J D Sephton

A Walk Through Preston's Past. Death, Tragedy and Intrigue J D Sephton

Preston has a long and distinguished past. Edmund Calamy described the town in the early 1700's as a pretty town with an abundance of gentry in it, commonly called Proud Preston. However, like any settlement today or at any point in history, Preston has had to endure many tears. Any town has a dark under belly, not often discussed or conveniently consigned to the annals of time, long lost & forgotten. Preston has a number of sad tales, sometimes unfortunate fate or perpetrated by an individual hell bent on destruction. The tales within this work is an illustration of both the tragedy and in many cases the compassion of the good people of Preston. One day during the summer, as the leaves rustled in the trees around Lea Road with the light casting shadows onto the tarmac a realisation developed. Although the passage of time has changed so much, there are still many experiences today that have not been altered. Look around and you can observe our time through the same lens that generations of Prestonians have done before us. As you are making your way through modern Preston you may have a brief realisation that you are in fact walking in the same steps as old Mr Murden did in July of 1919. Stop, look around, imagine. The trees in summer, autumn leaves, the robin in winter, the green shoots in spring. A shared experience of location could not necessarily be separated by time. People of all times have dreams & hopes. Sometimes dashed, but we share these alike.