The Knowhere Guide

Local Heroes in Preston, Lancashire*

Preston, Lancashire Famous Residents

Cringing Cult of Celebrity (Famous residents and ex-residents.)

• King Henry VIII lives in EUXTON near Preston, yea he does! I've seen him at Samlesbury Hall last Sunday. He even let on to me! He has a Lanky accent too. Bet you didn't know that!
• Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC, is from Preston - or at least his father was so I am making the fair assumption that Mark is.
• The "im free" John Inman guy was born above a barbers shop on fishergate hill which his dad used to own. this is still a working barbers shop owned by a nice bloke called edward. John came back to his old house a few years ago and got his picture taken getting his hair cut by Eddy, and its still on the wall of the barbers today!
• What about the Incredible Blood Brothers. They always pop up on obscure late shows eating razors and pulling string out of their stomachs. I've seen them live a few times and they always open with we,re from Preston.
• Tom Finney The bloke who did those animation things
• the guy who was in the R2-D2 suit (kenny baker) lives in preston. so be nice to the sci-fi midgets
• the guy out of are you being served you know the dainty one used to live in a barbers shop on fishergate hill in preston and the shops still there.
• John Inman!!! Nick Parks
• the Cuban boys who did the hamsterdance record (dib a dee dop dee dee doh doh) live here. one of them was in the Evening pOst looking for scallies for some new boy band last year.
• erm Reg Holdsworth used to live nearby lol. Oh yeah 2 of those Liberty X folks were locals to (I think)
• Cornershop (as in brimful of asha) met at uni here.
• Tom Finney Nick Park Ricardo Fuller Pete Price
• Derek Fazackerley - Man City soccer coach, ex-England. Babu here. A geyser who used to play guitar with Eric Clapton. Babu here. Joe Melling, Mail on Sunday sports editor. Babu here. Leo Baxendale, creator of the bash street kids, from Preston
• Well, so many to name but most importantly FarFar.
• ryan giggs has a house on the outskirts, going towards garstang
• The bird from Precious used to live on Kingsway in Penwortham (small place down the hill from city centre) a few doors down from a laydeefriend of mine, and used to babysit her and bath her before she went to bed. so there you go. Cricketer Andy "Freddie" Flintoff's mum was one of my primary school teachers, and when young Andy grew out of keeping a rabbit, five-year old me volunteered to have it. So Andy, if you ever wondered what happened to Frisky, he lived to a ripe old age with me at the Rowans Menagerie......
• DUBLIN DENNIS
• Greg Doran - actor and director and also, (sadly more famous for being the partner of Anthony Sher, international superstar actor/author)went to the Catholic College in Preston
• I THINK EMMA THOMPSON WAS BORN IN PENWORTHAM,BUT MOVED TO M'CHESTER TO STUDY ACTING
• Paul Englishby, ex-All Hallows pupil was the musical director for the movie: Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and tutored Nic Cage on the mandolin.
• Correction to the Atomic Kitten/Precious comment: Sophie McDonnell is the former member of Precious who hails from Penwortham. She did not go on to join the 'Kittens' but now presents a kids art programme (The Make Shift) on BBC1. She also appeared in Emmerdale, Cold Feet, and was an underwear model in Littlewoods catalogues. Former Keyboard player in James (Sit Down), Mark Hunter, also comes from Preston. The band Cornershop (Brimful of Asha) were formed whilst attending the University.
• her out ov liberty x used to go to my sisters drama skool
• Sophie from Precious the band who sang for England at the Eurovision song contest a few years ago. Jason Quilley - won the olympic gold medal for cycling
• 2/5 of Liberty X are Preston born and bred
