The Penwortham By Pass will run from the A59 to the A582 which runs to the M6/M65 and to Preston.
Work started on the new £17.5m bypass in January 2018 and is scheduled to be completed early 2020.
Category: Uncategorized
New Road Costs increase by £60m
The new Western Distributor Road from the M55 to Blackpool Road was originally around £100m but has now increased to £160m. This is due to two long viaducts being needed and that the original estimate was done without design or survey.
Delay to Rail Electrification to Manchester
Network Rail announced that electric services on the route from Preston to Manchester have been delayed to December 2018 from May 2018, 7 months. Diesel services will continue but the line will be closed at weekends until September. Weekend Rail Replacement Bus timetables will be provided and services to Manchester Airport will go via Wigan.
Network Rail blamed poor ground conditions and that the electric cable supports had needed to be re-mounted on 3 out of 10 installations. The work had a number of previous delays near Bolton such as running sand at Farnworth Tunnel and flooding at Moses Gate bridge.
Photo of installing the electric cable support pylons Courtesy Great Northern Rail Project on Twitter @GNRP
This must effect the Blackpool electric service to Manchester although electric trains could operate via Wigan. There is also expected to be an increase in Virgin Trains from Blackpool to London when the new timetable is announced in May.
Another step on the Preston Tramlink
Preston’s tram line took another step forward this week when Eric Wright Civil Engineering Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding to participate in the route. There will be a sod cutting ceremony for the tram test line in Deepdale on Tuesday 9th January 2018. The test roue will be a 1250 metre track in Deepdale which received planning permission in November 2016.
The full Guild Tram route proposed will have 16 stops from Red Scar Business Park via Bluebell Way Park and Ride (currently closed), Deepdale Retail Park and Deepdale football ground, Fishergate and for some of the way uses the former Longridge to Preston railway line.
Seems a good scheme and using Bluebell Way P+R is a good route into Preston. Not sure if it’s a single or double track route, passing and fitting on Fishergate won’t be ideal. Otherwise trams are clean, fairly quiet and comfortable and can carry a lot of people.
Preston Open Exhibition at the Harris Dec to Jan 18
The Preston Open Exhibition for local artists is held at the Harris Art Gallery during December and finishes on the 21st January 2018. This year’s has a wide selection of creations, some tableaux based on the gallery’s own collection plus a range of paint, photo, sculpture, pottery and more.
Here are 11 selected for one reason or other and with random comments:
If the artists want their name mentioned or to explain the work please let us know.
A pleasing representation of the painting in the Harris ‘Why War?’ by Charles Spencelayh. 
Pea green boats and owls, what’s not to like. Wish you were here: 
An imposing multi-layered quite large work with ivy leaves on the hat:
Well done for this mosaic of vivid colour and flowing fragment shapes, a volcanic eruption perhaps:
A tableau of the painting ‘Pauline in the Yellow Dress’ which has been in the Harris since the 1940s, she’s an old gal with a sophisticated air:
A fullsome piece of meadowland flower bringing bright summer into our dark winter:
These are good. The wooden ones have a haunted feel of garden decay, but good decay.
Good colour and old city feel. Edinburgh Old Town perhaps except for the flag.
This seems like all the elements of the world from our beginning as reptiles in the sea to a bed of cash with cars and elephants representing man and nature feeding off this bottle of fuel but then it might not be. An interesting piece:
This is good as well, the wiring is different, don’t label is the message, an autism piece:
Peaceful reflection on the Lancaster Canal, enjoyed for the reflections. There’s another reflection piece of a well known garden that’s nicely done as well:
Big maps always drive the imagination, and well drawn on each continent. Is this our planet with hunger, war and greed reaching to a world of complacency and conceit or is that too much? Heaven, life and hell maybe.
Well done to the artists.
North End keeping their chances open
The last game of 2017 away at Cardiff City on Friday 29th January ended with a win putting PNE into 8th place at the end of the year. Still in touch with the play-off positions. With an excellent run they could still get automatic promotion but let’s be realistic.
After finishing last season 11th they almost made it to 2nd place in mid-October but a very late equaliser by Fulham put paid to that and an injury hit defence started to leak goals pushing PNE to 13th at the end of November. A respectable December put them up a few places to within striking distance of the play-offs.
Qatar signs for Typhoon Jets
After signing a letter of intent in September a contract agreement has been signed by the UK Government and Qatar Government for 24 Typhoon jets and their support, said to be worth £5bn. The support element will extend the contract work beyond the introduction date which is said to be 2022.
Qatar joins Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia as operators of Typhoon in the Arabian Peninsula.
In the UK the airframes are built at Samlesbury and Warton near Preston using parts delivered from all over the UK and across Europe.
