Winckley Square
Encyclopedia
Winckley Square is situated near the centre of Preston, Lancashire
, England, at the west end of Avenham
.
The square was first established in 1801, around Town End Field owned by Thomas Winckley, as an exclusive residential area for the town's gentry. It is now occupied mostly by insurance, legal and other business offices, although some residential developments have recently been made. The square's gardens, now an open public park, originally consisted of private plots, each owned by a resident. A statue of Sir Robert Peel stands on one side of the central gardens opposite Cross Street, erected in 1852.
An Italian-style villa was built in 1850 on the south corner of Cross Street (number 11), which was later used as a County Court office from the 1940s. It was demolished in 1969. On the opposite corner (number 10) was the Winckley Club, a gentlemen's club, and next to it, in Cross Street, the Literary and Philosophical Institution (later called Dr Shepherd's Library and Museum), both built in 1846 and both now demolished.
Winckley Street
lies between Winckley Square and Preston's main street of Fishergate.
, and closed in 1967. It is not to be confused with the former Preston Manor County Grammar School
in London.
Preston Catholic College was a Jesuit school for boys, which began in 1865 in a house in Mount Pleasant (a narrow passage between the Square and Mount Street). In 1879 it moved to 29 Winckley Square and expanded over the next century until, at its peak of 915 pupils in 1970, it occupied the whole of the west side of the square from the northwest corner (number 34) as far south as Garden Street (number 25), with the exception of numbers 29 to 32. Classrooms, science laboratories and a swimming pool were built along neighbouring Mount Street in the 1930s. A gymnasium in Garden Street opened in 1970. The college also possessed extensive playing fields one mile (1½ km) south of the college, to which boys walked via the Old Tram Road.
The introduction of comprehensive school
s in Lancashire forced the school, which had become a direct grant grammar school
, to stop admitting under-16 pupils from 1978. In that year, its sixth form merged with the sixth forms of the other two Catholic direct grant grammar schools in Preston, namely Winckley Square Convent School and Lark Hill House School, to form Cardinal Newman College
. Initially the Winckley Square sites continued to be used, but by 1986 the new college was concentrated at the Lark Hill site. Some of the Mount Street buildings have been demolished. The buildings on Winckley Square are used as offices. However the gymnasium and playing fields are still used by Newman College. A blue plaque
commemorates the college at its original entrance, number 34.
Alumni include television Football pundit Mark Lawrenson
, Chief Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
, Gregory Doran
, author Joseph Delaney
, and Archbishop of Liverpool Patrick Kelly
. The 1950s footballer Eddy Brown
taught at the school after his retirement from the game.
The school is currently being sued by a former pupil over allegations of abuse.
In 1875, the Society of the Holy Child Jesus
formed a girls' convent school from the merger of its three convent schools, St. Walburge's of 1853, St Mary's of 1871 and English Martyr's of 1871. The new school was at 23 Winckley Square, the former home of Thomas Batty Addison, once the Recorder of Preston. As the school grew, it came to fill the whole block between the streets of East Cliff and Garden Street, reaching a peak of 850 pupils in 1962. In 1978 it suffered the same fate as the neighbouring Catholic College, the site closing in 1981. The buildings are now used as offices and a Paul Heathcote
restaurant.
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England, at the west end of Avenham
Avenham
Avenham and Frenchwood are the central communities which make up the Town Centre ward, of Preston City Council, in Lancashire, England. The name of the ward was chosen by the Boundary Committee for England prior to Preston being awarded city status....
.
The square was first established in 1801, around Town End Field owned by Thomas Winckley, as an exclusive residential area for the town's gentry. It is now occupied mostly by insurance, legal and other business offices, although some residential developments have recently been made. The square's gardens, now an open public park, originally consisted of private plots, each owned by a resident. A statue of Sir Robert Peel stands on one side of the central gardens opposite Cross Street, erected in 1852.
An Italian-style villa was built in 1850 on the south corner of Cross Street (number 11), which was later used as a County Court office from the 1940s. It was demolished in 1969. On the opposite corner (number 10) was the Winckley Club, a gentlemen's club, and next to it, in Cross Street, the Literary and Philosophical Institution (later called Dr Shepherd's Library and Museum), both built in 1846 and both now demolished.
