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Lancaster Road, PRESTON, PR1 1DD

One of the street's two attractive mid C19th Italianate groups. The showiest is the corner pub, the Golden Cross Hotel. Grade II listed.

Before the Trades Procession arrived in Earl Street, a crowd was gathering. In the front someone had put a camcorder on a tripod. An enterprising stills photographer, possibly from the press, had climbed onto a window ledge of the building opposite and had found an unusual place to hang his camera bag.

The Warrington Phoenix Drum and Trumpet Corps is a traditional British style marching band. It was formed in 1993 by Mr J H Lawton with former members of several marching bands. They made their first public appearance in June of that year.

The Warrington Phoenix Drum and Trumpet Corps is one of only four adult trumpet and drum corps in the U.K. Its aim is to promote traditional trumpet and drum music, whilst achieving the highest standards of presentation. Like all the bands in the procession its performance was excellent.

Preston's market canopy dates from 1875. It was restored in 2016.

The original court building, by J.H. Park, 1857, is the corner building in ashlar. It was extended along the road, including the addition of the tower, in 1901 in a similar style. Park's police station, on Earl Street, is rock-faced, the two finishes reflecting the buildings' different purposes. Grade II listed. Empty at the time I think, but owned and maintained by the city council.

Looking along Lancaster Road with roadworks underway.

Conveniently situated near the market, this is predominantly a pub for drinking rather than food. It is located on the corner of the road known as Old Vicarage and Lancaster Road. It is currently owned by Admiral Taverns. The building seems to have been built as an inn around 1830, and although there have been brief periods of closure in recent years, it is still in business over 180 years later. It originally had its own brewhouse and stables. Image Image

It seems this pub or inn has always had some variant of its present name since it was built around 1830. The Preston Chronicle of the 1st January 1831 had an advertisement saying that a new public house or inn called the "Blackmoor's Head" was to be let. The origins of the name are probably similar to those of public houses called the Saracen's Head and the Turk's Head, which are not uncommon. They are amongst the oldest around. The Saracens and the Turks were amongst the enemies faced by the Crusaders in early medieval times, and as people returned from the Crusades, inns were sometimes given these names. Early signs often showed a crusader knight holding the head of a Turk, which wouldn't be acceptable today. Later a more noble portrait, such as the one used here, was adopted in recognition of their fighting bravery. Probably these names have only survived because of long historical usage. The sign can also be a reference to the Barbary pirates that raided the coasts from the time of the Crusades until the early 19th century, and that may be the case here. The sign on this side has some paint spots missing, so I also photographed the other side, which unfortunately was partly in shadow. Image Image