5th February 2025 a beautiful blue sky for a walk from the Preston dock up to Roebuck Street and towards the centre of Preston.
The former Preston Dock Office, now Old Docks House. Visiting inside many years ago it had wooden panelling and old high wooden desks with high seats. The Dock Board Room was behind the lower windows on the left. If my memory recalls well?
After walking along Stocks Road parallel to the Lancaster Canal then turning right onto Roebuck Street the next turn was into Parker Street. The mill on Roebuck Street is replaced by a park but here’s the old mill wall on Parker Street. It was a big mill single storey like the photo a few down.
These are quite long streets and at the other end of Parker Street is Plumbs soft furnishing in an old cotton mill called Brookhouse Mill. The mill on the left 1844 and the mill on the right 1858, ref Cotton Mills of Preston. This area has a good collection of remaining former cotton mills of various styles although the chimneys and water towers are gone. This section of road is called Old Lancaster Lane which could be quite interesting, if it was the old road to Lancaster.
The Brookhouse Pub, now derelict. Quite a decent building and where my father disappeared into with his brother every Friday night in the 1950s. I didn’t know where it was until long after as we moved when I was too young to go that far.
Shelley Road Mill still used for fabric, clothing. Roebuck Mill looked something like this.
The Lancaster Canal at it’s end now, near Acquaduct Street.
The former Savoy Cinema, now Savoy Timber off Fylde Road, in Ashton Street.
St Mark’s Church, now apartments, on St Mark’s Road. View from Abbey Street which is right from Ashton Street. Looking across the Blackpool to Preston line.
St Walburg Church with it’s landmark spire on Peddar Street. Also a nice interior.
From here walk into the centre of Preston via Marsh Lane or past UCLan and along Friargate.