with a ceremonial cake

International Women’s Day celebrated in Preston

11th, March 2011 by

Lesley Pritchard, left, and Valerie Wise open the day with a ceremonial cake International Women’s Day was proudly celebrated in the city. This week women and men gathered to celebrate one hundred years of the national day. The anniversary is not only a timely reminder of changes that have helped women achieve equality but also a time to reflect on inequalities that still remain. Preston [...]

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rsz_sculpture_1

Infamous Preston artist strikes bronze with latest sculpture

26th, February 2011 by

Peter Hodgkinson, the Preston artist who created the city’s famous sculpture of Sir Tom Finney, had his latest piece of work unveiled today – in a pub. Forty-five-year-old Hodgkinson has immortalised another North West legend – artist LS Lowry – with a life-sized bronze statue that sits at the bar in Sam’s Chop House, the Manchester inn where Lowry used to drink. Hodgkinson, who lives [...]

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lgbthistory

Preston to play part in LGBT history month

7th, February 2011 by

Shocking historical records that show gay men being imprisoned and hanged for their sexuality will be unveiled in Preston later this month. Lancashire Record Office will open its doors on Saturday 26th February for Outing the Past, a day of talks and exhibitions to mark Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) History Month. “LGBT History Month has really grown as a nationwide event and we [...]

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memorials

Preston stops to remember Holocaust victims

2nd, February 2011 by

A Holocaust survivor visited Preston to speak out against hatred and prejudice, as the city paused to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. Mrs Thea Hurst described her memories of her escape to England and her father’s death in a concentration camp. The talk at the Harris Library was part of a series of events held to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Mrs Hurst, who now lives in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, kept [...]

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cricket

Guest post: Save our club. Jalgos forever.

4th, December 2010 by

In 1963 the Lancashire Evening Post ran a story about a colour bar operating in Preston. An organized pub crawl organized by the Commonwealth Association discovered two bars in the town were openly running a colour bar; those pubs were the Old Britannia and the Old Black Bull situated in and around Friargate. The Old Britannia went as far as having a sign saying ‘No [...]

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mugs

Harris Museum celebrates Preston’s contribution to the war

1st, December 2010 by

The Harris Museum has been celebrating Preston’s role in supplying refreshments to troops during the two World Wars. During the First and Second World War 15 million cups of tea were given to tired troops who passed through Preston train station. The Free Buffet was organised and run by volunteers from the Preston Women Citizens Association. The Harris Museum owns memorabilia from this time, including [...]

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Preston MP Mark Hendrick with members of the Jalgos Sports and Social Club

West Indian club Jalgos under threat from Tithebarn

29th, November 2010 by

The campaign to save Preston’s principal West Indian social club is in full swing  following the approval of Tithebarn plans. Preston City Council’s £700m plan for Tithebarn has caused problems for Jalgos, which will be forced to relocate to make way for space for buses to reverse into. The Jalgos Sports and Social club was formed almost 50 years ago and a campaign is ongoing [...]

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What Victorian Benefactors Did For Preston

10th, November 2010 by

The industrial era is one easy to overlook in a provincial context in the face of what I and people of varying ages learnt in school. We are granted a rough idea about how life changed, but my education in the matter was confined to general developments leading up to the years when Victoria was on the throne. But what of the individuals who sought to change Preston for the better?

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