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Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,@HotpicUK,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,255A9345,Morris,Homes,Waters,Edge,Preston,Brook,Cheshire,housebuilding,construction,housing,development,newbuild,scaffolding,brickwork,England
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 3E6T462 - Morris Homes housebuilding at Waters Edge development, Preston Brook, Cheshire, England, UK. The photograph is a contemporary editorial record of the subject and its surroundings at Waters Edge, Preston Brook, Cheshire, England, UK. Visible signage, lettering, architecture, street furniture, transport infrastructure, public art, commercial branding or landscape details are retained where present, giving the image value both as a description of the immediate scene and as a reference for how the place looked at the time of photography. A residential construction site is shown during the early build stage, with brick walls, scaffolding and partially completed houses visible. The photograph documents contemporary housebuilding by Morris Homes at the Waters Edge development in Preston Brook and is suitable for editorial coverage of new housing supply, planning, construction activity and suburban growth. The image has wider editorial relevance for local history, heritage, tourism, transport, retail, planning, regeneration, business and social change where those themes apply to the subject. It can support news and feature coverage as well as retrospective comparison if the building, business, artwork, service, route or streetscape is altered, redeveloped, rebranded, closed or otherwise changes in future. The composition also preserves small visual details that are easily lost over time, including materials, signs, logos, road or rail features, shopfront treatment, public-realm design and the relationship of the subject to neighbouring buildings or open space. This makes the photograph useful not only as a straightforward location image but also as a documentary record of everyday urban and cultural life.
Waters Edge, Preston Brook, Cheshire, England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,255A0590,Chapel Street mural Levenshulme,artist Richard Preston,Chapel,Street,mural,Levenshulme,artist,Richard,Preston,Manchester,Greater,England,culture,art,tourism,design,heritage,creative,public,local,identity
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 3E9AP1E - Chapel Street mural Levenshulme, artist Richard Preston, photographed in Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK. The photograph is suitable for editorial coverage of public art, sculpture, murals, cultural attractions, music, design, tourism, local identity and contemporary or historic creative culture. The image clearly records the visible subject, signage, branding, architecture, object or activity associated with Chapel Street mural Levenshulme, artist Richard Preston. It provides useful documentary context for news, features, travel, social history and contemporary editorial coverage. Details visible in the scene help identify the place or subject and show how it appears in everyday use, making the photograph useful for stories about local identity, economic and social change, public services, transport, leisure, heritage, tourism, community life and the built environment. The photograph can also support retrospective or comparative coverage where the survival, redevelopment, reuse or changing role of the location or object is relevant.
Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,255A0593,Chapel Street mural Levenshulme,artist Richard Preston,Chapel,Street,mural,Levenshulme,artist,Richard,Preston,Manchester,Greater,England,culture,art,tourism,design,heritage,creative,public,local,identity
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 3E9AP1J - Chapel Street mural Levenshulme, artist Richard Preston, photographed in Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK. The photograph is suitable for editorial coverage of public art, sculpture, murals, cultural attractions, music, design, tourism, local identity and contemporary or historic creative culture. The image clearly records the visible subject, signage, branding, architecture, object or activity associated with Chapel Street mural Levenshulme, artist Richard Preston. It provides useful documentary context for news, features, travel, social history and contemporary editorial coverage. Details visible in the scene help identify the place or subject and show how it appears in everyday use, making the photograph useful for stories about local identity, economic and social change, public services, transport, leisure, heritage, tourism, community life and the built environment. The photograph can also support retrospective or comparative coverage where the survival, redevelopment, reuse or changing role of the location or object is relevant.
Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,@HotpixUK,HotpixUK,IMG_0047,rail,railway,road,UK,network,EUS,cancelled,delayrepay,delay repay,winter,cold,wet,weather,commuters,late,on,preparing,West Coast,WCML,services,NW,Glasgow,Manchester,Liverpool,Preston,luggage,tired,patient,wait,waiting,central,railways,British,travel,public,transport
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 3FAFBEM - Crowd of passengers waiting beneath electronic departure boards at London Euston, one of Britain's busiest mainline railway termini. Travellers congregate on the concourse while awaiting platform information, a familiar feature of journeys from Euston where boarding details may be announced shortly before departure. The station is the London terminus for West Coast Main Line services to destinations including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and north-west England. The image is suitable for editorial coverage of rail travel, Network Rail, passenger crowding, disruption, commuting, intercity trains, station capacity, timetable information and the passenger experience. Euston has also been central to long-running debate about redevelopment and HS2, adding relevance to stories about major transport infrastructure and investment. Photographed as a documentary travel scene, the image shows the practical pressure created when large numbers of passengers must monitor shared information screens and then move quickly towards platforms. The image also contributes to wider discussion about how Britain encourages a shift from private cars to public transport while keeping services affordable, reliable and accessible. Passenger information, interchange quality, frequency, capacity and digital ticketing all shape whether travellers find rail and bus networks practical for everyday journeys. As an unstaged documentary photograph it can be used for reporting on transport policy, fares, infrastructure investment, accessibility, decarbonisation and the passenger experience, while also providing a time-specific record of vehicles, branding and station environments that may change.
London Euston railway station, Euston Road, London NW1, England, UK
--a-core-piece-of-Lancashire-cotton-mill-machinery-in-a-cotton-mill-2R55JBG.jpg)
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,England,UK,British,English,cardingmachine,textile,textiles,manufacturing,factory,spinning,fibre,fibers,engineering,mechanical,belt,pulleys,rollers,drums,Lancs,PlattBrothers,Oldham,Bolton,Blackburn,Burnley,Preston,northwestengland,britishindustry,heritage,historic,museum,preserved,victorian,edwardian,steamage,powertransmission,lineshaft,beltdrive
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2R55JBG - The large central drum is the main carding cylinder, which rotates at speed.
The multiple small pulleys around the side are part of the belt-driven transmission, typical of Lancashire mills using line-shaft power from overhead shafts.
The wooden casing (often polished hardwood) is characteristic of British carding engines, both for protection and to reduce lint escape.
Surrounding rollers and covers would have worked with:
the licker-in (to open raw cotton),
worker and stripper rollers (to disentangle fibres),
and the doffer (to remove the aligned fibre web).
What it did in the cotton process
This machine sat early in the cotton production line:
Raw cotton arrived compressed and dirty
It was opened and cleaned (blow room machinery)
Carding engine aligned the fibres into a continuous web
The web was condensed into sliver, ready for drawing and spinning
Without carding, spinning simply did not work properly.
Why it's so Lancashire
Carding engines were ubiquitous in Lancashire mills (Oldham, Bolton, Blackburn, Burnley, Preston).
British makers such as Platt Brothers of Oldham dominated this machinery worldwide.
The heavy iron castings, belt drives, and polished woodwork are textbook North-West England mill engineering.
Rossendale, Lancashire, England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,textile,Lancs,England,UK,English,mills,Cottonopolis,manufacture,Mill,Burnley,history,tourism,steam,powered,weaving,mill,Preston,display,cabinet,Horrockses,and,&,company,co,Horrocks,Miller & Co Preston,Horrockses Miller & Co,spinners,spinning,spun,Horrockses and Miller,manufacturing,exhibit
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2PMKDW6 - . Display cabinet, Horrockses, Miller & Co Preston, Lancashire, England, UK. Photographed on 6 April 2023, this spring image records the subject in its real-world setting and provides a contemporary visual reference for the place, activity, object or organisation shown. The recorded location is Preston, Lancashire, England, UK, adding precise geographical context for editorial, documentary, travel and local-history searches. Key searchable subjects associated with the scene include textile, Lancs, mills, Cottonopolis, manufacture, Mill, Burnley, history, tourism, steam, powered, weaving, providing natural SEO coverage without losing the specific documentary identity of the photograph. Prominent wording, signage, posters, logos or other graphic material gives the photograph additional documentary value because it records how an organisation, campaign, business or place communicated with the public at that moment. Text and branding visible in a streetscape can be especially useful for editorial comparison after rebranding, closure, redevelopment or policy change. The frame provides a detailed documentary record of the subject as it appeared at the time of photography, preserving the surrounding context as well as the principal feature. Its value is both descriptive and editorial, allowing the scene to illustrate news, features, local history, travel, social change and retrospective comparison. Visible or contextual elements such as architecture, signage, branding, public realm, transport infrastructure, street furniture and everyday activity help establish a strong sense of place where they form part of the scene. The photograph can also support future before-and-after use if the building, business, service, streetscape, transport operation or public space is later altered, redeveloped, rebranded or closed. The composition retains practical contextual detail for news, feature, documentary, educational and historical use.
