Preston and Catholicism have been inextricably linked over the centuries.

The city is believed to house the highest percentage of Catholics per head of the population.

One of its most iconic buildings is the magnificent listed St Walburge's in Ashton, the tallest (non-cathedral) church in England with its 308ft spire.

And Preston is also home to the Ladyewell Shrine in Fernyhalgh Lane in Fulwood.

So it is only right and proper that a book has finally been written dedicated to 'Catholics in Preston' throughout the ages.

Tom Smith has produced a straight forward historical account, chronologically detailing the events - both local and national - affecting Catholics and Catholic institutions in Preston since the first known religious settlement in this area of Lancashire some time in the eighth century.

The author has clearly done his homework on the subject, with a lengthy bibliography underlining the extensive research which has gone into producing the book, though he sees it only as an "interim measure" before a more academic and comprehensive work is written.

This book throws up many fascinating stories and facts which should be of interest to anyone who either has close connections with Preston or simply Catholic affiliations.

For example, a hospital for lepers once stood on the site of St Walburge's and a chapel there attracted pilgrims from all over the country.

And the city staged the famous Battle of Preston in 1715 between George I royalists and Jacobites who were hoping to restore James III to the throne.

The result was a defeat for the rebels, some of whom were hanged on Gallows Hill, the site upon which the St Thomas of Canterbury and the English Martyrs Church now stands.

Preston North End fans might be intrigued to read that their football ground has been used on occasions to stage Masses, including one in 1930 in honour of 135 martyrs.

Catholics in Preston also features old (black and white) photographs and drawings of church buildings, including from as long ago as the 1600s, and these are listed with their respective pages, though a back-of-book index for those looking, for example, for specific references to churches would also have been useful.

The author does get the opportunity right at the end of the book to briefly mention the major changes currently facing the Catholic Church in Preston.

A Fit for Mission review was launched in 2007 by the cash-strapped Diocese of Lancaster amid spiralling costs, falling attendances and difficulty recruiting enough new priests.

Among many things, it is recommending that Sunday masses cease at St Walburge's and that it should be merged with Sacred Heart, saying the famous building is too big and expensive to maintain.

These are some of the major issues facing Catholics in Preston at the start of the 21st century.

This book provides a useful background for all those wondering how things have arrived at this point.

Copies are available from bookshops or directly from Mr B T Farrimond, North West Catholic History Society, 11 Tower Hill, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 2EE (email: brianfarrimond@mailbolt.com).

(North West Catholic History Society, paperback, £20)