The Annual General Meeting of the Long Preston Heritage Group

Was held on Wednesday 19th October 2011 in Long Preston Village Hall.

After the AGM, Anne Read from the North Craven Heritage Trust talked about the advantages of closer links between our two organisations. She also brought along some documents relating to the village for members to see.

The 1940s/50s Big Band Dance Night
Was a sell-out on Saturday October 29th 2011 in Long Preston Village Hall.

The Supper and live Big Band Music was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Photographs of the event can be seen here.

Long Preston Heritage Group Open day

The Open Day was held on Saturday 15th October 2011 in Long Preston Village Hall.

It’s main feature was a display about Thomas Nuttall, zoologist, botanist and explorer who was born in Long Preston on 5th January 1786. A booklet about his life, published by the Heritage Group, was also launched at this event. Other displays related the Local dance bands that played at functions in the village during the 1940’s and 50’s. Another popular display enabled people to see who lived in their house in the 1841 census. There was also on show various historical artefacts that had been found in and around Long Preston, and an exhibition of cobbles and setts still to be seen around the village.

Stained Glass Window for Village Hall

A Coffee Morning was held in the Village Hall on Saturday 21st of May 2011 to present the initial designs for the stained glass window to be installed in the foyer of the Village Hall. Jackie Hunt, who is a professional stained glass window designer living in the village, outlined the principles behind the design and presented her sketches of the four stained glass panels, which were well received by the audience.
The designs and some of the ideas drawn by the children can be seen here.


Jackie had issued an invitation to any interested villagers to help with some of the production of the window at her workshop, this was eagerly accepted and several took part in the subsequent workshops in August and October.


Photographs of the “workshop days” at Jackie’s Studio can be seen here.

Railway Station Model Comes Home

Last year the Heritage Group staged a Railway History Exhibition which featured the large scale model of Long Preston Station and sidings. The owner of the model has dismantled it to start on a new model of Lancaster Ayre Station, and has kindly donated to the village the central part of the Long Preston model, depicting the station. The Village Hall Committee agreed to this being permanently installed in the Village Hall.

The unveiling ceremony was held on Friday 1st April 2011 and a Coffee Morning on Saturday 2nd to show off the model in it’s new location, together with display boards about the history of the railway.

Photographs of the unveiling and the coffee morning can be seen here.