One of the heritage jewels in the heart of the city is at the centre of the latest edition of The Parched Pea Podcast.
Winckley Square, the grade-II listed Georgian Square, is a green oasis of calm just yards from Fishergate.
John 'Gilly' Gillmore braves what was a damp Preston day to speak to those interested and intrigued by the city's heritage.
The Friends of Edith Rigby - Emily Castle and Emily Cowan - speak about their hopes and aspirations for creating a Womens' Suffrage museum - ideally in the currently empty College House which was home to suffragette Edith Rigby.
And staying with 'friends', then Gilly also chats to Friends of Winckley Square's Sally Stone and Steve Harrison as they talk about the evolution of the Square in the last two or three decades.
Previously boggy, overgrown, infested with rats and surrounded predominantly by decaying buildings, Sally and Steve reflect about how in the previous two decades a mix of council and private-sector business focus has transformed it back into the thriving and beautiful place it now is. Although the western side of the Square is beginning to see a 'level of neglect' according to Mr Harrison, the whole area is a conservation area full of many listed buildings.
Gilly also speaks to Rachael Bryson who has recently founded the Preserving Preston's Heritage group.
Formed during the embers of two major fires in the city in November last year - one of which in Church Street led to the demolition of a listed building and the other which ripped through the St Joseph's Orphanage.
IMAGE: Gilly with Rachael Bryson from Preserving Preston's Heritage group. (c) Central Radio
Rachael speaks about the group's ambitions and the growing interest there is in making more of Preston's heritage and also their Red and Amber watch list of currently empty heritage buildings spread across the city.
The Parched Pea Podcast is a collaboration between Blog Preston, Lancashire Post and Central Radio with Gilly exploring the people and places which make the city tick and will be available on Spotify, Apple and all other major podcast apps via Podfollow with new episodes being released every other Wednesday.
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE:
The podcast has been supported by Cosy Homes in Lancashire, who work to keep homes in Preston and beyond warm and energy efficient.
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