Preston

Preston, borough and administrative centre of Lancashire, in north-western England, on the River Ribble near the Irish Sea. Preston's former port has now been developed into a leisure marina. It is also a centre for the surrounding agricultural area, with two large covered markets. Among the many goods manufactured there are textiles, machinery, and electrical equipment. Preston is the seat of Lancashire College of Agriculture and Horticulture (1894), the University of Central Lancashire (1992) and a grammar school (1550). Preston received its first charter in the 12th century and grew in the Middle Ages as an important market town. The Harris Art Gallery contains collections of British paintings as well as a gallery devoted to Preston itself. An athletics track and sports complex was built in the 1990s and a museum of football opened in 1996. In 1648, during the English Civil War, the Parliamentarian forces of Oliver Cromwell defeated the Royalists at the Battle of Preston. Preston is the birthplace of Sir Richard Arkwright. It received city status in 2002. Population 129,642 (2001).