Preston, Lancashire, England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Cheshire,England,UK,centre,at,evening,WA1,the,lodged,here,lodging,now,timber,framed,Indian,restaurant,Tudor,1599-1658,following victories at,Preston,Winwick,&,logged by this cottage on 20th August 1648,From where he sent his dispatches to parliament,to report his victories,against king Charles Army,Roundhead,Church Street,Church St,Cromwells,16th century,1600,history,historic,English Civil War
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2PGRW6T - The Tudor building on Church Street, Warrington is one of the town's oldest and most famous landmarks.
Here, we take a look at its centuries of fascinating history.
The grade two-listed building now houses an Indian restaurant “ aptly named the Cottage “ which opened following a lengthy, National Trust approved renovation of the premises in the early noughties.
Whilst frequently referred to as Cromwell's Cottage, Oliver Cromwell is only thought to have stayed the night at the now demolished General Wolf close by on August 20, 1648.
However, the cottage is where he sent dispatches proclaiming victories over Scottish Royalists during battles at Preston, Winwick and Warrington itself.
Today, a plaque commemorates that fact “ with Cromwell's victory at the Battle of Winwick Pass leading to the surrender of Scots forces on August 25.
The defeat of Royalist armies in the north of England ultimately hastened the end of the second English Civil War, and led to the execution of Charles I in January 1649.
It is believed that the cottage dates back to roughly the 16th century, according to a 2007 Warrington Borough Council report “ which states that the building was constructed in a ˜late medieval style' after the road's original middle-age structures were destroyed.
Similar characteristics can be attributed to the other Tudor cottages on Church Street, with the nearby Bull's Head and Marquis of Granby pubs remaining as the street's oldest surviving buildings.
Church St, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK, WA1 2TF
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Cheshire,England,UK,centre,at,evening,WA1,the,lodged,here,lodging,now,timber,framed,Indian,restaurant,Tudor,1599-1658,following victories at,Preston,Winwick,&,logged by this cottage on 20th August 1648,From where he sent his dispatches to parliament,to report his victories,against king Charles Army,Roundhead,Church Street,Church St,Cromwells,16th century,1600,history,historic,English Civil War
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2PGT8YE - The Tudor building on Church Street, Warrington is one of the town's oldest and most famous landmarks.
Here, we take a look at its centuries of fascinating history.
The grade two-listed building now houses an Indian restaurant “ aptly named the Cottage “ which opened following a lengthy, National Trust approved renovation of the premises in the early noughties.
Whilst frequently referred to as Cromwell's Cottage, Oliver Cromwell is only thought to have stayed the night at the now demolished General Wolf close by on August 20, 1648.
However, the cottage is where he sent dispatches proclaiming victories over Scottish Royalists during battles at Preston, Winwick and Warrington itself.
Today, a plaque commemorates that fact “ with Cromwell's victory at the Battle of Winwick Pass leading to the surrender of Scots forces on August 25.
The defeat of Royalist armies in the north of England ultimately hastened the end of the second English Civil War, and led to the execution of Charles I in January 1649.
It is believed that the cottage dates back to roughly the 16th century, according to a 2007 Warrington Borough Council report “ which states that the building was constructed in a ˜late medieval style' after the road's original middle-age structures were destroyed.
Similar characteristics can be attributed to the other Tudor cottages on Church Street, with the nearby Bull's Head and Marquis of Granby pubs remaining as the street's oldest surviving buildings.
Church St, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK, WA1 2TF
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Cheshire,England,UK,centre,at,evening,WA1,the,lodged,here,lodging,now,timber,framed,Indian,restaurant,Tudor,1599-1658,following victories at,Preston,Winwick,&,logged by this cottage on 20th August 1648,From where he sent his dispatches to parliament,to report his victories,against king Charles Army,Roundhead,Church Street,Church St,Cromwells,16th century,1600,history,historic,English Civil War
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2PGT8YP - The Tudor building on Church Street, Warrington is one of the town's oldest and most famous landmarks.
Here, we take a look at its centuries of fascinating history.
The grade two-listed building now houses an Indian restaurant “ aptly named the Cottage “ which opened following a lengthy, National Trust approved renovation of the premises in the early noughties.
Whilst frequently referred to as Cromwell's Cottage, Oliver Cromwell is only thought to have stayed the night at the now demolished General Wolf close by on August 20, 1648.
