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The latest blue plaque to mark an important point in Preston’s history has been unveiled.
The blue plaque – located in Garden Street near Fishergate car park – commemorates the last remaining abutment of the Old Tram Road. It replaces a previous plaque that it is believed went missing many years ago during repair works.
The wording on the plaque reads: “This last remaining stone abutment supported a timber bridge of the Old Tram Road 1803-1879 connecting Preston Canal Basin and Walton Summit (Lancaster Canal).
Funds for the plaque have been raised with contributions from Lancaster Canal Trust, Inland Waterways, Friends of Winckley Square, Friends of Old Tram Road, Preston Historical Society and individual donations.
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Steve Harrison from Friends of Winckley Square spoke first at the unveiling. Steve said: “Today we are righting a wrong. We are reinstating a plaque that marks an important point in Preston’s history.
“What is particularly pleasing about today is that it brings together a wide range of voluntary groups in a common endeavour. Lancashire has lots of voluntary groups that make a difference to communities. When they combine you really see the power of the voluntary sector.
“Also present are councillors and officers from Preston City Council and Lancashire County Council who work to support all our efforts. The voluntary sector working with the public sector is vitally important to community cohesion.”
Speeches were also made by Glenn Cookson, who played a key role in the fight for the Old Tram Bridge to be replaced, and Nigel Hardacre, a volunteer with the Inland Waterways Association.
The Mayor of Preston, Councillor Phil Crowe, who unveiled the blue plaque, also spoke, revealing key details about the history of the abutment.
The Mayor said: “One of the functions a blue plaque serves is to draw your attention to something you might have seen a thousand times before but never really thought about or considered its significance.
“This blue plaque does exactly that. What most people regard as ‘just a stone wall’ is in fact a key part of the infrastructure that helped turn Preston into a powerhouse of textile manufacture.
“The first factory workshops in Preston were powered by human muscle and then by horsepower. The first steam engine was installed in 1796. The demand for coal was only going one way.
“Wigan Coal had been supplied to Preston by a roundabout route along the River Douglas and then into the Ribble estuary. From there it could go to the banks of the Ribble near Fishergate Hill or to Kirkham and transfer to cart.
“The Lancaster Canal Company wanted to move coal from the coalfields of Lancashire to the Lake District. In return limestone was in demand in South Lancashire for construction and to supply lime for agriculture.
“Intended as a temporary measure, a tramway was constructed from the canal basin near where the Corporation Street retail park now stands in the middle of town to Walton Summit. In those days the syke, a wide waterway, ran close to the route of Garden Street (then called Syke Road).
“The tramway had to cross the syke, so a wooden bridge was built over the syke. Holding it up on the north side was a stone abutment – which is still here today.
“It not only supported the bridge but also held back the embankment that had been constructed to carry the tramway as smoothly as possible. The embankment is still there as well.
“So, here we have one of the few remaining vestiges of early industrial Preston. The coal that crossed at this point would provide fuel for the factories, coal for homes and feed the gas works from early 1816. For good or ill it helped turn Preston from a market town to a cotton town.”
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This story was made possible by support from you, our readers, and a host of organisations in the city, through our Crowdfund Lancashire appeal, which unlocked support from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund provided by Lancashire County Council. You can see all our coverage and, if you know of an arts project or event in the city we should be covering, send details to [email protected].
