The forgotten part of Preston's past, hidden underground, and the new campaign which wants to reimagine it

What is this forgotten part of Preston’s past?

Right under our noses, but hidden from sight and out of memory, a historical formation, which was once central to the city’s 19th century development, lies beneath Preston city centre.

Located underneath the Aldi car park and the Corporation Street Retail Park on the corner of Corporation Street and Ringway, is a 300 feet long Preston Basin of the Lancaster Canal.

An enclosed area of water, the Preston Basin was opened in 1804, seven years after the Lancaster Canal. Here freight, principally coal from Wigan’s coalfields and limestone from quarries north of Lancaster, was transhipped between the canal and the canal’s dedicated tramroad.

The Lancaster Canal, Preston Basin and the adjoining tramroad played a crucial role in the development and growth of Preston at the beginning of the 1800s. However today, the basin is buried and largely forgotten.

The basin was filled in from the late 1930s for railway tracks serving coal yards and a car showroom for Barton Townley. The car showroom, last used by Dutton-Forshaw, was demolished in the early 1990s for the construction of the Corporation Street Retail Park.

Where the stone canal walls have not been disturbed by foundation works of subsequent building works, they are likely to be lying largely intact a few feet underground.

You can read more about Preston Basin’s history here.

What is the campaign?

The Restoring Preston Basin campaign proposes the restoration of the 19th century basin as a 21st century multi-purpose amenity, recreational and biodiverse space. It was set up by 38-year-old D Crowther from Preston, in response to the Preston Station Quarter Regeneration Framework.

This framework, launched in March 2022, outlined a number of objectives for the area, including to improve the public realm, create new open spaces, reuse heritage assets and develop a network of green infrastructure.

The Preston Basin falls within the framework’s ‘University Walk’ quadrant, and the group believe the proposed development of the area, offers a “window of opportunity to restore and reimagine the Preston Basin.”

There are currently four proposed restoration schemes.

You can read more about the The Restoring Preston Basin campaign, and its four main suggestions, on their website.

Why do they want to restore Preston Basin?

Mr Crowther said: “The release of Preston Station Quarter Regeneration Framework provides a once in a generation opportunity to restore and incorporate the site of Preston Basin, and the Restoring Preston Basin campaign hopes to provide a starting point for how this could be achieved.

“When I was researching Preston Basin and compiling the website, its history was absolutely fascinating! In some ways that adds credence to the argument to restore it in some shape or form.

“We're not necessarily looking at a traditional conventional restoration as a canal in water, it can be used as an open public green space, supporting urban biodiversity and ecology; it could be used for recreation; it could be used for events; all manners of different multifunctional spaces. I've listed four possible redevelopment options on the website, but they're not necessarily the only options, there could be more. The campaign really just hopes to spark imagination, get some discussion going about what could be done with this historic space in Preston which has largely been forgotten, unfortunately.”

“On the Preston Station Quarter Regeneration Framework University Walk plan, there are two open spaces proposed for this site, almost immediately north of the former basin. With some reconfiguration for the site of the basin you can preserve Preston Basin, and you provide the open space that the framework is looking to create there.”