However, the cottage is where he sent dispatches proclaiming victories over Scottish Royalists during battles at Preston, Winwick and Warrington itself.
Today, a plaque commemorates that fact “ with Cromwell's victory at the Battle of Winwick Pass leading to the surrender of Scots forces on August 25.
The defeat of Royalist armies in the north of England ultimately hastened the end of the second English Civil War, and led to the execution of Charles I in January 1649.
It is believed that the cottage dates back to roughly the 16th century, according to a 2007 Warrington Borough Council report “ which states that the building was constructed in a ˜late medieval style' after the road's original middle-age structures were destroyed.
Similar characteristics can be attributed to the other Tudor cottages on Church Street, with the nearby Bull's Head and Marquis of Granby pubs remaining as the street's oldest surviving buildings.
Church St, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK, WA1 2TF
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,rail,railway,MCO,England,UK,M1 6FU,transport,next fastest,train,trains,direct,Newcastle,Oxenholme,Preston,Runcorn,Sheffield,Warrington,Wigan,York,Windermere,Manchester,Glasgow Central,connections,Huddersfield,see timetable,on time,integrated,departure,boards,board,poor,night economy,live,public,digital
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2M69CEY - . Recorded at the recorded location in 2022, the image fixes a recognisable subject and its environment at one point in time, giving later viewers a reliable basis for comparison. The image documents NPR, Northern Powerhouse Rail departure boards from Manchester Oxford Road - next fastest train. The broader subject matter reaches into period building, historic townscape, architectural detailing, historical comparison, period architecture, changing streetscape, social history, conservation interest, archival record, public realm, heritage asset, place identity, local character, and visual archive. The modern context includes continuing discussion of energy retrofit, embodied carbon and the value of architectural landmarks to local identity. The archival value lies partly in recording public access and movement around the recorded location before changing commercial priorities alters the character of the place. The wider setting retains connections with heritage landmark, local history, historic streetscape, contemporary social history, regional identity, built heritage, traditional materials, and documentary photography. The recorded references to train, departure, Northern, Oxford, and boards preserve clues about how the subject was presented, used or understood at the time. Around the recorded location, apparently routine details can become historically useful once businesses close, buildings change use or familiar features disappear. The location additionally provides evidence of energy retrofit and the value of architectural landmarks to local identity in a form that can be compared with future views of the recorded location. A further contemporary connection is embodied carbon and the value of architectural landmarks to local identity within the real-world context of the recorded location. The photograph keeps evidence of earlier appearance as a date-specific reference.
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,England,stained glass,advert,place,destination,town,city,Lancashire,and,&,Yorkshire,rail,train,network,railway,sign,on,station,Victorian,glass,wrought iron,ironwork,red,black,ornate glass,glasswork,M3,mainline,words,Edwardian,neo-Baroque,style,Lytham,seaside,resort,Preston
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JYNX7F - Architecture and features
The original M&LR single-storey offices facing Hunt's Bank Approach were built in the Italianate style in sandstone ashlar with slate roofs in 1844. They were later enlarged and given a second storey. William Dawes built the station's larger extension for the L&YR in 1909. It is at right-angles to the north end of the old station giving the enlarged station an L-shaped plan. Facing Victoria Station Approach, its façade is in the Edwardian neo-Baroque style, four storeys high and 31 bays to the rounded corner at the south-east end. The ground floor windows have rounded heads and those on the floors above are square. The ornate glass and iron canopy along the façade displays the names of destinations that the station served in Art Nouveau lettering. The canopy was damaged by the Provisional IRA's 1996 bomb placed in a street adjacent to the Arndale Centre and was restored four years later.
Heritage features in the concourse were restored during the 2013-15 renovation, they include the café with its glass dome and mosaic lettering which was originally the first-class dining room, the adjacent bookstall, and the original 1909 wood-panelled booking hall. In the entrance is a large, white glazed tiled map showing the former network of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.
Underneath the map is a bronze World War I war memorial with effigies of Saint George and Saint Michael at each end which was installed in 1923. At the south end of the concourse is the 'soldier's gate' which opened to the former fish docks from where thousands of soldiers departed for World War I and where a bronze plaque was erected to commemorate them. The gateway was restored in 2015 and a steel screen inserted featuring a map of World War I Commonwealth grave cemeteries in Northern France and Belgium.