Winckley Street
Winckley Street
Winckley Street is a bustling cobbled street in the heart of Preston City Centre which links Fishergate with the prestigious Georgian development of Winckley Square...
lies between Winckley Square and Preston's main street of Fishergate.
Preston Grammar School
Preston Grammar School dated back to the 15th century. In 1841 it moved to new premises in Cross Street next to the Philosophical Institution. In 1913 it relocated to Moor ParkMoor Park, Preston
Moor Park is a large park to the north of the city centre of Preston, Lancashire, England. Moor Park is also the name of the electoral ward covering the park and the surrounding area...
, and closed in 1967. It is not to be confused with the former Preston Manor County Grammar School
Preston Manor High School
Preston Manor High School is one of the largest high schools within the London Borough of Brent, located in the Preston area.-Admissions:It has 1354 students in High School and roughly 260 students in Sixth Form. Its current headteacher is Mr M. Lantos, who recently took over from Mrs. Andrea...
in London.
Alumni
- Geoffrey Drain CBE, General Secretary of NALGONational Association of Local Government OfficersThe National and Local Government Officers Association was a British trade union representing mostly local government "white collar" workers. It was formed in 1905 as the National Association of Local Government Officers, and changed its full name in 1952 while retaining its widely-used acronym,...
from 1973-83 - Sir Ronald Ellis
- Sydney Gillibrand CBE, President of the Society of British Aircraft ConstructorsSociety of British Aircraft ConstructorsThe Society of British Aerospace Companies, known as SBAC was the UK's national trade association representing companies supplying civil air transport, aerospace defence, homeland security and space...
from 1990-1, and Chairman of AMECAMECAMEC plc is a global consultancy, engineering and project management company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is focused on the oil and gas, minerals and metals, renewable energy, environment and infrastructure sectors and has offices in 40 countries worldwide...
from 1997-2004 - Sir John Eldon GorstJohn Eldon GorstSir John Eldon Gorst PC, QC, FRS was a British lawyer and politician. He served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1885 to 1886 and as Vice-President of the Committee on Education between 1895 and 1902....
, Conservative MP for ChathamChatham (UK Parliament constituency)Chatham was a parliamentary constituency in Kent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from 1875-92 and Cambridge UniversityCambridge University (UK Parliament constituency)Cambridge University was a university constituency electing two members to the British House of Commons, from 1603 to 1950.-Boundaries, Electorate and Election Systems:...
from 1892-1906 - Sir John HolmesJohn Holmes (British diplomat)Sir John Holmes, GCVO, KBE, CMG is a British diplomat who is a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator-Life and career:Holmes was born in Preston, in the north of England...
GCVO CMG, Ambassador to France from 2001-7 and to Portugal from 1999-2001 - Prof Eric Hoyle, Professor of Education from 1971-96 at the University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
- Sir John Lockwood, Master of Birkbeck CollegeBirkbeck, University of LondonBirkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is...
from 1951-65, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
from 1955-8 - Sir Louis Petch
- Herbert PontingHerbert PontingHerbert George Ponting, FRGS was a professional photographer. He is best known as the expedition photographer and cinematographer for Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Ross Sea and South Pole...
, photographer - Prof Peter Rowe, Professor of Chemical Engineering at University College LondonUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
from 1964-85 and President of the Institution of Chemical EngineersInstitution of Chemical EngineersThe Institution of Chemical Engineers is a global professional engineering institution with over 33,000 members in over 120 countries worldwide, founded in 1922, and awarded a Royal Charter in 1957.-Structure:...
from 1981-2 - Sir George ToulminGeorge ToulminSir George Toulmin was an English journalist, newspaper proprietor and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:...
