大象传媒

The regenerators environment topic banner

Welcome to The Regenerators.

Back to top

Introduction

It can be fascinating to find out about the history of your local area.

With a bit of detective work you can discover more about the people who have lived there in the past.

Some things you discover might be very different to your life, but some things might be very similar.

Back to top

How has my local area changed?

Join the Gabrielle and Josiah as they explore the history of Ancoats in Manchester.

Back to top

My local history

Imagine leaving your house and walking or cycling to your school. On your journey you will travel through history!

You鈥檒l pass buildings of different ages, including some that could still be being built.

You might see shops, places of worship and other public buildings on the way.

A town scene

As you travel, look out for clues which might tell you how your local area used to look.

Old buildings might have dates on them, carved into the stone.

The oldest building in your area could be the church.

Back to top
A girl looking at a water mil

Changing jobs

During your tour of history, keep an eye out for people at work. What jobs are they doing?

Some people work outside and others work inside. The jobs that people do have changed over the years too.

Many people now work in modern offices rather than old factory buildings.

New jobs have appeared based around technology. Some towns and cities have lost the factories they used to have.

Sometimes these old factory buildings have been changed into new offices or even homes for people to live in.

A girl looking at a water mil
Back to top

Case study: Preston

Preston is one of the newest cities in the UK. It is in the county of Lancashire, in the northwest of England.

A map of the UK showing where Preston is

Preston grew up around a market over 900 years ago, built close to a Roman fort.

It was previously called 鈥楶riest鈥檚 Town鈥 and in the Domesday Book of 1086 it was known as 'Prestune'. Over time this became 鈥楶reston鈥!

Back to top

Preston in pictures

Have a look through these pictures to see some ways that Preston has changed over time.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 6, , Mills This drawing shows what life was like inside one of the mills almost 200 years ago. Children often worked in mills like this. The conditions could be very difficult and dangerous.
Back to top

How has Preston changed over time?

Preston was famous for its textile industry. Textiles are materials and fabrics used to make clothes.

Sheep living on Preston鈥檚 hills were important for wool, as well as the water that flowed along the River Ribble, which helped the industry grow.

Wool and linen factories were built and canals and railways linked Preston to Manchester and Liverpool.

However, life in the factories was tough for people. They had to work very hard and often weren鈥檛 paid very much.

Preston has changed a lot over the years.

The port is now a marina for boats and factory buildings have been cleared to make room for new houses or offices.

The Queen made Preston England鈥檚 50th city in 2002.

Back to top

Lesson complete!

Well done Regenerator, you've completed this lesson. Now let's see what you can remember.

Back to top

Local history hunt

Make a journey around your local area. How many of the landmarks do you seeon you way?

THE REGENERATORS

Local history hunt
Back to top

There's more to learn

Explore more lessons and content from around the 大象传媒.

More from The Regenerators

大象传媒 BITESIZE

More from The Regenerators
Back to top