The station received Grade II listed building status in 1988
Victoria Station Approach, Manchester, England, UK, M3 1WY
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,spelt,out,map,in,unable,to,pay,bills,gas,electricity,dual-fuel,prices,increasing,UK,household,business,dying,cold,winter,struggle,struggling,help,government,Britain,North West,Liverpool,Manchester,Oldham,Blackburn,Burnley,Bury,Bolton,Preston,council
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JREC1D - . An on-location photograph from North West England, UK in 2022, showing the named subject as part of a wider social, commercial, cultural or physical setting rather than as an isolated object. The principal subject is Map showing Northwest England, with words Fuel Poverty spelled out. More than half of UK households across Britain will choose to eat or heat. Other connected aspects include commercial redevelopment, architectural character, before-and-after reference, heritage-led regeneration, local history, period detail, public realm, public-realm investment, adaptive reuse, local character, everyday life, visual archive, place-making, and historical comparison. Viewed from the mid-2020s, the subject also connects with housing pressure, heritage conservation and how regeneration tries to create reasons to visit traditional town centres. The archival value lies partly in recording public access and movement around North West England, UK before conservation work alters the character of the place. Further associations within the scene are regional identity, archival record, period architecture, civic architecture, built heritage, social history, urban regeneration, and historic townscape. Details involving Poverty, households, choose, Northwest, and across make the image more specific than a generic view and strengthen its local or historical value. For North West England, UK, the photograph contributes to a cumulative visual history in which changes in use, signs, access and appearance can be traced over time. The location additionally provides evidence of housing pressure and how public investment can reshape pedestrian movement and evening activity without losing the local specificity of North West England, UK. A further contemporary connection is commercial viability and the tension between preserving local character and creating modern commercial space in a form that can be compared with future views of North West England, UK.
North West England, UK
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Lancs,Lancashire,Merseyside,seaside,coast,town,banks,old,bank architecture,Grade II,listed building,buildings,historic,history,Preston,Victorian historic bank building,England,UK,PR9,finance,commerce,commercial,Ltd,limited,crest,logo,frontage,facade,Manchester & County Bank Ltd,British,PR8,Sefton Council,sunny,blue sky,blue skies
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2JHW8DC - . Manchester & County Bank Ltd, Victorian historic bank building, Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside, Lancs,England, UK, PR9. Photographed on 10 July 2022. The recorded location is Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside, Preston, England, UK, PR9. Manchester & County Bank Limited
Established in 1862. Name changed to County Bank Limited in November 1934 before merging with the District Bank Limited in 1935. Category: English & Welsh Joint Stock Banks
Family: National Westminster Bank. As background, banking imagery can range from grand Victorian branch architecture to the small physical objects of personal finance
Together, notes, coins, cards, cheques and cashpoints chart a shift from cash and branch-based services towards electronic and online banking. Looking at the subject's development, architecture records the priorities of the period in which a building was designed: materials, ornament, scale and planning can reveal changing technologies, social status and commercial use
Later alterations and changes of tenant add further layers, so a single façade can embody several phases of local history. Historically, heritage photography is particularly useful where buildings or objects have changed function
A former workplace, shop, transport structure or piece of equipment can become a museum object or landmark, linking everyday history with conservation and interpretation. Against the 2026 backdrop, cash is used less often than in earlier decades but remains important, particularly for vulnerable consumers and some small businesses
FCA access-to-cash rules require designated banks and building societies to assess local provision and address significant gaps, making photographs of ATMs, notes and former branches relevant to financial inclusion. For the 2026 context, current regeneration policy places growing emphasis on reusing established buildings and strengthening town centres.
Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside, Preston, England, UK, PR9
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,history,historic,dwelling,house,timber,framed,timber-framed,Tudor,town,centre,Roundhead,1599-1658,stayed,by,this,following victories,at,Preston,Winwick,window,90,Church St,Warrington,Cheshire,England,UK,WA1 2TF,English Civil War,mediaeval,famous,landmark,fight,fighting,1648
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2K3TJP8 - A plaque notes Cromwell, logged by this cottage on 20th August 1648, From where he sent his dispatches to parliament, to report his victories, against king Charles Army
This Tudor building on Church Street, Warrington is one of the town's oldest and most famous landmarks.
Here, we take a look at its centuries of fascinating history.
