Fulwood, Lancashire, England

The city of Preston covers a large area, and contains many fantastic buildings, grand open spaces and beautiful Churches. The city has grown over time, and today it runs contiguously with, and now encompasses, the previously separate settlement of Fulwood, to the North of the city centre…

Fulwood:

Status: City of Preston District, Lancashire, District, England

Date: 06/02/2015

Travel: Car

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Deepdale Stadium, Moor Park, Sir Tom Finney Statue, The Serpentine, Fulwood Barracks, St Gregorys Church, Queens Lancashire Regiment Museum, Old Workhouse Building, Harris Orphanage, C.C. Cadley Bridge, Savick Brook, Christ Church, Moor Park Observatory, Fulwood Conservative Club etc

Fulwood as an area borders onto the Deepdale area of Preston City itself, so whilst attractions like Deepdale Stadium and Moor Park aren’t technically part of the Fulwood area, they are located on the boundary and make a great starting point for an exploration of the area.

We parked up in Moor Park car park, directly across the road from Deepdale Stadium, shown above. Sports have been played on this site since 1875, when a plot of land which used to belong to Deepdale Farm was lease to North End Sports Club, who played a variety of sports here. Stands were later built for Preston North End (PNE) football club, founded officially in 1880. The original stands are no longer in use, as they have been replaced by larger and more up to date versions, most of which are named after famous players, such as:

Sir Tom Finney Stand – 1995

Bill Shankly (1913 – 1981, PNE Manager between 1933 & 1949) Kop – 1998

Alan Kelly (1936 – 2009, PNE Goalkeeper between 1958 & 1973) Town End – 2001

Invincibles Pavilion – 2008 (Named after their world record breaking season in 1888)

PNE as a team are quite famous in English Football, as they were a founding member of the Football League in 1888, the oldest Football competition in the world. PNE were the inaugural winners, and the same year they also won the FA Cup, earning another 1st as the 1st team to win the double of the League & FA Cup, unbeaten in both.

One of their most famous players was Sir Tom Finney (1922 – 2014, Prestonian) who played for both PNE (1946 – 1960) and Englands National Football Team (1946 – 1958). He scored 187 total goals for PNE, and 30 for England, in over 500 appearances for the 2 combined. He sadly passed away in 2014, and a statue of him can now be found outside the stadium, as shown above, sat in the centre of a fountain. The stunning design shows him sliding through the water, giving him a heroic pose.

The Stadium was also home to the National Football Museum between 2001 and 2010, when it was moved to the Urbis Building in Manchester, close to Manchester Victoria railway station.

We moved through into Fulwood itself, and paid a quick visit to the Church of St Gregory, a local Roman Catholic Church. When the foundation stone for the original building was laid in 1923, it was done so by the Archbishop of Liverpool, Frederick William Keating (1859 – 1928). By the time it had been completed however, a new Diocese, centred on the city of Lancaster and covering Preston and most of Central Lancashire, had been created. St Gregory became the 1st Parish in the new Diocese, however it remains within the overall Province of Liverpool, which covers the North West, North East and Yorkshire.

By 1936 a new building was in the planning stages, and in 1937 a brand new Church opened for worship. The original building does still survive, and makes up part of St Gregory’s Primary School, forming the Great Hall.

We moved on a bit, down Sir Tom Finney Way and round to a junction where the B6241 and B6242 Meet. Watching over the junction is Fulwoods most famous complex of buildings, Fulwood Barracks. The complex dates back to the 1840’s, when a series of barracks, offices and the main gate were constructed over a 6 year period from 1842 until 1848.

The entrance is marked by the South Gate, shown above, crafted out of stunning Sandstone Ashlar, along with the rest of the complex. It contains a series of offices, as well as a Museum called the “Queen’s Lancashire Regiment Museum”. The barracks were home to the Queens Lancashire Regiment (the Queen is the ceremonial Duke of Lancaster, head of the county of Lancashire) from its creation in 1970 until it merged with other regiments to become the 1st Battalion, Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment in 2006. The Regiment has seen tours in Berlin, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Northern Ireland and Iraq.

The Barracks are still in military use and as such there is a large military presence here. To the left you can just see a large stone block, which has a carving of a Lion and a Unicorn either side of the bases coat of arms. The current inhabitants of the base are the “42nd Infantry Brigade & HQ North West”, formed in 1907, whereas the Duke of Lancasters Regiment is based at both Catterick (Yorkshire) and Weeton (Lancashire) Barracks.