, Liberal MP for BuryBury (UK Parliament constituency)Bury was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bury in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament ) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
from 1902-18 - Charles Valentine, Professor of Education at the University of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
from 1919-46 and President of the British Psychological SocietyBritish Psychological SocietyThe British Psychological Society is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. The BPS is also a Registered Charity and, along with advantages, this also imposes certain constraints on what the society can and cannot do...
from 1947-9 - William Watson CB, vet
- John Whalley, architect - designed West Burton Power StationWest Burton Power StationThe West Burton power stations are a pair of power stations on the River Trent near Gainsborough, in Nottinghamshire, England, located between Bole to the north and Sturton le Steeple to the south. One is a coal-fired power station, which was commissioned in 1968, and the second is a combined cycle...
Preston High School
Preston High School for Girls once occupied 5 Winckley Square. It was superseded in 1907 by the Park School for Girls, which educated younger girls in Winckley Square and older girls in Moor Park Avenue. It closed in 1967.Preston Catholic College
The introduction of comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
s in Lancashire forced the school, which had become a direct grant grammar school
Direct grant grammar school
A direct grant grammar school was a selective secondary school in England and Wales between 1945 and 1976 funded partly by the state and partly through private fees....
, to stop admitting under-16 pupils from 1978. In that year, its sixth form merged with the sixth forms of the other two Catholic direct grant grammar schools in Preston, namely Winckley Square Convent School and Lark Hill House School, to form Cardinal Newman College
Cardinal Newman College
Cardinal Newman College is a Catholic sixth form college in the Frenchwood area of Preston. The college's performance at both A and AS-level in 2008 was ranked as the best sixth form college in the country, and 54th amongst all schools.-History:...
. Initially the Winckley Square sites continued to be used, but by 1986 the new college was concentrated at the Lark Hill site. Some of the Mount Street buildings have been demolished. The buildings on Winckley Square are used as offices. However the gymnasium and playing fields are still used by Newman College. A blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
commemorates the college at its original entrance, number 34.
Alumni include television Football pundit Mark Lawrenson
Mark Lawrenson
Mark Thomas Lawrenson is a former professional football player, a defender in the Liverpool and Irish football teams of the 1980s; he since became a radio, television and internet pundit for the BBC and Today FM. He was born in England, but played for the Republic of Ireland because his...
, Chief Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
, Gregory Doran
Gregory Doran
Gregory Doran has been described by the Sunday Times as 'one of the great Shakespearians of his generation'He is currently the Chief Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company ....
, author Joseph Delaney
Joseph Delaney
Joseph Henry Delaney is a British former educator and currently an author of science fiction and fantasy books.-Life and career:On first leaving school, Delaney started work as an apprentice engineer. Upon the completion of his schooling, he went on to become an English instructor, with his initial...
, and Archbishop of Liverpool Patrick Kelly
Patrick Altham Kelly
The Most Reverend Patrick Altham Kelly, KC*HS is an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Liverpool and was formerly Vice President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales....
. The 1950s footballer Eddy Brown
Eddy Brown
Edwin "Eddy" Brown is an English former footballer who played as a centre forward. He played professionally for a number of clubs, but the peak of his career was spent with Birmingham City during their most successful period in the 1950s...
taught at the school after his retirement from the game.
The school is currently being sued by a former pupil over allegations of abuse.
Winckley Square Convent School
Society of the Holy Child Jesus
The Society of the Holy Child Jesus is an international community of nuns that was founded in England in 1846 by Philadelphia-born Cornelia Connelly. Cornelia converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1835. The Society was approved in 1887 by Pope Leo XIII, and the rules and constitutions were...
formed a girls' convent school from the merger of its three convent schools, St. Walburge's of 1853, St Mary's of 1871 and English Martyr's of 1871. The new school was at 23 Winckley Square, the former home of Thomas Batty Addison, once the Recorder of Preston. As the school grew, it came to fill the whole block between the streets of East Cliff and Garden Street, reaching a peak of 850 pupils in 1962. In 1978 it suffered the same fate as the neighbouring Catholic College, the site closing in 1981. The buildings are now used as offices and a Paul Heathcote
Paul Heathcote
Paul Heathcote MBE is a chef, restaurateur and food consultant who spent twelve years under the guidance of Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons. He has appeared on many UK food television shows, and currently runs several restaurants including Heathcotes, The Olive Press and the Longridge...
restaurant.