All the Perks of the City and More!
Fulwood is a large village that sits to the north of the City. With its village community vibe and plenty of its own amenities it is a favourite of young professionals and families
For several reasons, despite its close proximity to Preston, it has remained distinctly separated. Historically, Fulwood was governed independently from Preston until 1974. The majority of the area is encompassed under The Fulwood Conservation Area which has ensured that it has remained geographically separate from Preston with lots of green parklands.
Fulwood has expanded recently and has been popular with housing and business developers, due its close links to the M6 and M55 motorways. Since the 1970s when the Central Lancashire New Town was proposed, large sites have been made available for development, such as Longsands, which is a residential area and Preston East, where many businesses are currently located, including the Lancashire Evening Post (LEP), Asda, Royal Mail sorting office, Independent Inspections, Xchanging, CPC and Holiday Inn.
The B6241 (Eastway) provides a vital route, bypassing much of the residential and central areas of Preston, and a road via Longsands connects it to the M6 motorway (at junction 31A which was opened in the 1990s) and the Bluebell Way business park on the boundary with Brookfield.
It is also the home of the Royal Preston Hospital, and with the maternity unit based there most modern day Prestonians were actually born in Fulwood.
Fulwood Barracks has been the home of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, and other regiments, and is the site of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment Museum.
A notable former resident was Major John Rouse Merriott Chard, of the Royal Engineers, V.C., officer commanding at Rorke’s Drift in 1879. He was posted to Preston between 1887 and 1892, and is recorded in the 1891 Census living at 80 Victoria Road, Fulwood.
There is a great community feel in Fulwood with good schools including Fulwood Academy a coeducational secondary school which converted to academy status on 1st September 2009 and St Pius X, one of the country’s leading Independent Catholic Day School’s for boys and girls aged 2-11.
With several well known pubs and restaurants including The Black Bull, Withy Trees and the Phantom Winger Fulwood is definitely worth a visit as an alternative to going into the city.
