Our Family On The Move
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Both Doris and I attended the same school in Preston, Fishwick Secondary Modern, we didn't know each other in school, I met Doris a couple of years later, and we dated for about three years before I 'popped the question'. We were married on December 20, 1958 at St Matthews' church in Preston.
We moved from Preston to Walton Le Dale, a small village just south of Preston, we lived there in our new bungalow until 1964, which is when we emigrated to the USA. We had one son David Andrew, born in April of 1963.
I, David, served an apprenticeship at Goss Graphics, (Printing Press builders), and also worked for The British Aircraft Corporation in their Research and Development Department at Warton Aerodrome.
Doris worked for Stephen Simpson's, a well known designer
of military, and other, hand made gold threaded badges.
We emigrated to the USA in May of 1964, moving to Syracuse in upstate New York. We lived in Syracuse for almost four years before moving again to California.
As you can imagine, almost everything we did was a new adventure to us. We traveled all through the New England states and up into Canada.
We did a lot of camping in those early days. We were lucky enough to see three Worlds Fairs, one in New York City, (1965) another one in Montreal, Canada (1967), and another in New Orleans, in the mid eighties.
One of the 'happening's' that really stuck with us from our Syracuse days was the 'great storm' of February 1966, when an incredible 84 inches (7 feet), of snow fell on Syracuse in just 48 hours...hard to believe I know, but I still have the 'special' paper that was published as a reminder. That snowstorm got me thinking about a move to a warmer climate..... So off we went on our next adventure...California or bust !
We left Syracuse in September of 1967 during a curfew, those were the days of the mid sixties, the Viet-Nam war was raging, student protests were common, and rioting seemed to be the norm. What an adventure that cross country trip was for a couple of Lancashire ex-pat's with a young son in tow.
Our route took us west through Ontario, Canada, into Michigan where Detroit was ablaze with rioting, on into Indiana, and Illinois, where Chicago was also caught up with the rioting, of course we didn't go anywhere near where the 'trouble' was, but never the less it was quite an adventure.
We crossed the great plains states of Iowa, and Nebraska, we flipped a coin in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as to which route we should take from there....south through Colorado, or west into Utah.
The flip of that coin took us through the grasslands of Wyoming, mile after mile of wide open space. It was in Wyoming that we crossed 'the Great Divide', an imaginary line that runs the length of the American continent, so called because any rain that falls on the eastern side of the Great Divide will eventually drain into the Atlantic Ocean, and the rain that falls on the western side will drain into the Pacific Ocean. And on we drove to Salt Lake City.
Looking back I guess that is when we realized we were 'out west', when the sandstone canyon's started to come into view and the 'great desert' of the west became our new 'home'. After a few hours visiting Salt Lake City and the magnificent Mormon Temple, it was time to move on......
On we drove heading south now toward Arizona, desolate country this, but exciting new territory for us three. Into Nevada and a few hours in fabulous Las Vegas, if only you could imagine the difference from the Las Vegas of 1967, to the present day Las Vegas...the mind boggles !!
Then on into our destination...California,...the land of endless sunshine, of mountains, and desert, and the Pacific Ocean, as close to Shangri La as one could get.
We now live in the lovely Pomona Valley, just thirty miles east of Los Angeles. Pomona, (the Roman Goddess of Fruit), is well situated in the Greater Los Angeles metropolis, just a short drive to some well known places...Disneyland, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Long Beach, Palm Springs, the Mojave desert, and Las Vegas is just 230 miles away....
After moving to Pomona we bought a Craftsman Bungalow in the Lincoln Park district. The district is one of the oldest settlements in the Pomona/San Gabriel valley, and is now a registered Historic District.
To be eligible for consideration of Historic Designation, the area must have at least a fifty-one percent housing which are at least fifty years old. Lincoln Park has an eighty five percent designation.
Our Craftsman bungalow was built in 1910 and is constructed entirely of redwood. We purchased the house in 1968 for $15,500. Some are now selling, (2006),in excess of $500,000.
Pomona itself is the 'home' of the Los Angeles County Fair which attracts over one and a half million visitors a year to the two week long fair. It is also the headquarters of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), where the annual Winter National Drag Racing finals take place. The NHRA also has its very impressive drag racing museum situated within the city.
