Preston 100 years ago, cotton in decline, new industries rise

A hundred years ago, Preston began diversifying away from textile manufacturing. New industries were already well established. Also, Preston was more progressive than the typical Lancashire mill town. Preston had its port and good transport links. However, the trams were short-lived.

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The cover photo shows a Preston Corporation streetcar. The system was never as extensive as other cities and would be closed by 1935. Perhaps the shortest running system was at Accrington, which closed in 1932. Blackburn’s trams continued to roll until 1949.

1900 cotton in decline

By the early 20th century, it was becoming clear to some that Britain was losing its competitive advantage. Lancashire’s once great textile industry lost markets in South America and the East. These countries had begun to industrialize and produce their own textiles.

There was a short-lived post-war boom and then oversupply forced factories to start closing. The first to leave were those producing cheaper material. In 1930 more than half of the spinning and weaving capacity was unused. However, Preston had a broader industrial base and was not as badly affected as other cities such as Blackburn, which had a 50 percent unemployment rate.

Preston in 1920, a diverse economy

Preston was an important regional administrative center in 1920. Most notably, the County Council had its headquarters there.

The present building in Fishergate was built in 1882 as a county court. The Local Government Act 1888 established County Councils and the building then became the headquarters of Lancashire County Council. It was expanded twice, in 1903 and 1934.

Preston was also an important distribution center with its port and good road and rail links. The Milk Marketing Board was also based in Preston from 1933.

Lumber, fish, coal and petrol were all distributed from Preston. In the mid-1930s, 80,000 tons of wood and 180,000 tons of coal were handled in one year.

The new industries

As early as 1923, Preston had a well-established engineering and electrical industry. English Electric, Siemens and Ensign Lamps were all based in Preston. By 1935, mechanical engineering and body construction accounted for 3,700 jobs. The unemployment rate was also lower in Preston.

New roads and bridges

In 1923 Blackpool Road was under construction and a new bridge had to be built over the main railway line. Note that the crane support trolley already has the LMS logo on it. The early versions had an R at the end, but that was soon dropped. For example LMSR.

On a national level, the railways merged in 1923. During the war the railways had been controlled by the government. As a result, a multitude of small companies were merged into The Big Four, and the lines around Preston became part of the LMS. In fact, the two railroads that served Preston had merged in 1921. These were the Lancashire and Yorkshire and the London and North Western Railways.

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