Moving to Preston?
Preston is a city in Lancashire, located on the north bank of the River Ribble.
In 2002 Preston became the 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign!
It was the Saxons who ultimately established Preston as a town. The name derives
from the old English words, ‘Presta’ (meaning, priest) and ‘Tun’ (meaning, farmstead,
village; a settlement of some kind), and is translated as ‘Priest Settlement’. In
the Domesday Book, Preston appears as ‘Prestune’.
The 19th Century, during the Industrial Revolution, saw Preston develop from a small
market town to a larger and very much industrial one. This was partly due to the
innovations of certain entrepreneurial people in the early years of the 18th Century,
which brought cotton mills to many northern English towns; Richard Arkwright was
one of these men. Arkwright was born in Preston, and was the esteemed inventor of
the water spinning frame, which he patented in 1769.
In 1815 the Preston Gas Company was established. Preston then became the first English
town, outside London, to be lit by gas. This was also a sign for many of the city’s
forward thinking attitude.
A funny little anecdote, connected to Preston, is one of the theories on the origin
of the word ‘teetotal’: In 1832/1833 a man called Joseph Livesey pioneered the Temperance
Movement (abstinence from all alcoholic beverages), by forming ‘The Preston Temperance
Society’. Livesey was also the author of ‘The Pledge’ – “We agree to abstain from
all liquors of an intoxicating quality whether ale, porter, wine or ardent spirits,
except as medicine.”
One of the members was, Dicky Turner, who had a stammer. Apparently in a speech
he said that nothing would do but “tee-tee-total abstinence”, and thus the word
‘teetotal’ was born, or so they say!
Preston has a rich industrial history; even Karl Marx once visited (in the 1850s)!
It also is home to many cultural and recreational venues. The Riversway Festival
is held annually, in July, on the banks for the River Dibble. It is family orientated
festival with activities such as paint-balling and dragon-boating on offer. There
is mooring at the Riversway Marina (the largest inland dock in Europe) for those
who wish to bring their boats!
An active city with much to offer, Preston is a great place to live!