A Bit of Fun - Some Facts About Preston You May Not Know!

How Preston Got Its Name

The first record of a settlement where Preston now stands is  an estate belonging to a priest, it was called priest's tun (tun being was the Saxon word for farm or estate).   By the time of the Domesday Book was produced the settlement was known as “Prestune". Later the name changed to Preston.
Preston flourished and became a town in the 12th century mainly because of its location.  It was far cheaper to transport goods by water at that time so Preston’s location by a river made it easy to transport goods to and from Preston.  Preston was also the first inland location where the River Ribble could be bridged so a large amount of traffic would pass through the town.

Stoneygate, Preston

Though Preston was too small to have stone walls it did have stone gates, where tolls could be charged on goods entering the town.  There is still a passageway called StoneyGate in the town centre.

Friargate, Preston

Preston had a settlement of Franciscan Friars who went out to preach and to help the poor and the sick of the area.  Franciscan friars were called “grey friars” because of their grey habits – Friargate and Greyfriars public house were named after the Franciscan Friars.

The Link Between Preston And The American National Hockey League

Over in America, the National Hockey League (Ice Hockey) play for a trophy known as the Stanley Cup.  This cup is named after Lord Stanley of Preston who was appointed by Queen Victoria as Governor General of Canada.  Stanley purchased a decorative punch bowl and had the words "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" engraved on one side of the outside rim, and "From Stanley of Preston" on the other side.  The Stanley Arm pub in Preston is also named after Lord Stanley.

Pandas in Preston

Preston Constabulary bought six Morris minor panda cars in 1963, three white and three blue. they swapped the doors from the white onto the blue and vice versa and created the first panda cars in the country.

Other American Links to Preston

Benjamin Franklin (one of the Founding Fathers of the United States) once owned a property on the corner of Cheapside and Friargate in the city centre. A Blue Plaque on the wall of the building commemorates the spot.

The parents of legendary American outlaw Butch Cassidy lived in Victoria Road in Preston and emigrated to escape religious persecution of their Mormon faith. It was said that Butch spoke with a strong Lancashire accent.

A Few More Preston Facts

In the Middle Ages there was a leper hospital just outside Preston. It was dedicated to St Mary Magdalene.

Sir Richard Arkwright, inventor of the spinning frame, was born in Preston.

In 1815 Preston was the first provincial town in the UK to be lit by gas .

The first women to vote in England came from Preston. Lily Maxwell was put on the electoral role by accident in 1867.

Britain's first stretch of motorway, the M6 Preston by-pass, was opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1958.

The first Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the UK was opened in Preston in 1965.

The Black horse pub on Friargate is the only pub in the country with three public entrances and exists on three different streets
The row of red public telephone boxes along Market Street is the longest continuous row of the old style kiosks anywhere in the country.

The mill lockouts in Preston in the 1800's when a third of the town was out of work formed the basis of Charles Dickens' Hard Times. He was a reporter and stayed the Bull & Royal on Church Street.

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