1777: Preston's first cotton mill opens

1797: Lancaster Canal opens

1800:The first weaving sheds are built  in Preston

1809: Preston Charitable Dispensary opens

St Ignatius’ parish formed
(too small by 1860)

St Augustine's Church opened

St Wallburge's Church opened

The establishment of English Martyrs'

The decision was made to begin another mission, and Wren Cottage was purchased, adjacent to Moor Park Avenue.  The buildings consisted of a cottage, coach house & stable.

On 22nd January 1865, the Chapel was opened, with accommodation for 145 people.

Dec. 1864 - Jan 1874:
Rev James Taylor, Rector

A fund-raising bazaar was held in the Public Hall towards the building of the new church.

A generous gift of £1,000 was also received from Joseph Gillow.

A new location had to be found for the new church building and so Gallows Hill was purchased.

May 1868 - Sep 1868
Rev. John Walmsley

Dec. 1869 - Jan 1873:
Rev. Thomas Collison

Sept. 1868 - Jan 1874
Rev. Joseph A. Pyke, Assistant Priest

Jan. 1874 - Nov 1902
Rev. Joseph A. Pyke, Rector

Jan. 1874 - Oct 1878
Rev. Bernard Halpin

May 1878 - Aug 1884
Rev. William O'Reilly

Nov. 1878 - Aug 1881
Rev J Sexton

Aug 1880 - Aug 1884
Rev P Ledwith

Oct. 1882 - Aug 1884
Rev. Bernard Geraghty

Aug. 1884 - May 1886
Rev. Patrick Markey

Aug. 1884 - Aug 1886
Rev. Charles O'Farrell

Aug. 1884 - Jul 1887
Rev. Thomas Dunne
 

July 1886 - Aug 1893
Rev. John Commins

Sept. 1886 - Aug 1891
Rev. Robert Gregson

Aug. 1887 - Jan 1897
Rev. Thomas Crank

Sept. 1888 - Mar 1892
Rev. John Ryan

English Martyrs’ Church was built on Gallows Hill.

On 12^th December, the church was opened, but was as yet uncompleted.

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1868:  New workhouse opened.

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1869: the Preston Workhouse opened
(later Sharoe Green Hospital)

Cotton Worker's strike was held.

1^st December the pulpit was added.

The town's first hospital, Preston Royal Infirmary, opened.

Emmanuel Church opened (3rd May).

New post office opened on Fishergate.

August 6th: roof of the new covered market collapsed.

Sept. 29th: New Public Swimming baths opened.

The first school was built in
St George's Road.
(where Canterbury Hall now stands).

Cornerstone laid at St Joseph's orphanage.

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The statues, sanctuary, stations, baptismal font and side altars were added.

Another school was built, with room for 1,300 pupils.

The organ was added when the church was redecorated, in conformity with the architect's designs.

There was an unsuccessful strike against a 10% reduction in the wages of Preston cotton workers.

Preston North End football team was founded

1880: Education for children under 10 became compulsory.

New Central Railway Station opened
(July 18th)

A decision was made to enlarge the church.

The extension included adding 2 bays to the Nave and lengthening the church.

As a result its size was increased by about a third and provided accomodation for another 500 at a cost of £8,000.

The church was reopened 9^th Feb. 1888.

The re-opening of the church.
Accompanied by great ceremony & was attended by 7 Bishops and 150 other clergymen.

It was decided to build St Vincent’s Home (Poor Law School).

At the Great Catholic Meeting held at the Public Hall, Preston, on 15 May 1889, the Reverend Father Splaine SJ, Rector of St Wilfrid's, said that "large numbers of destitute and orphaned children are being lost to our religion owing to the absence of suitable institutions wherein to educate and protect them". It was proposed that a Poor Law School be built.

Bishop O'Reilly supported this aim but encouraged them to go further and to build a Home, which would shelter boys from "the contamination and pampering influences of the Workhouses, however well conducted". This was the start of a new chapter for the Poor Law Children living in the northern section of the Liverpool Diocese.
 

April 1892 - Nov 1897
Rev. George Walmsley

Sept. 1893 - Nov 1894
Rev. Daniel O'Donoghue, D.D.

