At Home in Preston with PHS and FoWS Day Event LUNCH INCL.

Name: At Home in Preston with PHS and FoWS Day Event LUNCH INCL.
Start: 2026-07-04T09:15:00+01:00
End: 2026-07-04T09:15:00+01:00
Location: Harris Museum AM Central Methodist Church PM

About

At Home with Preston Historical Society and Friends of Winckley Square 4 July 9.30am to 4pm LUNCH INCLUDED
Enjoy a full day of heritage events offering a deep delve into Preston’s wonderful history. With Keynote speaker Steve Harrison, who is well known for his very entertaining talks and the many different guided walks he leads. A performance by Jenifer Reid who performs C19 work songs in the Lancashire dialect and broadside ballads. She has toured with Eliza Carthy and recently returned from a 4-month solo tour of New Zealand- to critical acclaim. A choice of two optional activities in the morning and afternoon which includes guided tours of the Harris and Lancashire Archives and seven Guided Walks to choose from.

The Day's Programme :
THE HARRIS: MARKET SQUARE, PRESTON PR1 2PP
9.15 Registration with refreshments
9.30 Welcome: Mayor of Preston Nweeda Khan
9.40 M.C. Patricia Harrison: Outline of the day
9.45 Steve Harrison: "How what happened in Preston changed Lancashire, Britain, and the World"
11.00 Comfort Break and meet your morning tour guide

11.15 NINE OPTIONAL VISITS AND GUIDED WALKS: repeated in the afternoon.
1. The Harris Tour: James Arnold
2. Tour of Lancashire Archives and Local History: Alex Miller & Vicci McCann
GUIDED WALKS
3. Preston the Jerusalem of Temperance: GUIDE Steve Harrison
4. The Cotton Lords of Preston: GUIDE Susan Douglass
5. Preston: it’s a Gas: GUIDE Peter Wilkinson
6. Drawing Board Dreams: the reinvention of Preston: GUIDE Michael Akers
7. From Anchor to Plau: Historic Inns & Taverns of Friargate: GUIDE Steve Halliwell
8. Edith Rigby: A Life that scandalised Preston: GUIDE Judy Beeston
9. ‘Old and New’, Preston’s Tram bridge and its Lancaster Canal heritage: GUIDE Nigel Hardacre
Further details about these choices BELOW

Groups reconvene at the CENTRAL METHODIST CHURCH: LUNE STREET, PR1 2NL for lunch
12.30 Lunch / Preston in the 1950s Exhibition
13.30 Jennifer Reid: Echoes of the Industrial North: Lancashire Dialect Work Songs and Broadside Ballads
14.30 Comfort Break and meet your afternoon tour guide
14.45-16.00 Optional Visits & Guided Walks
14.45- 16.00 Judy Beeston Meet Edith Rigby: A presentation in role (For members who are less mobile and would prefer to remain seated for the last session of the day. This choice will be dependent on the demand being more than 10 people.

Delegates who would like to spend an hour in the Harris might want to return there at the end of their guided walk. (closes at 5pm)

About the Speakers
M.C Patricia Harrison: Chair of Preston Historical Society Committee and Chair of Friends of Winckley Square.

Steve Harrison is a founder member of the Friends of Winckley Square. He has worked in education and as an author, publisher and project manager. He understands the concept of delayed gratification as he is a season card holder at Preston North End.

Jennifer Reid performs C19 work songs in the Lancashire dialect and broadside ballads. She has toured with Eliza Carthy and recently returned from a 4-month solo tour of New Zealand- to critical acclaim.

Judy Beeston is a Friends of Winckley Square tour guide and speaker. She brings history to life through her engaging performances, portraying the life of Edith Rigby across Lancashire. More recently, she has expanded her repertoire to include another inspirational pioneer, Cornelia Connelly.

DETAILS OF OPTIONAL VISITS AND GUIDED WALKS
1.The Harris - the beating heart of Preston - restored, renewed and reimagined.
Join Programmes & Collections Manager James Arnold for a tour of The Harris looking at the new interpretive scheme that explores stories of The Harris, Preston and the world, including the UK’s longest Foucault pendulum that shows that the earth is turning beneath our feet.
2. Proud Preston: Behind the scenes with Preston's archives
Join archivists Alex Miller and Vicci McCann for a behind the scenes tour at Lancashire Archives and Local History. We include an opportunity to see where 900 years of Preston's documented history is cared for and a chance to handle some of the city's treasures in the collections.

GUIDED WALKS WITH FRIENDS OF WINCKLEY SQAUYRE TOUR GUIDES
3. Preston the Jerusalem of Temperance: Discover how Preston became recognised in the 19th and 20th centuries as the ‘birthplace of teetotalism’, and learn about the social conditions, key locations, and lasting legacy of a campaign that aimed to transform everyday life, health, and society.
4. The Cotton Lords of Preston: Explore the lives of the wealthy industrialists who shaped Preston's cotton industry. The “Cotton Lords” - benevolent benefactors or tyrannical oppressors? Visit Winckley Square where many of these ‘pillars of the community’ built their grand homes.
5. Preston: it’s a Gas: Step back into Preston’s illuminated past to a time when gaslight transformed everyday life. In 1815 Preston became the first town outside London to receive a public gas supply, placing the city at the very forefront of industrial innovation.
6. Drawing Board Dreams: the reinvention of Preston: The 1960s and ‘70s bold modernist planning saw the sweeping away of a large section of Preston’s old centre. The vision was to transform how Prestonians worked, played, shopped and moved around. Half a century on, what should we make of this attempted reinvention? The walk will include a tour of Preston's iconic bus station.
7. "From Anchor to Plau": The historic Inns and Taverns of Friargate, which was the main artery from the Fylde to the Market Square in Preston. It has been home to more than 30 inns over the last 350 years. Discover where they stood and hear some of the stories behind them.
8. Edith Rigby: A Life that scandalised Preston: Discover the remarkable story of Preston’s most famous suffragette, Edith Rigby. Explore the places that shaped her life — from her birth and marriage to the streets where she lived and campaigned. Imprisoned eight times and subjected to force-feeding, her courage helped drive lasting change.
9. ‘Old and New’ Preston’s Tram bridge and its Lancaster Canal heritage: Discover how the Tram Bridge once shaped the town’s industry and growth, how goods moved along the Lancaster Canal and across the bridge, connecting Preston to wider trade networks. Hear how the area has evolved over time, revealing layers of history still visible today.
After booking, delegates will be sent more details and asked for their optional choices and dietary requirements.