11 iconic Preston pubs we've loved and lost including The Sumners, Jolly Farmer and Theatre Hotel

Lancashire Post Chief Reporter Brian Ellis looks back at iconic Preston pubs we've loved and lost over the years.

By Brian Ellis

Published 10th Mar 2023, 14:43 GMT

Updated 25th Apr 2023, 15:06 GMT

Lancashire Post Chief Reporter Brian Ellis looks back at iconic Preston pubs we've loved and lost over the years.

These cathedrals for the working classes have been declining in number at an alarming rate in recent decades.Some have been demolished and replaced by houses, shops or offices. Of those that remain, very few like the city's most famous pub - the iconic Black Horse in Friargate - have been preserved for posterity, frozen in time from a golden era.

Here are just some of the best that Preston folk have loved and lost.

The favourite pub for Preston North End fans on matchdays where they would gather before and after games at Deepdale, usually to drown their sorrows. It was opened in 1985 to replace a much older Sumners pub next door which was demolished in a road widening scheme. For years the new Sumners was a popular place during the week as well as on matchdays. But in recent years custom began to decline - just like its neighbour the Royal Garrison across the road - and that spelled the end for the pub after just 33 years in 2018.

1. The Sumners

The favourite pub for Preston North End fans on matchdays where they would gather before and after games at Deepdale, usually to drown their sorrows. It was opened in 1985 to replace a much older Sumners pub next door which was demolished in a road widening scheme. For years the new Sumners was a popular place during the week as well as on matchdays. But in recent years custom began to decline - just like its neighbour the Royal Garrison across the road - and that spelled the end for the pub after just 33 years in 2018. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

Best known, not for what it was but for who ran it. Professional wrestler Harry Duval ran the pub after he retired from the ring in 1973. The giant man with a giant personality first started playing to an audience as a singer in the Northern clubs in the 1960s, with The Stage magazine tipping him as a future star. But he switched to grappling and made a name for himself in the ring, being picked out by The Wrestler magazine predicting he would one day win the British and European Heavyweight titles. It didn't happen, but Harry still proved a knockout when he turned his hand to being a pub landlord and also a taxi owner - distinctive in his full chauffeur's suit and cap.

2. Prince Consort

Best known, not for what it was but for who ran it. Professional wrestler Harry Duval ran the pub after he retired from the ring in 1973. The giant man with a giant personality first started playing to an audience as a singer in the Northern clubs in the 1960s, with The Stage magazine tipping him as a future star. But he switched to grappling and made a name for himself in the ring, being picked out by The Wrestler magazine predicting he would one day win the British and European Heavyweight titles. It didn't happen, but Harry still proved a knockout when he turned his hand to being a pub landlord and also a taxi owner - distinctive in his full chauffeur's suit and cap. Photo: submit

On the corner of Ribbleton Lane and Deepdale Road, directly opposite Preston Prison. It closed down in 2006 and was demolished in 2007 to create a pay and display car park. Inmates allowed out of jail to work were regular callers on their way back to their cells at curfew. Charles Dickens was reputed to have stayed there, as were judges from the Assize Courts next door to the prison.

3. County Arms

On the corner of Ribbleton Lane and Deepdale Road, directly opposite Preston Prison. It closed down in 2006 and was demolished in 2007 to create a pay and display car park. Inmates allowed out of jail to work were regular callers on their way back to their cells at curfew. Charles Dickens was reputed to have stayed there, as were judges from the Assize Courts next door to the prison. Photo: Kevin McGuinness

There has been a pub on the site in Watery Lane for more than two centuries. Dock workers and sailors used to drink there because of its close proximity to Preston Docks. One of its regular customers was Britain's official hangman Albert Pierrepoint, while the pub got plenty of custom from revellers on their way for a night out on The Manxman nightclub, affectionately known as the Love Boat. In the 1960s it was advertised as Preston's Premier Music venue, while entertainment of a different kind was regularly provided by local comedian Wandering Walter and his "gentlemen's evenings." The pub, which for a short time in the 80s changed its name to the Jolly Roger, finally closed in 2011. It is still standing, with its most recent occupier a Shisha cafe.

4. New Ship Inn

There has been a pub on the site in Watery Lane for more than two centuries. Dock workers and sailors used to drink there because of its close proximity to Preston Docks. One of its regular customers was Britain's official hangman Albert Pierrepoint, while the pub got plenty of custom from revellers on their way for a night out on The Manxman nightclub, affectionately known as the Love Boat. In the 1960s it was advertised as Preston's Premier Music venue, while entertainment of a different kind was regularly provided by local comedian Wandering Walter and his "gentlemen's evenings." The pub, which for a short time in the 80s changed its name to the Jolly Roger, finally closed in 2011. It is still standing, with its most recent occupier a Shisha cafe. Photo: Ian Robinson