Heritage Walk: Preston Village with Peter Jackson

Join Peter Jackson to explore the history of Preston Village.

The walk will start opposite Spread Eagle, Front Street and will end outside the old Christ Church Vicarage, Preston Road (at the end of Preston Park).

Peter Jackson, who volunteers on the welcome desk at the Old Low Light Heritage Centre, North Shields Fish Quay and is also a Newcastle City guide will point out sites where historic buildings, industries and businesses stood and will describe some of the characters who lived and worked in Preston Village.

The village once had a coal mine, breweries, a carriage works, a textile factory and a number of pubs. Preston Races or Hoppings took place in and around the village in an area where a number of large houses were built for shipowners including the Robinson family who owned the Stag Line shipping company and Richard Irvin, a North Shields businessman who established a worldwide fishing empire.

Peter said: “During one of the lockdowns I started walking around Preston Village and realised how much history is there. When I began researching the village with my fellow Newcastle City guide and co-author of the walk Keiran-Ann Keilty, we found that for quite a small area it was crammed with interest. Apart from buildings, industries and businesses, there were also some very interesting characters who lived or worked in the village.”

Proceeds from the walk, which will take between one and a half and two hours, will be in aid of the Old Low Light Heritage Centre.

Caption: Preston Front Street in the early years of the 20th century.