Farewell to the demolition king who changed Preston skyline

Paul Greenwood, who knocked down numerous city landmarks including parts of the old Preston Royal Infirmary, the Catholic College and the Deepdale Isolation Hospital, passed away at his home in Spain following a short illness.

Mr Greenwood, founder of Greenwood Demolition, was cremated near Valencia where he had been living with his wife Jo.

“Paul employed many people in Preston and will be sadly missed,” said his niece Catherine Henshaw. “But he wasn’t just a demolition contractor. He was a prominent businessman in the city and his business interests were very diverse, including owning a hotel, two shops and a skip firm.”

Greenwood Demolition handled many of the large clearance projects in Preston as the city landscape was transformed in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

In addition to PRI, the college in Winckley Square and the old Deepdale hospital where Sainsbury’s now stands, his firm also cleared dozens of houses in Marsh Lane to make way for the A59 Guild Way.

Further afield his demolition company handled some huge projects including Warrington Steel Works and the Ferranti factory in Manchester.

He was also the owner of Brook House Hotel in Clayton-le-Woods, near Chorley, for several years and, with his wife and brother, he launched City Skips in 2004, which was taken over by Recycling Lives three years ago.

“He didn’t just change the skyline in Preston, but also many other towns,” said niece Catherine.

“Over the years he must have employed thousands of people in the North West.”

He leaves wife Jo and sons Stuart and Stephen.