There are few areas of Preston which have seen such huge reversals in their fortunes as Avenham.
In the Victorian era, Avenham was THE place to live with all the city’s
most influential familes residing in its graceful Georgian-style homes.
But in the last century, the area became blighted with problems and went into slow decline.
A renovation project restored life to the area and the beautiful architecture again came into its own, making perfect homes.
Avenham’s history as the centre for the city’s richest citizens still shows in its graceful amenities, particularly the picturesque Avenham and Miller Parks which stand on the River Ribble.
The traditional Victorian parks have also seen a major regeneration over the last few years. Beginning with the demolition of the old stage which stood in Avenham Park’s natural amphitheatre in 2006, the park now has some wonderful new facilities following the multi-million pound Heritage Lottery Funded restoration project.
The refurbishment also sees the restoration of many of the historical features including The Belvedere and The Boer War Memorial along
with basics like improved lighting.
Community facilities include the St Augustine’s New Avenham Centre, a
£5m multi-purpose, multifaith sports facility, family learning, education
and enterprise centre.
Perfectly placed between the city centre and the relaxing greenery of
the Park and Winckley Square, the area enjoys the city’s best access
to the railway station and bus station.
Tomorrow in Avenham and Miller parks it is a grand summer celebration. This free event is taking place during “Love Parks Week”. A celebration of the nation’s parks and will be opened by the Mayor.
Attractions include a fairground, live music, family games, birds of prey, a climbing wall, kite displays, craft stalls and food stalls.
Avenham is a varied and multi-cultural part of the city of Preston, with the most recent census recording a population of 6,671 for the whole Town Centre electoral ward, from which only just half (49.7%) recorded themselves as Christian, whilst 25.6% used the designation Muslim, a further 5.3% using Hindu. It is an increasingly varied area.