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PRESTON’S SKYLINE

Even at this distance Preston’s buildings command the horizon. Gone are the tall chimneys of the mills and engineering factories on which the prosperity of the city once relied, and in their place rise the tower blocks of commercial enterprise and housing. Another relative newcomer breaking the skyline is the latticework stadium of Preston’s football team, North End. Preston North End was a founder member of the Football League and is one of the few clubs in the country still playing on its original ground.

It houses the National Football Museum, and even if you are not particularly a fan you will almost certainly find the displays and exhibitions fascinating – you can even try your hand as a ‘guest commentator’.

Some outlines that would have been familiar to travellers passing this way a century ago remain, however, perhaps the most prominent being the white spire of St Walburghe’s Catholic Church.

St Walburghe’s spire was designed by John Hansom, the same man who gave us the Hansom cab. Soaring to 309 feet (94m), it is the third highest in the country and was built by the Jesuits between 1850 and 1854. Although the church is of dun-coloured sandstone, the towering landmark spire stands separate from the church and is of a contrasting white limestone that shines in the sun. It is said that much of the stone for its construction was bought secondhand from the railway companies as they replaced the stone sleepers supporting the track with wood.