• Mr Stanley.... Stanley Street etc... he gave us the STANLEY CUP, ice hockey trophey in Canada Mr Harris... a dentist I believe, gave us the Harris Institute, Harris Library, etc etc
• That bloke from Coronation Street that advertises double glazing lives in Chorley - and he IS as blind as you think he is!!!
• . Joseph Livesey, inventor of the phrase "Teetotal" (at a temperance meeting in North road.) . Sir Richard Arkwright, inventor of the "Water Frame"
• R2D2. 'Little' out of 'little and large'. Girl out of precious, now in atomic kitten.
• john thomson really funny man
• R2D2 lives here!!!!!!!!!!!well the guy in the metal box anyway.. He drives around in a small convertable car. Honestly....he's famous...
• r2d2 (i think the guy inside was called jimmy barker or something like that-he has a rolls-royce and live in ashton apparently) pet shop boys keyboard bloke was from garstang
• R2D2 from Star wars lives near me in Preston!!
• Jessica from popstars Few footy wannabe's This fit big, guy with curly hair and half-caste! Big bouncers
• R2D2 lives in preston, or Kenny Baker if you want his non droid name. He drives around in a sportscar and shops at morrisons on the docks.
• His Holiness Saint Paul Addison, proffesional oddball and frontman of the Universal Life Church in Preston.
• For the person who said that Billy The Kid came from Preston, he was actually born in New York City in 1859 (real name Henry McCarty). Get your facts right. Tom Finney does not just own a club in Preston he in fact owns several businesses mainly concerned with building and heating etc. He is treated like a God in Preston.
• If by "one of the pet shop boys (nothing to be proud of)" you are referring to Chris Lowe, he is in fact from Blackpool not Preston and if you are referring to Neil Tennant you are even more stupid than you appear as he is from Newcastle. Why would we not be proud to have Chris Lowe emerging from Preston yet be proud of an ex-member of cornershop (one hit wonders who's hit was feeble anyway).
• Ther is tom finny how now owns a club in deepdale
• Formula 1 who recently relocated to Brighton [leaving their drummer Dave - ex-Cornershop - in Preston] are on the up. watch out for them, they used to live in Deepdale!
• Roy Barraclough lived here and went to the Harris College (Now University)
• Mark Lawrenson (Radio Five and Match of the Day football pundit)
• Famous Outlaw 'Billy the Kid' was from Preston Andrew Brittain for all you Granada-Watchers Ian Kirkham from Simply Red
• Martin Boo of the Boo Radleys
• I'm Free John Inman born in the basement of a now barber's shop on Fishergate Hill. Graham Garden erstwhile Goodie is a Preston lad as is BBC TV presenters Howard Stableforth and Mark Lawrenson. Andy Flintoff, 20, England's new cricket star, is a Preston lad. Keep this quiet: Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe's murdered his first victim Joan Harrison in Preston. He was never charged with it.
• Roy Castle,one of the Pet Shop Boys(something not to be proud of)and Syd Little lives in nearby Rossall
• Brian Talbot, ocassional artist for 2001 amongst other things was once a lecturer at W.R. Tuson College (now its called Preston College)
• Howard Stapleford of Tomorrows World is from Preston
• Correction to be made. Bill Beaumont is from Chorley-near Preston. I used to live there. We are possessive of him cos he is our only celeb. Except for Reg Holdsworth-and where is he now?
• Syd Little, Bill Beaumont, Fiona Armstrong, Leo Baxendale (Creator of the Bash Street Kids and Dennis the Menace).
• Nick Park - creator of Wallace and Gromit comes from Preston and all his Wallace and Gromit stories were set in and inspired by the town of Preston.
• Home of one of the world's best ever footballers: Tom Finney.
• Butch Cassidy's dad used to live in Preston... Not any more though.

