1892 Opening of the Preston Dock

Barge on Preston Dock, 1892

Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, opened the Preston Dock in 1892. For the first time Preston became an inland port for sea-going ships.

Preston's cotton industry did very little trade through the dock. Instead the dock was used to import timber, china clay (which was used in the paper industry in Blackburn) and fruit. By the 1960s sea-going ships had got much bigger. This meant that Preston - eighteen miles from the open sea - was not very convenient for large ships. The cost of dredging the river was also becoming too much. In 1981 the dock closed and the area has now been re-developed for housing, shops and leisure facilities.

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