Preston Mini Guide
About Preston
Preston in Lancashire is the region's administrative centre. Its name comes from the old English words for “Priest Settlement” and it features in the Domesday Book as Prestune. Traditionally a textile manufacturing town, weaving and cloth manufacturing exploded there during the industrial revolution. Preston is located on the Northern Bank of the River Ribble and is the birthplace of the inventor of the spinning wheel. Another of its “claims to fame” is a house on Friarstreet where Benjamin Franklin briefly lived before he went to America.
Getting to Preston
Getting to Preston when driving is easy, just follow the M6 motorway link from both
Manchester and
Birmingham and you can’t miss it. Regular bus connections are available from all major towns and cities and Preston is served by the main train line from
London, so rail is also an option.
Shopping
For all the best department stores from Debenhams to Primark and designer outlets such as TK Maxx, the Fishergate Shopping Centre is a good option to visit. Another good centre to check is the St. George Shopping Centre but for a unique retail experience it’s got to be the Miller Arcade. Originally home to a Turkish bath, the Miller Arcade hosts a fair range of shops and restaurants in a wonderfully Victorian setting. There are also some excellent markets in Preston. The indoor market has two floors of good produce with locally sourced fresh fruit, vegetables and meat on the ground floor and various clothing and electrical goods on the first. If you like a bargain you’ll love the markets.
Nightlife
For a lively night out that won’t hurt your pocket, head to the area around the University of Central Lancashire, filled with student bars and lots of entertainment it’s a great place to start your night and get into the party mood. For modern music, club nights and concerts 53 degrees is the best venue in town and for world class concerts and events, make sure to check what’s on at the Guildhall which has in the past featured such big names as the man himself, Sinatra as well as home grown favourites David Bowie and Elton John.
Preston is an interesting city found in the heart of some of Lancashire’s most attractive scenery. In the city, the Museum of Lancashire details the history of the city and the surrounding area with exhibits of its former industries.
If you’ve hired a car there, another place of interest is the National Football Museum, a fitting home in one of Britain’s oldest and most successful football towns. Next, spend a couple of hours in the British Commercial Vehicle Museum which tells of how commercial transport through the ages helped British industry.