Typhoon is built by the consortium Eurofighter GmbH based in Munich of which BAE Systems is a partner. A fine example of international co-operation at an industrial and government level.
Preston based artist wins Turner Prize
The prestigious Tate Gallery has awarded its prestigious Turner Award 2017 to Lubaina Himid, Professor of Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Preston.
The winning work is described on the Tate website as ‘ Inspired by William Hogarth’s Marriage a la Mode 4 (The Countess’s Morning Levee) 1743, this installation features a brightly coloured stage set with a cast of characters taken from Hogarth’s morality tale. Incorporating painting, drawing and collage on cut-outs, the installation relates its historical inspiration to our current climate by including contemporary newspaper headlines and images of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
Himid’s satirical approach takes aim at the politics of the time as well as its legacy today. In works such as these, the artist appropriates and interrogates European painters and combines aspects of her African heritage to question the role of visual power.’
The competition was held in Hull, at the Ferens Art Gallery.
Professor Himid has a large piece on permanent display, see below, at the Harris Art Gallery in Preston and will have an exhibition in 2018, 2nd March to 3rd June.
Read more about the exhibition on the Harris website, click here
Potter and Winckley at the Harris
Two displays to catch the eye in the Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library, Preston.
Winckley Square Inside Out
A display created by the Friends of Winckley Square and Preston Photographic Society. A set of placards on both sets of stairs from the entrance to the first floor of the Harris Museum.
It featured a display showing the interior of the houses on Winckley Square, the one below being a typical example. Very interesting. Winckley Square was looking good on that day with a low winter sun shining on the buildings through the leafless trees.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic display
The second display is in the Reference Library and has a series of cabinet displays and placards, plus a desk and secret room, describing the history of magic and potions in the World of Harry Potter. It was very well presented and took longer than expected to cover.
Booths Supermarket Deal or No Deal
Big surprise that Booths Supermarket, headquartered in Preston, is said to be up for sale. After last year’s loss some have speculated that a buy out, perhaps by Waitrose, could be on the cards. The company says it’s one option in a review being carried out by consultants.
That’s Lancashire, the local TV station, have a good YouTube video on the subject. A speaker from the Grocer Magazine suggests someone like Amazon could take a slice.
Booths have traded for 170 years starting from a store in Blackpool and now with 28 stores. They had a smart store in Preston where Waterstones is now. Sometimes the store has appeared a bit old fashioned but they changed tack to move out of town centres and recently closed smaller stores to open brand new smart and modern stores.
Viva Booths!
Electrification Upgrade of Rail between Preston and Manchester 2017 to May 2018
Preston to Blackpool Rail Closure 11 Nov 2017 to 25 Mar 2018
As written on the Network Rail and Northern Rail websites:
Better rail journeys across the north of England are coming – we’re upgrading this key route, paving the way for more reliable journeys with more space for passengers
The improvement work requires the closure of the lines between Blackpool North / South and Preston between 11 November 2017 – 25 March 2018
11 November 2017 – 28 January 2018: Preston to Blackpool North and South closed.
29 January 2018 – 25 March 2018: Route to Blackpool South reopens – Preston to Blackpool North remains closed.
Buses will replace trains so please check before you travel and allow extra time for your journey. For further information visit National Rail Enquiries.
Replacement Bus Service timetables are available here:
Preston’s Streets Get Fully Dressed at the Harris
Street’s of Change and Preston Street Style are the names of two of the autumn exhibitions at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery in Preston.
Both exhibitions were officially opened at 5pm on Wednesday 11th October and on the same day at 6pm leading expert on Horrocks Fashions, Dr Christine Boydell, gave a talk.
Before the talk the speaker and guests joined the curator for a walk around the Preston Street Style exhibition which includes some Horrocks dresses. It relates to who wore what where and when through time in Preston. The Harris does good textile exhibitions and has a big collection.
Meanwhile refreshments were being served and the curators were on hand to answer queries about the Streets of Change Exhibition which features the Beattie paintings of Victorian Preston and some new works. As well as a memories board and colouring area. I particularly liked the Old Preston/New Preston map overlay using tracing paper. There’s also an app that does a selfie over a Beattie scene.
Streets of Change: Olivia Keith, Savick Brook, ink and pastel on an Ordnance Survey map backing.
There was a good turn out and it gave an opportunity to view the new cafe on the ground floor which closes at 5pm before the event.
Big Transport Upgrades Around Preston
Transport matters have heated up around Preston with both road and rail having big upgrades.
On the train the electrification to Manchester and Blackpool is going into its final phase in November with the closure of the line to Blackpool until November while Blackpool North Station is remodelled. The track to Manchester has had big works at Farnworth Tunnel, Bolton and Chorley. The completion of electrification is due in March and new, refurbished anyway, trains will be running on the summer timetable from May. This complements the electrification already completed between Wigan and Liverpool and Wigan to Manchester.
