Preston, Tyne and Wear
| Preston | |
|---|---|
 Preston
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| Preston shown within Tyne and Wear | |
| Population | 8,419 (2011.Ward) |
| OS grid reference | NZ3568 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORTH SHIELDS |
| Postcode district | NE29, NE30 |
| Dialling code | 0191 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Tyne and Wear |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Preston is a village and suburb about a mile north of North Shields, North Tyneside. Its population was recorded at 8419 in the 2011 census. Historically a separate entity, it has slowly been absorbed into the town to the south and expanded as to form a continuous urban area north to Monkseaton.
The area derives its name from the old English "Preosta", meaning Priest and "Tun", meaning enclosure or homestead. It is first mentioned in a charter dated between 1106 and 1116 and is recorded in the St. Alban's Register. At about this time the lands of Preston were granted by King Henry I to the monks of St. Oswin at Tynemouth. At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, the lands were returned to the Crown. In 1649, the Township was enclosed and 265 acres (1.07 km2) of land were divided and granted to various copyhold tenants. In 1832 Preston Township, together with Tynemouth, North Shields and Cullercoats was constituted a Parliamentary Borough and by an order granted on August 6, 1849, the four were incorporated into Tynemouth Borough for municipal purposes.
Preston Township lay between North Shields to the south and Monkseaton to the north. To the east was the village of Tynemouth and to the west, Chirton. In addition, when the Shire Moor was enclosed in 1788, approximately 94 acres (380,000 m2) of land were annexed to Preston Township. This annex was originally known as Northumberland Place but is nowadays known as West Allotment.
The main industries were coalmining (from the 12th to the 20th centuries), the tanneries of the 13th century, the breweries of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the damask factory of the 19th century and the carriage works of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Within the township is Preston Village, described by Parson and White in their descriptive book on Durham and Northumberland of 1828 as: " a very pleasant village 1-mile (1.6 km) north of North Shields to which its Township extends. It occupies a fine eminence which commands an extensive and beautiful prospect. Here are several gentlemen's villas, two public gardens, two common breweries, four public houses and a linen manufactory: besides about 100 houses and cottages which have a neat and clean appearance."
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Wikipedia