Category: History

A couple of thousand are said to have completed cards objecting to the plans for Winckley Square.  As I wasn’t aware of what the objectors are voting for, except a vague statement that the square should be restored to its previous appearance and not liking the new design, particularly the totem pole, I thought I’d have a deeper look. In the library is a book by Marian Roberts who was a keen local historian and her book about Winckley Square is interesting reading. 

The square appears to have had three general forms.  Originally it had a large area in the middle that looks like flowers and trees, with a number of other beds scattered about in a pattern. Some time later it appears the square was divided into plots which acted as gardens for the surrounding houses. Then it became the grass and tree area we know today, although it had a period of neglect and almost became a car park.  Round that time what now appears as civic vandalism was rampant and many good buildings in the square were demolished and replaced with ‘modern’ offices.

At the moment the square is very green with grass and a lot of trees. Personally I’d like it to be more open with floral beds and surrounded by trees.  The lights are fine, the fountains will be fine.  When will this be settled?

It is reported that the Harris Institute  at Avenham has been bought by Yousuf Bhailok, a local businessman, for just under £300,000.  Mr Bhailok also bought Harris Park in Fulwood and has been involved in the campaign to keep the football museum in Preston.

The price seems surprisingly low for such a large building although it’s size and that it’s grade II listed make it less adaptable.  Mr Bhailok is offering to rent the building to the council or an educational organisation although you might wonder why they wouldn’t have bought it themselves as I recently read that local authorities have better access to grants than private businesses. That is why Blackpool Council is taking over the Tower and Winter Gardens.

That area of Avenham including the promenade across the road and along to Winckley Square is one of special architectural interest to Preston.  In the LEP Mr Bhailok says he’s interested in old buildings, isn’t looking to make a profit and it will be a labour of love. I haven’t heard of any complaints about the Harris Park so lets hope this works and preserves the building.  I have some personal interest as I knew several people who went to school there many years ago and my father studied there some 80yrs ago, I still have the certificates.

Went to Alston Hall near Longridge today to listen to Stephen Sartin speak about the history of Preston through its Guild Merchant. Stephen Sartin being one of the current  leading historians about Preston although he currently seems more involved in Lancaster.

A lot of interesting points and plenty of anecdotes providing further points for reading . Such as the coat of arms having the sitting lamb of St John the Baptist from around 1600. Before that date it was the standing lamb of St Wilfrid. Most texts I’ve read say the current one is St Wilfrids. Said to be because Wilfrid was too Catholic at that time.

The possibility of a charter earlier than the widely recognised first one of 1179. Also the term ‘custumal’ to represent a statement of the earliest freedoms.  That a town that in those days was small has played a part in many major national events like the civil war and has a thread through time like the Guild Merchant provides a lot to talk about. The passage next  to the Red Lion pub on Church Street, according to Mr Sartin, saw the creation of the invention in a local joiners shop that brought on the factory system a world changing event. Arkwrights Water Frame.  Good stuff.

More shops are announced for the Capital Centre in Walton Le Dale. Quite a good spot,  just over the boundary from Preston.  It is on the flood plain of the river though. I don’t recall when Walton was last flooded but if you believe the climate forecasts then maybe it will happen more often.  Flood plains are often the most fertile land so seems a shame that this area is being fully built over. Is there any coincidence that over hundreds of years very little has previously been built on the flood plain?

The Environment Agency has this area under watch so there’ll be a warning to get out of the shops although it’s likely to happen extremely rarely it seems to say.  Also there are flood defences although I don’t know to what level of flooding they are effective as they aren’t prominent.  Click here to view the flood map.

There are two main risks, one is from heavy rain flooding and the other is from rising sea levels making the tides higher. The river being tidal up to Walton.

This week there’ve been a number of comments about the proposed Tithebarn project in Preston.  Preston Council says that developers will pay for a number of  improvements like the Guild Hall if it goes ahead and the North West Development Agency will contribute.  Otherwise the money will be lost.  On the other hand Blackpool and Blackburn Councils are objecting to the imbalance if Preston becomes too attractive a shopping destination at their expense.

So who is right?  Probably everybody. You could think should people in Lancashire need to go to Manchester for decent shops?  Does it matter if the whole area is second tier rather than having at least one decent place?  Will the Tithebarn project deliver this?

Some steps are being taken that give the impression positions are being made. I just looked on the NWDA website and found a job advert for board members to head up Preston Vision a company comprising Preston City Council, Lancashire County Council, The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), South Ribble Borough Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

I thought I’d record what this vision team is going to do according to their website, it is;

Preston’s Vision to become one of the top three cities in the North West includes key projects such as:
• Preston Tithebarn – the £700m redevelopment of the City Centre. A major mixed use scheme made up of around 1.5m sq ft of retail, leisure and residential development
• A 21st Century Central Business District
• Proposals to regenerate under utilised waterways and make better use of the river, canal and former docklands
• Green City Spaces – enhancement of city centre parks and spaces
• Improved accessibility of the City Centre

Like all visions it sounds aspirational. Let’s hope it is. I think I’m coming round to it and hope that something that stands the test of time, like the Harris Museum does, can be created and that it incorporates interesting heritage, not a clean slate.

The Harris Museum and Miller Arcades havn’t been remodelled.  St Georges / The Mall has, Crystal House has, the Bus Station and Guild Hall are scheduled for change. So two decent buildings have stood the test of time.  Several new buildings have looked poor very quickly.  Is there at least a bit of a lesson?

Yesterday I went to a talk at Alston Hall by Stephen Sartin on the subject of Characters of Preston. It made me think about the fragility of our heritage.  It’s easy to knock stuff down but it can never be put back. Often the new stuff only looks good for a couple of years and then it looks dated and starts getting grubby.

In the 1960’s there was little thought about preserving and refurbishing old properties. Better to knock them down and build new.  We got the ring road, Crystal House and St Georges shopping centre and for a few years they didn’t look too bad.  It seemed good to get rid of the smoke encrusted dark old buildings.

It continued with the Guild Hall and it’s shopping centre and the bus station. That looked smart when it opened although the Guild Hall always seemed like it wasn’t meant to be in that position. Now it looks like it doesn’t fit and the shopping centre is very pinched. The bus station is badly located, inaccessible and has a few design problems but is quite an unusual building and quite impressive in size.

The difficulty is that what looks fashionable now soon looks like last years style. It is a worry that in this decade there has been a lot of new stuff all built looking very fashionable. So what will it look like in 10 years?

A new project in Tithebarn is talked about.  Care is needed that a new modern blandness isn’t built for the glory of the designers and council rather than what is needed to balance modernity and heritage. Liverpool One might become a template and from what I’ve seen in photos it represents a developers dream and modern blandness. If you go to Manchester they have used old buildings like the Triangle and kept old arcades and King Street and St Annes Square.  If a centre has no character might as well go to the Trafford Centre, it has free car parking and is weatherproof.

So what did the talk by Stephen Sartin include. One of the people discussed was Hibbert, architect of the Harris Museum, and how that building was conceived. Then there were the investors in the Preston Gaslight Company which put up some of the first gaslights in the country on the corner of Fox Street and Fishergate and a building  that still stands in Fox Street that was one of the first to have gas lighting inside.

Protect Prestons heritage, you only have one chance!