Buskers, Street Entertainers

• The tramp who was christened 'Shuffle' by my fellow students. Often to be seen around the town and campus muttering to himself; he was a common site between 92 and 95. Rumour had it he was an ex school teacher who had lost the plot but I'm sure that's an urban myth.
• There is a old acordian player who usually plies his trade outside Boots or Max Speilmans. he's recorded a few physcadelic albums with a picture of him on the front with crazy acid colours behind him. On the front of one of them it had the phrase 'The Magical Turtle - plays acordian". i think he's on drugs.
• There are 2 guys at xmas, one wears a santa coat and sings old xmas songs (eg. white christmas) in rat pack style usually outside marks n spencers , there's also a one man band outside clinton cards. Sometimes there's a little black man who plays the trumpet a la Louis Armstrong.
• hehehehe Go to the street HMV's on, and give buskers foreign coins...
• Not really any other than the odd beggar/come busker in the subways
• If you ever see a guy with ginger dreadlocks playing the bongos go over, have a chat and be pleasant.. and most importantly GIVE HIM SOME MONEY.
• hans mai, enough said
• That geezer with dreadlocks and a beanie hat who walks around the city centre dunking his hand in your bag of chips then you end up giving him them.
• Hari Krishnas in the streets trying to sell you chanting CD's for a £6 donation. Don't say guranga. Also old town favorite 'Toxic Terry' legend has it he was caught on CCTV sucking cock for some crack. He drink petrol and once chased me and my mate because he thought we were part of a crowd of scallies taking the mick out of him. Could well be dead by now. There's also some old feller that rides around on an old bike dragging along a wheelie bin of crap. He has a huge white beard, a SUIT and odd shoes. Legend has it that hes an eccentric millionaire...hmm. He'll offer to cut your hedge then dumps the cuttings in MY bin! Seems a nice guy.
• A guy with a pennywhistle on Fishergate A guy with a guitar and a dog on Fishergate
• willy the tramp is definately a local character. normaly found wondering church street, an old man with grey hair and beard! stands outside clubs and dances to the music!
• (lostock hall only) toxic terry, ricky buttons, chief, the transexual, michael the smackhead.
• I think one of the 6 for a pound lighter guys moved to lancaster, either that or he trained a successor to shout out his wares for sale in the same unintelligible style, oh and he's increased his range.. kids toys too...
• That guy, bit scruffy looking, plays the accordian on Fishergate - usually outside Marks & Spencers or that area.
• ALL THE BIG ISSUE VENDORS ESPECIALLY ANDY LAMPPOST - BIG ISSUE MADAM/SIR SORRY IT'S WENT UP TO £1.20 FOR MY BAG I MEAN ISSUE
• Look out for Toxic Terry, He'll dance for 10p and sing a song too if he's in a good mood!
• alister burnett of ITN 10 OCLOCK NEWS WAS BORN IN PRESTON
• Plenty of winos and dossers - not sure if you'de call them entertaining though.
• The trumpet guy near mc.donalds, a cool guy that likes it when you dance to his music. really! i learned to do the salsa because of that guy...
• big issue people outside st georges that sound like they're saying pikachu
• For the one who said about the beggars....Take a look at them, I work with them, alot of them are genuine, nice people who would much rather have the security of a nice home, they hate being on the streets or in those nasty b&b's.
• the russian lady is v,funny she screams at u n tells u that u killed her mother n father gotta check her out
• the old man who stands outside MANYANAS asking for money but always has a bottle of white lightning in his hand and thinks he is one of the bouncers. Also he says if the girls giv him a kiss he will get them in quicker.V.amusing.For u girls kick him in the f**king nut and tell him to piss off instead!!
• There's always some tramps playing flutes outside HMV!
• guy playing penny whistle outsie littlewoods! seriously check out the guys outside bhs/ m and s on saturdays
• We can't forget that barmy russian type woman that talks to herself at a very load volume and wears a large fluffy hat from about sept to may. Or the other quite woman that has a 80's style jumper and sits on benches near mc Donalds (she scares me!)
• John who sells badges outside of HMV in the orange puffa jacket , I bought a house off him don't you know. His daughter lived in the summer house heated by a wood burning stove. When I moved in he'd left a Gypsy Caravan in the back garden. Totally barking mad. It's all true , edit as is legally required , I am yours etc.
• Ther are the buskers especially on church st on a Friday & Saterday nights
• errrrr NO. People do sell plasters though. Don't know why.
• KNOCK KNOCK, WHO'S THERE, BIG ISH, BIG ISHWHO, NO THANKS GET IT TRAMPS SELL THE BIGISHWHO
• THE ORIGANAL LIGHTER MEN ARE BOTH I THINK PASSED ON KNOW AS THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN SINCE XMAS
• Every day outside the St Georges shopping centre, there is a little man trying to sell 6 gas lighters for a pound. He is very entertaining!
• There tends to be a lot of street entertainment since the council started paying people to do it. Jugglers mainly, though there is a thriving busker population...
• There aren't many buskers in Preston. There are only a few decent pitches and these aren't well paid. Try the Bus station or Fisherget (Main Road). The place is overrun with conmen beggars who are not homeless and make a fortune ripping off kindhearted but gullible people. Avoid.

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Credits

Last updated: 2007-06-21