Preston, Lancashire: Home to Life-Changing Ideas, Original Inventions, and Inspiring Personas

Since the early days of its inception, Preston has been sizzling with life. It began as a tiny village and evolved into a high-tech modern-day business city that was announced in 2021 as the best place to live in the North West.

Throughout the years, Preston has always managed to stay ahead in terms of socio-economic development. The local community of active citizens is flourishing and growing. Prestonians have a long-established reputation of being hard-working individuals with a flair for novelty and innovation. Therefore, it is not surprising that Preston has given the rest of the UK and the world quite a few talented people and useful inventions. Let us see some of them below:

The Preston Tram

In the early 1800s, Preston was a busy industrial town. Heavy manufacturing was flourishing when the Electric Railway and Tramway Carriage Works Ltd was founded. Later on, the company changed its name to Dick, Kerr Works and became a very successful manufacturer that produced and delivered trams across the UK and abroad. In fact, some sources claim that the Dick, Kerr Works was the largest tram factory in the country at the time.

The Canberra Aircraft

The local aircraft industry expanded on tram manufacturing, and Preston became the birthplace of the world’s first jet bomber known as the Canberra. The aircraft was most famous for setting the world record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean at 4 hours and 40 minutes in 1951. The Canberra also held more than 20 other world records.

However, this is not all. Preston is also famous for building the Felixstowe F3 flying boat, producing the rear fuselage of Concorde, and the Wren’s first night flight.

The Deltic Locomotive DP1

Preston is also known for the origin of the Deltic locomotive Diesel Prototype number 1 (DP1). The English Electric company created the locomotive in 1955 at Strand Road in Preston, making it the world’s most powerful train at the time.

The M6 Motorway

UK’s first-ever motorway, the M6, was built around Preston. Ironically, the country’s first motorway car crash also happened near Preston a week after.

Richard Arkwright and the Factory System

By now, you must have already realized that Preston has always been a busy industrial and commercial centre. However, what many of you might not know yet is that Richard Arkwright, a renowned Prestonian, is actually considered the founder of the modern industrial factory system. According to many historians, the innovations he introduced to cotton spinning have played a key role in triggering the Industrial Revolution.

Football and Ladies Football

You might not hear a lot about Preston North End (PNE) these days, but the football team was glorious back in the day. To begin with, they were the first squad ever to both become the League Champions and win the FA Cup in the 1888/89 season. Not to mention that in 1887 they beat Hyde United 26 – 0 playing for the FA Cup, thus marking the highest score in English football.

What is more, Sir Tom Finney OBE, CBE, a legendary PNE player and an all-time favourite of the crowds, was the first to win the Footballer of the Year title twice – in 1954 and 1957. Also, the city’s Deepdale stadium is believed to be the world’s oldest continuously used football facility.

Thus, it is no surprise why Prestonians believe their city to be the cradle of UK football. In fact, it housed the National Football Museum before it moved to Manchester.

Ladies Football in Preston

The Prestonian ladies are also world-famous for their football skills and acumen. The locally-founded Dick, Kerr’s Ladies football club is possibly the most globally renowned female squad. The team has a long history of success dating back to 1920 when they beat France in the first official women’s international football tournament in the world. Interestingly enough, a couple of years later the ladies embarked on a tour across the US, where they mostly played men’s teams.

Joseph Livesey and Teetotalism

Joseph Livesey was a Preston-born philanthropist, social reformer, politician, publisher, and temperance advocate. In 1833, this remarkable man signed a pledge that founded the total abstinence movement called teetotalism.

Livesey was an active public figure, who also published the Preston Temperance Advocate, which became the first temperance publication ever released in the UK. His career as a publisher also included the Preston Guardian, which he established in 1844 together with his sons. It quickly became the most influential print publication in North Lancashire, and in 1859 Livesey sold it off.

Livesey was so adamant about promoting total abstinence that when he died, and they opened his will, they found a provision that asked a copy of his Malt Liquor Lecture to be delivered to every household in Preston. Upon his wish, 20,000 copies were provided, each containing the following inscription, “he being dead yet speaketh.”

Wallace and Gromit

It might come as a surprise to you to learn that the cartoon character of Wallace is based on a real-life person from Preston. Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit was born in Preston, where he studied Art and Design at the local college. He is believed to have used his old English teacher as a prototype for Wallace.

Other famous people, inventions, and ideas originating from Preston

The above entries are just a small portion of the individuals and achievements that contributed to Preston’s fame. There are many more things and name the city is famous for, including:

• The Bond Bug
• Classic Comics
• Upmarket Supermarket
• Fast Food
• Cricket Superstar Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff
• and many more.