Pomona is home to World Champion boxer Sugar Shane Mosley, who beat Oscar De La Hoya in June 2000 to win the WBC, and the IBA welterweight titles. Mosley beat De La Hoya once again in a rematch in Las Vegas in September 2003.
We had a second son, Peter Christian, born in Pomona in 1968. Both of our son's and their families live here in the Pomona Valley.
We now have three grand children, Kyle, born in 1990, Madeline, 1993, and Cassidy, 1993.
THIS IS A SHORT HISTORY OF PRESTON
Preston, Lancashire, England. Preston became a 'city' on March 14 2002 when HRH Queen Elizabeth II granted Preston cityhood for her Jubilee celebration, 1952-2002. Preston became the 50th 'city' in England on that day.
Preston is a busy market town situated in the north west of England, it forms a triangle with Liverpool, and Manchester, each being about 30 miles apart, Preston being the apex of the triangle to the north.
The town is situated on a rise overlooking the Ribble valley, with the River Ribble almost circling the town. Archaeological evidence found along the River Ribble, suggests that there were settlers in the area as long ago as 8,000 B.C. Very little is known about early Preston, but it is probable that the 'church' acted as the nucleus of the towns beginings.
One theory says that Preston was formed by monks from the famous monastery at Ripon in Yorkshire, after St. Wilfred aquired the lands 'juxta Rippel' ( by the Ribble) in about A.D. 670. This would explain how Preston got its name: it is derived from the words 'tun (i.e. town) of the priests'. PriestTown (Preston) There are many theories, this is but one.
Readers may be interested to know that Preston Parish Church was the first church in the world to be lit by gas c. 1816 (according to researches by British Gas). In February 1818 the Trustees Of the Gas Company threatened to cut off the gas to the church for non-payment of bills!
Extract from "Preston views of the past" by John Garlington ISBN 0-948789-57-
During the 'middle ages' Preston saw some very 'hard times', (Charles Dickens based his best seller, 'Hard Times' on life in Preston) local wars, poverty, and illness took a very hard toll on the people. From 1314 to 1316 three harvests in a row failed, many people died of starvation. For years the town stuggled to recover, then in 1348 a terrible outbreak of bubonic plague which had already ravaged the European continent spread through England. In Preston at least one third of the entire population-men, women and children- died of plague, mostly during the summer months. There were recurrences of plague in 1361-62, 1369, and a very serious outbreak some years later..1630-31.
Kings and queens have have visited Preston on many occasions. In 1617 James VI of Scotland, (James I of England), son of Mary Queen of Scots, visited Preston and during his stay at Hoghton Tower, it is reputed that after dining on a delicious dinner of loin of beef, the king knighted the loin, forever after to be known as...Sir-loin.
The last battle of the English Civil War was fought at Preston on August 17 1648. Oliver Cromwell soundly defeated the Duke of Hamilton who fought for Charles I. On January 30 1649, Charles I was executed and a republic was established shortly afterwards.
Cromwell himself became Lord Protector in 1653. Charles II had actually been proclaimed king at the market cross in the town in July 1649, and when he was finally and properly restored in 1660, there was great rejoicing in the streets of Preston. The church bells rang for three days!
Within living memory of that bloody battle between Cromwell and Hamilton yet another battle took place in Preston. In November 1715 the armies of the Old Pretender (or James III), and loyal to the Jacobites , and an army loyal to George I fought a battle that ended with the surrender of the Jacobites. Among the reasons given for the surrender was this colorful explanation...The Ladys in this toune, Preston, are so beautiful and so richly attired, that the Gentlemen Soldiers mind nothing but courting and feasting during their days in Preston!
The Industrial Revolution was about to change England, and Preston was to play a major part in it. New roads and canals were being built to transport coal, iron, and other goods further and further afield. Mills and factories were becoming the 'work place' rather than the fields. Coal was needed for the fires that drove the steam engines in the factories.
Preston was one of the leading 'cotton towns'. A port was built on the River Ribble to bring the shipping to the town. Raw cotton from America, wood from Europe, fruit from Africa and beyond.