Sept. 1895 - Sep 1903
Rev. John Wareing

Feb. 1897 - Jun 1897
Rev. Thomas Kirby

July 1897 - Aug 1898
Rev. Thomas Butler

Oct. 1897 - Dec 1900
Rev. Denis O'Shea

Nov. 1897 - Jun 1904
Rev. Edmund Clark

Aug. 1898 - Aug 1898
Rev. Martin Dowley

Sept. 1898 - Sep 1906
Rev. Edward Murphy

Dec. 1900 - Dec 1901
Rev. Edward Nagle

Dec. 1901 - Sep 1906
Rev. Hugh Maguire 

Nov 1902 - Oct 1929
Rev. Edward J. Pyke, Rector

Sept. 1903 - Feb 1905
Rev. Thomas Wareing

Aug. 1904 - Sep 1916
Rev. George Taylor

Mar. 1905 - May 1915
Rev. William Kelly

Sept. 1906 - Aug 1907
Rev. Ralph Holden

Oct. 1906 - Sep 1910
Rev. Joseph Commaleach

Aug. 1907 - May 1924
Rev. T Greenhous

Sept. 1910 - Apr 1913
Rev. John Clarke

Sept. 1913 - Aug 1924
Rev. Henry Shee
 

May 1915 - Mar 1919
Rev. James Carney

May 1915 - Aug 1919
Rev. Arthur Madden

Mar. 1916 - Aug 1919
Rev. William O'Brien

Aug. 1919 - Nov 1924
Rev. Henry Gillett

Oct 1925 - Feb 1929
Rev T Catterall

Mar 1926 - Jun 1927
Rev T Kenny

Jul 1926 - Aug 1938
Rev A Clayton

Nov 1928 - Feb 1930
Rev H Tootell

Dec 1929 - Aug 1932
Rev B Whiteside

Dec 1929 - Jul 1947
V. Rev. Mons. Canon George S. Knuckey, Rector

Jun 1930 - May 1931
Rev C Moah

Dec 1930 - Aug 1934
Rev Cecil Wickwar

Aug 1931 - Nov 1940
Rev A Coia

Oct 1931 - Jun 1933
Rev T Candlish

Oct 1932 - Oct 1934
Rev J Wilkinson

Nov 1933 - May 1946
Rev Quiriam Klomp

Nov 1934 - Jan 1935
Rev J Geraghty

Nov 1934 - Nov 1935
Rev B Cunningham

Apr 1935 - Mar 1937
Rev Mattie Mcmarney

Nov 1936 - Oct 1943
Rev Francis Pearson

Jun 1937 - Oct 1938
Rev B Franks

Dec 1938 - Oct 1939
Rev Joe Rawlinson.

