Pictures of Preston

in the county of Lancashire

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About Preston

This is the town that was at the centre of the cotton spinning industry for well over a hundred and fifty years. Richard Arkwright, the inventor of the Spinning frame was born here in the year 1732 and the fortunes gained by the great industrialists of the day are solely due to the ingenuity of this one man.

Interestingly, Preston has been represented in Parliament since the 13th-century and is the second oldest borough in England. Before this, in 1179 Henry II granted Preston a Charter giving the right to hold a a regular Merchant Guild (Market) and throughout the centuries this historical fact has been celebrated every twenty years. In Victorian times the building of the railways brought a renewed importance to Preston by the building of a railway junction. The trains that ran from London to the cities of Scotland all stopped here, this caused the building of large hotels where passengers could rest before completing the remainder of their journey.

Today, Preston remains a lively, busy industrial town and the old port area which was once so important to the life of the town has been redeveloped. A modern shopping centre has been built and provides the visitor with a good selection of both high street stores and individual family emporiums. The Harris museum is a handsome classical style building which was built in 1893 through a bequest from a local man, E.R. Harris. It houses a vast number of art treasures including watercolours by 19th-century British Artists, Glass, Porcelain and childhood memorabilia from the 18th-century. There too, are relics from the Bronze Age and from Viking times.

At the northern end of the city is the Fulwood Barracks. A short drive to the east on the road to Blackburn is Hoghton Tower where relics of James Ist visit of 1617 are preserved. The house, rebuilt in 1565 and restored during the late 19th-century, contains 17th-century panelling and many pictures of local interest. The walled garden is an absolute joy and contains a variety of old Roses.

The days when the thought of Preston immediately conjured up images similar to those of a Lowry have long since gone. This is a place of business and commerce that offers comfortable hotels from which to explore the history and culture of the town and where a warm welcome awaits you in the excellent pubs and inns both in the town and surrounding countryside.

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Planning a visit? Please see below for other recommended towns, attractions and recommended hotels nearby.

Distances and directions below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Preston

Preston Guildhall	(0.2 miles, 0.2 km)	Pictures
Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston	(0.9 miles, 1.5 km)	Pictures
Cuerden Valley Country Park	(4.4 miles, 7.0 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Samlesbury Hall	(5.1 miles, 8.2 km, direction E)	Pictures
Hoghton Tower	(5.6 miles, 9.0 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Hothersall Hall	(6.8 miles, 11.0 km, direction NE)	Pictures
Astley Hall	(7.3 miles, 11.8 km, direction S)	Pictures
Beacon Fell Country Park	(8.2 miles, 13.2 km, direction N)	Pictures
Camelot Theme Park	(8.3 miles, 13.4 km, direction S)	Pictures
Brock Bottoms	(8.3 miles, 13.4 km, direction N)	Pictures
Blackburn Cathedral	(8.8 miles, 14.1 km, direction E)	Pictures
Rufford Old Hall	(9.8 miles, 15.8 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Bold Venture Park	(10.6 miles, 17.0 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Lytham Hall	(10.7 miles, 17.2 km, direction W)	Pictures
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Martin Mere	(10.8 miles, 17.3 km, direction SW)	Pictures

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Recommended towns near Preston

Hoghton, in the county of Lancashire (5.6 miles, 9.0 km, direction SE)
It was here that James I created "Sirloin" when he supposedly knighted his beef!
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Croston, a Picturesque Village in the county of Lancashire (7.6 miles, 12.2 km, direction SW)
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Ribchester, a Picturesque Village in the county of Lancashire (7.8 miles, 12.6 km, direction NE)
A picturesque village in the Ribble Valley
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Chorley, in the county of Lancashire (8.1 miles, 13.1 km, direction S)
The town's historic roots go back beyond the Bronze-Age, as evidenced by findings in the 20th century.
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Rufford, in the county of Lancashire (10.0 miles, 16.1 km, direction SW)
Noted for its picturesque late-medieval manor house Rufford Old Hall, the village of Rufford occupies a fine setting on the fertile Lancashire Plains.
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Hurst Green, a Picturesque Village in the county of Lancashire (10.3 miles, 16.6 km, direction NE)
This pretty Lancastrian villages the setting for historic Stoneyhurst, a noted school which was founded in the 16th-century.
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Scorton, in the county of Lancashire (12.1 miles, 19.5 km, direction N)
The picturesque village of Scorton lies to the west of the Bowland Forest beneath the shadow of Calder Fell, in an area much famed for its sparkling streams, fells and forest glades inhabited by wildlife.
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Oswaldtwistle, in the county of Lancashire (12.2 miles, 19.7 km, direction E)
This is a large, typical Lancashire village lying close to the urban sprawl of Blackburn and Accrington.
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Lytham St Anne's, in the county of Lancashire (13.5 miles, 21.7 km, direction W)
St. Anne's has a fine sandy beach backed by grassy sand dunes and a fascinating pier, first built in 1885 and subsequently rebuilt and remodelled.
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Accrington, in the county of Lancashire (13.6 miles, 21.8 km, direction E)
Some of the town's loveliest architecture comes from the Victorian era, this can be seen in the elegant Victorian Market Hall with its clock and rich display of sculpture.
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Waddington, in the county of Lancashire (14.5 miles, 23.3 km, direction NE)
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Dunsop Bridge, in the county of Lancashire (14.6 miles, 23.5 km, direction NE)
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Blackpool, in the county of Lancashire (15.0 miles, 24.1 km, direction W)
Blackpool, long famous for its vast illuminated Golden Mile, commenced its rise to fame way back in the Victorian Era when the famous seafront consisted of no more than a single row of houses.
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Edgworth, in the county of Lancashire (15.0 miles, 24.1 km, direction SE)
This attractive hillside village occupies a pleasant rural location close to two pretty reservoirs and the historic house known as Turton Tower.
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Wigan, in the county of Greater Manchester (15.3 miles, 24.6 km, direction S)
Wigan is a sociable town with a long history, it received it's Royal charter in the middle of the 13th-century, but prior to that the Roman's had built a settlement here.
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Nearby travel help

Preston Station	(0.6 miles, 1.0 km)
M6 Junction 31A	(2.5 miles, 4.0 km, direction NE)
Lostock Hall Station	(2.7 miles, 4.3 km, direction S)
M6 Junction 31	(2.7 miles, 4.4 km, direction E)
Blackpool Airport	(13.6 miles, 21.9 km, direction W)
Liverpool John Lennon Airport	(30.4 miles, 48.9 km, direction S)
Preston to London	(189.8 miles, 305.4 km, direction SE)

Hotels & Accommodation in Preston

Hotel Name	Approximate distance from Preston center
The Park Hotel	(1.4 miles, 2.2 km, direction W)
Macdonald Tickled Trout Hotel	(2.6 miles, 4.2 km, direction E)
The Preston Hotel	(3.6 miles, 5.9 km, direction SE)
Bartle Hall Hotel	(3.8 miles, 6.1 km, direction NW)
Swallow Preston Hotel	(3.9 miles, 6.3 km, direction E)
The Pines Hotel	(4.7 miles, 7.5 km, direction SE)
Leyland Hotel	(4.8 miles, 7.7 km, direction S)
Barton Grange Classic Hotel	(5.0 miles, 8.1 km, direction N)
The Quality Hotel Chorley	(7.0 miles, 11.3 km, direction S)
Hunters Lodge Motel	(8.6 miles, 13.9 km, direction S)
All hotels in Preston