We delved deeper into Fulwood, following the B6242 West towards the old Union Workhouse building, one of Fulwoods most impressive buildings. It was completed in 1868 by Leigh Hall, a firm from the town of Bolton. Workhouses were widespread in England & Wales, and offered the unemployed a place to live and guaranteed employment. It was still in use by 1901 as records indicate that 784 people were in residence here at that time. At some point after this it was used as the Preston Civic Hostel, before being converted for use as offices.

1 add on to the building which no longer survives is the old Workhouse infirmary, which for a short time became the independent Sharoe Green Hospital before its demolition. The building is a stunning example of Victorian architecture, and the Clock Tower looms over the surrounding grounds, and is visible from a number of areas around the city, as well as from trains passing through Fulwood on the West Coast Main Line. Today the building is inhabited by the NIHR Clinical Research Network, conducting research into various diseases for the NHS.

Just across the road from the old Workhouse is one of Preston’s newest Mosques, called Masjid e Salaam. The city has a diverse and multi-cultural community, and caters for various different religions. There are over 10 Mosques around the city, including this one, which is a new building to replace the former headquarters of Masjid which had been housed in an old Bar/Dance Hall building. That was eventually demolished and this stunning new design was erected in it’s place. As of February 2015 the building is unfinished, however the main structural work has been completed.

Continuing West along the B6242, it eventually intersects with the A6, which runs Northwards towards Carlisle. On the corner where the 2 roads meet lies Fulwood Methodist Church, another stunning Church in the area.

It is one of the older Churches in Fulwood, and construction began when the foundation stone was laid at a special ceremony in July 1911. By September the following year it was ready to open, and it became an important focal point in the community. A further addition was made in 1928 when a Sunday School (the building directly to the right of the Church) was completed.

We took the A6 and headed North towards another of Fulwoods most famous buildings, and on the way we were blown away by the beautiful residential buildings which can be found on most Fulwood streets. The different houses were a mixture of Red Brick, Stone and Ashlar, and really add to the character of the area. Further along there are various cul de sacs which feature grand Victorian mansion-like houses built over a century ago, with grand gardens and numerous storeys.

The A6 runs over the “Savick Brook” which forms a junction with the Lancaster Canal, and ultimately becomes a tributary of the River Ribble just West of Preston. On its way towards the A6 it passes through the gate shown in the 2nd picture, which I assume is some kind of Tidal gate.

To get underneath the A6 a very small bridge, called C. C. Cadley Bridge, possibly named after the Cadley area of Fulwood, was constructed. The A6 runs straight North to South, and running parallel with the road is the West Coast Main Line between London & Glasgow/Edinburgh, of which Preston is the approximate midpoint. The line is the busiest line in the UK, and one of only a few high speed lines, allowing trains to run up to 125 mph.

We soon reached our destination, the incredible buildings that make up Harris Park, originally constructed as an Orphanage and houses for young children. The main building in the complex was completed in 1888 after 3 years of construction, and a lot of work carried out by Benjamin Sykes of Garlock, Park & Sykes, who used to live in a beautiful red brick house in the town of Poulton-le-Fylde, not far from here.

His construction acted as the Chapel, School & Master’s House to the main orphanage, financed thanks to the generosity of the late Edmund Robert Harris (1804 – 1877, Preston Lawyer) who left money in his will towards what became the Harris Museum in Preston City Centre, the Harris Technical School, now the Harris Building at the University of Central Lancashire, and the Harris Orphanage here in Fulwood.

The whole site was a grand area of buildings, with cottages acting as the Childrens homes, with space for 72 boys and 48 girls. The cottages were clustered around small village green areas, with the main building allowing them a place to learn and pray. There was also a Gym, Hospital Wing and Swimming Baths on the premises, located in a later building added in 1914. The Orphanage continued to provide a safe haven for children until it finally closed in 1982, after 2215 children had passed through its doors.

Outside the main building stands a stunning granite War Memorial, in the form of a central plinth topped by a statue of a soldier. Erected around 1920 after the end of World War I, it pays tribute to some of the former boys from the Orphanage who had been sent off to war, and tragically never returned.

The whole complex is now a private estate and the general public are not allowed inside, however the main gate is still open so you get a great view of the main buildings, as well as the Lodge which acts as the Gatehouse. A datestone on the side gives its completion date as 1887, and the Architect was once again Benjamin Sykes.

We turned and headed back South down the A6, past the junction with the B6242 and down towards Blackpool Road, the next major road which forms the Northern boundary of Moor Park, where we had originally parked. On the way, we glanced up a side street and spotted Tulketh Mill, located in the Ashton-on-Ribble area of Preston. It’s an enormous old Factory, fantastic views of which can be seen from the West Coast Main Line thanks to its reasonable proximity to the tracks.