In 1768 Richard Arkwright, (a native of Preston), invented the 'spinning frame'. This invention overcame a major technical problem; how to spin cotton yarn mechanically using water or horsepower, and there fore cheaply and efficently. Preston and indeed the whole of Lancashire with it's very damp atmosphere was perfect for weaving cotton.
The cotton industry thrived and thousands worked in the cotton industry. The skyline of Preston was dotted with dozens of tall factory chimneys, each one belching out tons of pollution on the town each day. The 1851 census showed that more than 18,000 Prestonians worked in the cotton trade, a staggering 48-52% of the entire working population.
Not until the early 1960's did the cotton industry begin to crumble, when artificial dampness (air conditioning) was created and cheaper labor in other parts of the world stole the industry from Lancashire.
Preston was established as a port at the head of the estuary of the River Ribble. It became important from Roman times as a river crossing and rich from the weaving of wool in the Middle Ages.
John Horrocks established the first cotton mill in Preston in 1786. The first railway in the town was built in 1803 to connect the southern and northern sections of the Lancaster Canal. This was followed by a short railway between the quarries of Longridge to Preston.
Preston had been first represented in Parliament in 1295. Unlike most boroughs, the right to vote in parliamentary elections had been granted to all inhabitants of the town. Although Lord Derby, a supporter of the Whigs, controlled one of the seats, the other MP was often someone freely elected by the people of Preston. This created the possibility of Radical candidates being victorious
Preston was the first provincial town to have gas street lighting. In May 1815 the Preston Gas Company was formed and the three main streets in Preston, Church Street, Fishergate and Friargate, were gas lit. The gas 'pipes' used were in fact army-surplus musket barrels stuck end to end. One can only imagine the leakage and the potential for disaster ! One of the main reasons for the interest in gas lighting was its possible use in illuminating the mills so that longer hours could be worked.
In 1840 on a bend in the river Ribble the "Cuerdale Hoard" was found valued at approx. £300,000 in today's terms. There are believed to have been 8,500 pieces of silver, including 350 ingots, weighing 44 Kilogram. The latest coins in the hoard were minted around 905 AD. those of "Louis the Blind of the West Franks". There was also 5,000 Viking silver coins produced in York circa 900 AD, together with 1,000 silver pennies of King Alfred and Edward the Elder 899 A.D.
For more information on this subject please use a search engine for "Cuerdale Hoard". The 'Hoard' is now housed at the British Museum in London.
Engineering became a bye product of the cotton trade. Engineers were needed to keep the machinery running. Mass transportation was needed to get the workers to their jobs. Motorized trams took the place of horse drawn tram. Dick Kerr, of Strand Road was building tram cars, not just for Preston, but for shipping around the country. This then developed into railway engines and finally into aircraft.
The company became English Electric, then British Aircraft Corporation and finally British AeroSpace. The company employed more than 8,000 workers before cutting back it's production and closing the Strand Road plant. Aircraft production is still a major industry in the area with Samlesbury, and Warton areodromes building and testing military aircraft.
Preston is perhaps most famous for its 'Preston Guild'
The right to hold a Guild Merchant was conferred upon the Burgesses of Preston in a Charter of 1179.
The celebration of the Guild was held at irregular intervals during the next 150 years, the first trustworthy record of the celebration is dated 1328. At that Guild celebration it was decreed that the 'Guild' should be held every twenty years, but for various causes, the 'twenty year' interval was not upheld until the Guild of 1542 when the twenty year intervals were resumed and carried on in unbroken sequence to the Guild of 1922.
A celebration of the Guild should have been held in 1942 but because the country was involved in World War II, the 400 year sequence of Guilds was broken. Not until 1952 did the Guild celebration continue. Two more have been celebrated, 1972 and again in 1992. The next one being in 2012.
Preston was the site of the first Motorway (Freeway for our American friends) to be built in Britain. The six mile long motorway was built to ease congestion in the town. The then 'main A6' road linking London to Glasgow ran through the town and had become the biggest 'bottleneck' in the
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Copyright © 2006 David Hughlock. All Rights Reserved.