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Click the logo to visit their website:

Ashton House, on Ashton Park, celebrates its 200th birthday in 2010.

During those 200 years the house has had a very mixed history, from being a mansion for some of the richest families in Preston to serving as an old people’s home and a nursery. Perhaps the house’s 200th birthday is an appropriate time to start appreciating one of Ashton’s true architectural gems and put it at the centre of Preston’s cultural heritage. 

The house, once known as Ashton Lodge, dates back to 1810 when it was built of Longridge stone by Thomas Starkie Shuttleworth. Mr Shuttleworth didn't have much time to enjoy the house, however, dying only 9 years later at the age of 46 in 1819.

This gave one of Preston’s most famous families, the Pedders, the opportunity to buy the house and the surrounding lands. James Pedder, the son of the founder of Preston's first bank, bought the house in 1820. The family would eventually give its name to nearby Pedders Lane and Pedders Way.

James Pedder

James Pedder lived at the house for 26 years until his death in 1846. During his time at the house, he contributed to the cost of building St Andrew's church, inviting residents to his house as part of the opening celebrations in 1935:

"Mr James Pedder gave an invitation to the gentlemen present to call at his seat, Ashton Lodge [...]. At Ashton Lodge the band continued to play lively and popular airs, and all present were regaled with a glass of excellent porter."(1)

Edward Pedder

James' son, Edward Pedder, inherited Ashton House in 1846. He extended the house around 1850, adding a grand hall and two pavillioned wings. A new porch was built and the house's grounds were remodelled, creating the ha ha which can still be seen today.

During this period another grand house was built in Ashton House’s grounds for one of Edward’s younger brothers. The mansion, Whinfield House, was a much more Victorian construction which overlooked the River Ribble. It was, unfortunately, demolished in the mid-20th century(2). One of Ashton's gems that have been lost in time.

Shockwaves

Edward Pedder died suddenly in 1861 at the age of 51. The death came at the worst possible time, just as a cotton famine was devastating the cotton industry throughout the North West. Shockwaves were sent round Preston when the books of the bank Edward Pedder partnered were scrutinised. It soon emerged that the bank, although not unsuccessful, was severely overdrawn to Edward Pedder and the brother who lived in Whinfield House. With no other solution immediately available, Ashton House, along with many other Pedder possessions, were sold off to pay the bank’s debts.

After the Pedders

The house has had many owners over the years, including another of Preston’s most famous names, Edmund Robert Harris, who owned the house between 1861 and 1877. Harris most famously gave his name to the Harris Museum in the centre of Preston.

After the Harris family sold the estate, Ashton House and its grounds changed hands many times. Another mill-owning family, the Calverts owned Ashton House for a while but the mansion was eventually sold to English Electric at the end of World War One.

Council takes charge

The house was sold to Preston Town Council in 1937 but that by no means safeguarded its future. Preston kept hold of the park but sold the mansion on to Lancashire County Council, who ran the house as care home for the elderly for many years. The house was sold again in the 1990s, when it took on its present role as a nursery.
Click here to visit the nursery's website, to see photos of the house up close, including, if you visit the virtual tour, some interior shots and shots of the grounds.

Notes:

A previous version of this article stated that the house was built by the Pedders, which was, according to further information, incorrect.
(1) A History of the Parish of St Andrew's, Douglas B Cochrane
(2) Looking for the specific date

Bibliography:

• People of Old Preston, Keith Johnson
• A Brief History of Pedder & Co. Preston Old Bank 1776-1861, FS Moxon AIB
• Article by WG Lonsdale on Ashton House, from the Harris Library, published by University of Central Lancashire
• Preston Council's website
• A History of the Parish of St Andrew's, Douglas B Cochrane

Your comments please

• Have you any ideas what can be done with Ashton House, and how the park could be developed?
• Do you have any more details about the house’s history, particularly its 20th century history?
• Add your comments to this article, or write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thanks

Thanks to all those who contributed research to this article, particularly Jim Goring.

During December 2009 Ashton had some of the biggest snowfalls it's seen for many years.

On the early morning of 24 December, in particular, the sky was bright as the lights of Preston reflected on the low cloud and the snow.

Due to a sleepness night (Christmas Eve excitement?) one Ashtonian went for a walk with the camera to take some snapshots of the light sky and the fresh snow.

The strange light meant that most of the photos didn't turn out (you can't win them all...) - here, however, are the best ones.

Click images for full size

The name Ashton-on-Ribble is often abbreviated to Ashton. Both are correct, but there are some subtle differences.

Ashton-on-Ribble is a historical and cultural term. Ashton, however, is technically a political term, being an electoral ward of Preston.

The boundaries of Ashton-on-Ribble, therefore, are not defined politically. The boundaries of Ashton ward are very well defined, and include much of the area between Lane Ends and Ashton Park.

(Ashton Park - technically in Larches!)

Whereas Ashton-on-Ribble includes the docks, Ashton ward does not include the docks. Presumably, when the politicians split up the west of Preston into electoral wards they realised that the Ashton they had defined was not on the Ribble, so they had to drop the suffix.

A few contraditions have arisen from this. Ashton Community College, Ashton Primary School and even Ashton Park are all, technically in Larches. Whilst many people may think that Lane Ends is the shopping centre at the heart of Ashton, most of it is in fact in Tulketh ward.

All these places, however, fit within the loosely defined area of Ashton-on-Ribble.

Confused?