This giant of a building was built in 1906, back when Preston, and Central/Eastern Lancashire including the towns of Blackburn & Burnley were very important in the Cotton Industry. The industry was slowly winding down, but at its peak some 80 years prior the majority of all Cotton in the world came from Lancashire towns.

Mrs Mary Margerison, the then Mayor of Preston laid the 1st stone of the new Factory in May 1905, and her successor, Mrs Ormerod opened the building in July 1906. The building was extended in 1918 at the culmination of World War I, but the War had taken its toll and the industry slowly disappeared from the area. The Chimney remains a historical landmark for the city, although during the 1930s and 60s its overall height was reduced, so it’s noticeably shorter than when it was built. You can also see the central Clock Tower of the factory in the above picture.

Looking across Blackpool Road back towards Fulwood we could see 2 local landmarks. The 1st was the Roof/Spire of Christ Church, Fulwoods Anglican Parish Church. Designed by a firm called Myers & Veevers, who also drew up plans for Emmanuel Church elsewhere in the City, it was completed in 1855. An Octagonal Tower rises above the local houses topped off by a spire, making it a standout feature for the area. There has been at least 1 major addition since it was built, in the form of the Chapel of Remembrance of 1937. This was created by Austin & Paley, a duo of architects made up of Hubert James Austin (1841 – 1915) and Henry Anderson Paley (1885 – 1946), from the city of Lancaster.

The 2nd is the main building of Fulwood Conservative Club, a short squat building with turrets at either end and a small Clock above the main entrance. I haven’t been able to find a date for it, but I assume it is either Victorian or Georgian.

We soon entered Moor Park, Prestons largest, and also oldest public park, alongside Avenham & Miller Parks near Winckley Square down by the edge of the River Ribble. It’s a vast open space, home to a variety of wildlife including Squirrels, and Ducks down by the Serpentine Lake.

The Park has its origins as Preston Moor, a large area of land which once belonged to a farm. This changed in the 1830’s when a plan to turn it into a large public park were put forwards. Rather amusingly the man in charge of the plans was the local Steward (a ceremonial title in local administration) who happened to be called Philip Park!

The park had arrived, trees were planted and paths created, but it wasn’t until 3 decades later that Edward Milner (1819 – 1884, English Architect) would create the more familiar layout of the park today, which also included an extension to the Serpentine. Various notable additions were added over the following century, including the parks Observatory, created in 1927, which is now owned by UCLAN (University of Central Lancashire), based in Preston. Its signature dome is a well known sight in the park, and easily visible from the A6 which acts as the parks Western boundary as it passes by into Fulwood.

Approaching the Serpentine, we also found this Stone Cross, with an accompanying descriptive tablet. Apparently the base of the cross used to stand on Sherburne Lane, before being moved here when the Cross was built on top of it in 1915, although I am unsure for what specific occasion.

Our final stop was the Serpentine, a small lake on the edge of Moor Park. Due to the time of year, incredibly the entire lake was completely frozen over, which was quite a sight. The name for the lake comes from an old road which had previously been the boundary of the park, called Serpentine Road. The Serpentine predates the rest of Moor Park, and appears to have already been naturally here, or artificially created to help with grazing.

When the park was created around it, a wooden bridge was built over an extension to the South end of the Serpentine, and indeed you can still see the stone supports where it would have once sat, before it was removed in the 1980’s.

Directly opposite the Serpentine to the right is a large stone building called the “Shelter”, which along with a Wading Pool was a gift to the town in the 1920’s by the then Mayor, Thomas Parkinson (Mayor from 1919 until 1921). The Wading Pool was presumably located in the circular area directly in front of the Shelter, but there is no trace today.

Fulwood is a beautiful area of Preston, with some incredible Victorian Buildings, such as the Old Workhouse. Preston is a great city to explore, there is something new around every corner, and with various wide open spaces from which to enjoy your surroundings, it is a joy to visit. Fulwood has various bus connections into the city centre, however the only train station in the city is the mainline station on Fishergate in the city centre. Due to its mainline status connections are available from here to most major towns and cities in Scotland, the North, Yorkshire, the Midlands and London.

An old disused line once ran from Fishergate up to Longridge, to the East of the city, via Deepdale, which would have provided links to Fulwood. The line opened in the 19th century, before closing to passengers, and a few decades later freight, in the mid 20th century.

It was time to head off, but after a lovely 4 mile walk around Preston & Fulwood, we had seen yet another side to my incredible local city. You can find out more about Preston itself in my dedicated post here, where you can explore the other Parks, Museums, fine Churches and Municipal buildings.