Feb 1939 - Oct 1939
Rev J R Henshaw

Nov 1939 - Mar 1940
Rev David Sheehan

Dec 1939 - Nov 1944
Rev Gerard Bilsborrow

May 1940 - Aug 1943
Rev J Walmsley

May 1940 - Aug 1942
Rev Joseph Hirst

Nov 1942 - Jan 1950
Rev Wilf Watterson

Sep 1943 - Nov 1947
Rev P Docherty

Nov 1943 - Dec 1944
Rev J O'Donaghue

Jan 1945 - Jan 1949
Rev T Timon

Jul 1945 - Dec 1948
Rev Leo Cafferty

Jun 1946 - May 1948
Rev B Martindale

Feb 1947 - Sep 1947
Rev A Coia

Jul 1947 - Jul 1950
V. Rev. Mons. Canon Thomas Eaton, Rector

Dec 1947 - Sep 1955
Rev John Francis Lea

Feb 1948 - Jan 1950
Rev P Early

May 1949 - Aug 1952
Rev Frank Carter

Sep 1949 - May 1950
Rev Tom Sowerby

May 1950 - Oct 1953
Rev Joseph Bilsborrow

Jul 1950 - Sep 1955
V. Rev. Canon Cecil Wickwar, Rector

Jul 1950 - Sep 1955
Rev Cuthbert Crombleholme

Jan 1951 - May 1954
Rev Joe Cahalane

Aug 1951 - Jul 1952
Rev Barney Dewhust

Aug 1952 - Jul 1959
Rev John Humphreys

Mar 1953 - Nov 1957
Rev Vincent Fallona

Sep 1953 - Sep 1960
Rev Tony J Boyle

Sep 1954 - Jul 1966
Rev Tony Howe

Sep 1955 - Dec 1969
Rev John F Lea, Rector

Dec 1956 - Aug 1960
Rev J O'Reilly

Aug 1956 - Aug 1960
Rev Greg Turner

Oct 1959 - Aug 1968
Rev Malcolm Sleightholme

Oct 1960 - Sep 1963
Rev John Gornall

Nov 1960 - Jan 1966
Rev Dave Duane

Sep 1964 - Aug 1966
Rev Tim Sullivan

Jan 1966 - Oct 1968
Rev P Cochrane

Aug 1966 - Mar 1982
Rev Harry Doyle

Nov 1966 - Feb 1973
Rev Johnny Nicholson

Aug 1968 - Mar 1976
Rev John Hawkins

Dec 1969 - Oct 1983
V. Rev. Johnny McGough, V.F., Rector

Aug 1973 - Oct 1979
Rev Peter Bristow

Sep 1981 - Feb 1982
Rev Peter Chappell

Sep 1981 - Feb 1982
Rev Paddy Doyle

Mar 1982 - Sep 1987
Rev Peter Sayer

Aug 1982 - Oct 1983
Rev W A (Alf) Parker

Oct 1983 - Sep 1997
Canon Mick Taylor, Rector

Sept 1987 - Sep 1992
Rev Chris Cousens

Nov 1987 - Jan 1988
Rev Tony Gaskin

Jan 1990 - Jul 1991
Rev Paul Corrie

Oct 1990 - Sep 1992
Rev Tony Gaskin

Aug 1991 - Sep 1997
Rev Stephen Shield

Jul 1994 - 2007
Rev Frank Cole, Deacon

Sep 1994 - Sep 1997
Rev Paul Embery

Sep 1996 - Sep 2000
Rev Geoff Bottoms

Sep 2003 - Present Day
Rev Tom Singleton, Parish Priest

2Fr Tom Singleton

December 11th: A solemn Mass was held.

St Vincent’s Boys' Home opened.

It was run for destitute children by the Sisters of Charity and closed in 1956 - the youngsters then being boarded in ordinary homes.

New Centenary Bazaar, in aid of the English Martyrs' Schools.

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In 1901 the population of Preston was almost 120,000.
 

The erection of the new Central School was completed at a cost of about £4,000.

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1913:  King George V and Queen Mary visit the Cotton Yard Works in Preston

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December 16^th: The Golden Jubilee was celebrated with Pontifical High Mass.

In the 1920s and 1930s nearly 3,000 council houses were built in Preston. Another 1,500 were privately built. Penwortham and Fulwood grew rapidly.

Wednesday 14th September: Consecration of the church.

The Baptistery was converted into a Memorial Chapel as a permanent record of those who had lost their lives in the Great War.

Those servicemen killed in the 1939 to 1945 conflict were also listed in the chapel, where each year six masses are said for them in perpetuity.

St Gregory’s Church opened.

St Edward’s Church opened.

St Anthony's Church opened.

Mass attendance fell by over 1,000 and the church was reduced , the extra space enabling the addition of a new Narthex and Baptistery.

The Church exterior was dramatically cleaned of the years of built-up grime.

The ring road was built in the early 1970s. So were a bus station and the Guildhall.

The new (& current) primary school was built in Sizer Street.

Guild Procession — a show of unity between English Martyrs’ & Emmanuel Church.

August: The Church was set on fire.

The damage was confined to the side buildings and did not seriously damage the new decoration in Church.

The restoration & rebuilding enabled the conversion of the confessionals and corridor to include a new, more useful community room (St Thomas’ Room).

English Martyrs’ parish joined with four other Preston parishes and two High Schools in the ‘Building Bridges Project’.

Preston became a City.

Queen Elizabeth II visits Preston to convey City Status.

English Martyrs’ and
St Ignatius' parishes amalgamated.

Baptismal Font moved from the Narthex into the centre of church.

'Fit For Mission' Diocesan Review commenced
The objective of the review: 'to help us to strengthen our sacramental and mission life, as individuals parish, and diocese'. 
Many changes will be seen throughout the Diocese with merging of Parishes and closure of some Churches over the followeing decade.