Fishergate Hill conservation area

Summary of Special Interest

The special character of Fishergate Hill Conservation Area is summarised below and derives from the following elements:

• The group value and townscape quality of a large number of surviving early and mid-19th century buildings, many of which are designated heritage assets.
• Fishergate Hill is a historic route into Preston from a westerly direction and has continued to develop as a main thoroughfare with a strong urban character of townhouses fronting the street.
• The finely grained street pattern reflects the area's development from a rural area in the early 1800s to a fashionable residential area of Preston by 1850.
• Leading just off Fishergate Hill in a southerly direction towards Avenham & Miller Park is West Cliff. Originally built as a carriageway, it became a fashionable suburb for wealthy families. The quality of architecture and landscaping on West Cliff is comparable to Winckley Square and it has the landscaping quality of properties on East Cliff and Ribblesdale Place, which were developed during the same time for a similar clientele.
• There is a distinctive topography where Fishergate Hill rises eastwards towards the city centre and overlooks the River Ribble to the south.
• The properties on the smaller streets of Stanley Place and Spring Bank are slightly older than those on Fishergate Hill and West Cliff and are also designated heritage assets.
• There is a harmonious use of materials, architectural scale, setting, massing and styles that unify buildings of different dates.
• Historically properties were residential but Fishergate Hill in particular now comprises a mixture of uses including residential, houses in multiple occupation, offices, shops and hotels.
• Hard surfaces dominate the public realm along Fishergate Hill. There is a small area of green open space to the front of Lancashire County Council offices and Bowling Green's opposite Spring Bank.
• Traditional craftsmanship and techniques are embodied in the distinctive architectural features.
• The area surrounding the conservation area has a less cohesive character with Preston Station creating a break between the commercial centre of Preston to the west and the top of Fishergate Hill. Towards the north of the conservation area are much smaller terraced houses and a mixture of buildings used for industrial units, workshops and garages that date from the mid to late 20th century. To the south of the area are the grade II* listed Avenham and Miller Parks providing a dramatic change to green open space.

Designated: 1994

Area:  11.8 Ha.

Article 4: Yes

Fishergate Hill conservation area Article 4 (PDF, 283 KB) can be downloaded here. 

Character Appraisal

Section 69 (2) of the Act imposes a duty on local authorities to review their conservation areas from time to time and Section 71 requires local authorities to formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of conservation areas.

Fishergate Hill conservation area character appraisal (PDF, 5 MB) was completed in November 2015.

Google Maps

You can download a pdf version of the Fishergate Hill conservation area boundary plan (PDF, 2 MB).