On the road the Broughton by-pass opened in October from the M55 junction to north of Broughton. Plans for another link from the M55 to the Blackpool Road junction of Riversway via Bartle are being finalised and a major stretch of new housing along the route is already well underway. Plans are also finalised for the Penwortham by-pass to the A59 west of Penwortham. All that’s needed now is a western crossing of the Ribble to create a circle around Preston.
Lytham 1940s Weekend – 19/20 August 2017 – Saturday Report
Following from the Lytham Festival is the Lytham 1940s Weekend. The Green taken over by the event, plus the shops getting into the mood with staff dressed in the style.
Here are some of our photos from the first part of Saturday:
Preston North End 8th in the Championship
After 40 games out of 46 on the 6th April PNE are within striking distance of the play-offs. Let’s record this position as a sign of a good season and well done to the players, manager and owner.
Three of the remaining games are against clubs above them in the league so it seems the play-offs is a big ask. PNE will need to get 100% or 18 points if 6th placed Sheffield get 13 points. Post script: PNE’s defeat at Leeds means they need 15pts if Sheffield get 10pts.
Preston’s Building Year
2016 has been quite a year for the centre of Preston. The biggest thing to be noticed is that Fishergate looks a lot more attractive. As a pedestrian it’s now a pleasing place to be.
Winckley Square has been re-modelled and has an attractive heritage feature in the middle highlighting points of interest.
The Victorian Market Canopies have been refurbished and look very smart.
The Guild Hall is having a makeover and at the front looks a lot more attractive.
The proposals for the Harris Building are being drafted and as a Grade 1 listed building this needs to be done very sympathetically.
The entrance to the Bus Station Car Park is being rebuilt at the Ringway end.
The Trampower light railway has built some test track and the council gave approval for trials.
Work continued at UCLan around the demolished Fylde Building and Adelphi roundabout.
Primark have submitted plans to extend their shop front.
A new traffic flow round St John’s and the Covered Market is proposed.
Fulwood Barracks to be closed
Grade 2 listed Fulwood Barracks, one of the few intact from its time, is to be closed as a barracks. This follows a property revue by the Ministry of Defence who are to close several other older and smaller barracks.
The barracks was completed in 1848 after the Chartist riots and now holds the 42nd Infantry Brigade who will be moved to Weeton Barracks near Blackpool.
What will happen to the Infantry Museum on site is another matter. The Museum of Lancashire is currently closed and has a similar collection.
What will become of the site is a bigger matter. It certainly is an interesting looking building made of large blocks of stone and with the old quarters still in place. The Ministry is suggesting they are creating building land. If that is to be the case let’s hope it’s a sympathetic plan and that some interesting use can be made of the barracks.
Victorian Slum
In October on BBC2 a four part re-enactment of life in an East London Victorian Slum through 1860 to 1890. Hard to believe this was only 120 years ago. Living hand-to-mouth with no income for no work and no health provision. The whole family working at home doing piece work up to 20 hours a day. Being turned out for not paying the rent and moving to the doss house with a choice of coffin bed or hang-over rope. Eating bread dipped in fat for a meal. Next down was to do a runner or head for the workhouse. The population of London was rising fast and immigration, largely of Irish, was keeping wages down.
How did it compare to Preston? It is known that conditions in the mills were hard with people working long shifts from an early age in noisy and dangerous conditions. Yet it was warmer and dry and the terraced houses gave at least a small area of ‘castle’. Watching the programme it seemed those Londoners would have been better moving north. Although comparing Preston to life in London is perhaps unfair as big cities, including Manchester, have a much broader range of poverty and wealth.
It might be wondered how we got from there to where we are 120 years later. Whether there was a time that was better than now for more people. What we have now is amazing, the NHS has equipment and drugs costing millions of pounds available to every individual without charge at use. Schools and libraries have banks of computers available to every family without charge at use.
Museum of Lancashire On Ice
The Museum of Lancashire in Stanley Street closes on the 30th September except for school visits. Negotiations are underway with a group who could re-open it in the new year.
Other Lancashire County Council operated museums in a similar situation are Fleetwood Museum, Queen Street Mill Burnley, Helmshore Cotton Museum, Lancaster Judges Lodgings. We’ve been to all these and they’re all very good. They’re all in areas that need tourist attractions and jobs.
Our website contains reports on visits to them all, except our visit to the Judges Lodgings.
http://www.madeinpreston.co.uk/General/MuseumofLancashire.html
http://www.madeinpreston.co.uk/Cotton/QueenStreetMillTextileMuseumBurnley.html
http://www.madeinpreston.co.uk/Cotton/HelmshoreMillTextileMuseum.html
http://www.madeinpreston.co.uk/1hrAway/fleetwood.html