Miller Park is a public park under the management of Preston City Council. It is located on the banks of the

River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (t ...

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...

, in the north west of England. The park is one of two city centre

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

parks, the other being the adjacent and larger

Avenham Park Avenham Park is a Grade II* listed building, listed public park in Avenham, close to the centre of Preston, Lancashire, Preston in Lancashire in the northwest of England, and managed by Preston City Council. The park is located in Preston's Con ...

History

The park was designed and built in the 1860s and has matured over the last 140 years into one of the most attractive parks in the region. As an English Heritage

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

park, it features a number of historical structures including a sundial, a

grotto A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden fea ...

and a fountain. There is also an impressive statue of the 14th Earl of Derby who was British prime minister from 1866 to 1868. The two parks are separated by the

East Lancashire Railway The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway line in North West England which runs between Heywood, Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire. There are intermediate stations at Bury Bolton Street, , Summerseat and Ramsbott ...

embankment and access is through the Ivy Bridge and along Riverside Walk. The East Lancashire Railway line closed in the 1970s although the

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

across the river, which is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, remains, as it carries a

public footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide va ...

across the river. The west edge of the park is bounded by the embankment carrying Preston's main rail link, the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

. The park was designed by Edward Milner as a 'Harmonious Whole' including the adjacent

. This park is more formal than its neighbour and includes beautiful bedding displays, a Rose Garden and the regal Derby Walk, all of which are maintained by Preston City Council's Horticultural Services. It is overlooked by the Park Hotel, a Victorian former hotel used as offices by

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...

until 2016. A modern extension to the council offices, which also overlooked the park, was demolished in 2020 as part of works to convert the building back into a hotel. Apart from this office block, the appearance of the park has hardly changed since it was first laid out; the only other modern construction, a brick toilet block, was demolished in March 2006. A map published in 1889 still provides an accurate representation of the park's layout.

The inauguration of the park

Preston's

, Moor Park and Miller Park were inaugurated on the same day that the former Town Hall was opened in 1867. On 28 September 1867 the Preston Chronicle commented that the preparations were in place and that the expectation was that "…….we shall have a gayer, a busier, and a more bustling town than we have had on any previous occasion, excepting, perhaps, at some of our

Guilds A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

". The following week's edition for 5 October 1887 devoted several columns to "The Opening of the New Town Hall and Inauguration of the Parks". It was a civic event of considerable size and importance and when the opening ceremony for the town hall was concluded a procession was formed which made its way to Avenham and Miler Parks. Schoolchildren from across Preston had gathered in the parks and it was estimated that 23,000 to 25,000 were present. The Duke of Cambridge, cousin to Queen Victoria, was in attendance and the band of the Third Royal Lancashire Militia entertained the crowds.The Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser, 5 October 1867, p.6, col. c

Proposed developments

As part of a multimillion-pound

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

ed restoration project, both Avenham and Miller Park will see a facelift over the next few years. The refurbishment will include restoration of all of the historical features (including The Fountain, Derby Walk etc.), improved lighting and footpaths, vehicle controls and the new Pavilion in Avenham Park which has a cafe, new public toilets and incorporates a

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

post as well as being a base for dedicated Parks staff. The old stage, which was removed in early 2006, has been replaced by a small performance area and the facilities to install temporary concert stages like those used at music festivals throughout the country. These improvements help the park become cleaner, safer and provide more events and activities for the people of Preston.

References

External links

Official website

VisitPreston.com
{{City of Preston buildings Parks and commons in Preston Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Lancashire

History

The inauguration of the park

Proposed developments

See also

References

External links