The grade two-listed building now houses an Indian restaurant “ aptly named the Cottage “ which opened following a lengthy, National Trust approved renovation of the premises in the early noughties.
Whilst frequently referred to as Cromwell's Cottage, Oliver Cromwell is only thought to have stayed the night at the now demolished General Wolf close by on August 20, 1648.
However, the cottage is where he sent dispatches proclaiming victories over Scottish Royalists during battles at Preston, Winwick and Warrington itself.
Today, a plaque commemorates that fact “ with Cromwell's victory at the Battle of Winwick Pass leading to the surrender of Scots forces on August 25.
The defeat of Royalist armies in the north of England ultimately hastened the end of the second English Civil War, and led to the execution of Charles I in January 1649.
It is believed that the cottage dates back to roughly the 16th century, according to a 2007 Warrington Borough Council report “ which states that the building was constructed in a ˜late medieval style' after the road's original middle-age structures were destroyed.
Similar characteristics can be attributed to the other Tudor cottages on Church Street, with the nearby Bull's Head and Marquis of Granby pubs remaining as the street's oldest surviving buildings
90 ,Church St, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK, WA1 2TF
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,railway station,Preston,Lancashire,England,UK,PR1 5AB,lancs,commemoration,soldiers,Lancs regiment,Great War,1914-1918 plaque,Great War 1914-1918 plaque,WWI,WW1,World war One,teenagers,teenage soldiers,sacrifice,gave their lives,army,volunteers,Battle of the Somme,Somme,Battle of Loos,Memorial to the Preston Pals,platform 3,platform 4,platforms 3 & 4,Andrew Mather,honour,the men,August 1914
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2AR6MY2 - The Preston Pals War Memorial was installed on Preston Railway Station in July 2012. Situated between platforms 3 & 4, it honours the men who volunteered to fight in World War One within 7th Battalion, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (now part of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment).
Until the plaque was put in place there was no official Memorial to the Preston Pals, so a board of trustees was created by Andrew Mather to honour the men who left from Preston Railway Station on their fateful journeys
Soon after the outbreak of war between Great Britain and Germany on 4 August 1914, Earl Kitchener, the War Minister, laid plans to raise a New Army of volunteer recruits. To aid this scheme, he encouraged local councils to establish what became known as Pals battalions, made up of groups of friends and neighbours who were keen to fight alongside each other, rather than being individually assigned to regular army regiments.
The raising of the Preston Pals was first proposed by Mr Cyril Cartmell, son of the Mayor of Preston, Councillor (later Sir) Harry Cartmell. On 31 August 1914, Cyril Cartmell placed the following advertisement in The Lancashire Daily Post:
It is proposed to form a Company of young businessmen, clerks, etc, to be drawn from Preston and the surrounding districts, and be attached, if practicable, to a battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Will those who would like to join apply here any afternoon or evening this week “ the earlier the better.
Within two days, 250 local men had volunteered for service, and the Preston Businessmen and Clerks' Company ” officially 'D' Company, 7th (Service) Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment ”, was formed. Three other companies making up the 7th (Service) Battalion were filled by Pals from Blackpool, Kirkham, and Chorley. The men were medically examined at the Public Hall, and on 7 Sep 1914, the Pals paraded before an enthusiastic and patriotic crowd before boarding trains
Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire , England, PR1 8AP
Description
Keywords: @Hotpixuk,HotpixUK,GoTonySmith,UK,England,NW1,Euston Departures Board,Euston road,North London,rail,transport,HS2,digital,board,Euston,station,railway station,terminus,BR,Free WiFi,platform,8 to 11,Preston,Glasgow Central,Birmingham,New Street,Mainline,Manchester,workers,strike,RMT union,RMT,display,info,information,boards,Network Rail,Hotpix.org.uk,HotpixUK.org.uk
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2AE02DJ - Euston railway station (also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railway. Euston is the fifth-busiest station in Britain and the country's busiest inter-city passenger terminal, being the gateway from London to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland. Intercity express passenger services are operated by Avanti West Coast and overnight services to Scotland are provided by the Caledonian Sleeper. London Northwestern Railway and London Overground provide regional and commuter services.
From Euston, trains connect to the major cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is also the mainline station for services to and through to Holyhead for connecting ferries to Dublin. Local suburban services from Euston are run by London Overground via the Watford DC Line which runs parallel to the WCML as far as Watford Junction. There is an escalator link from the concourse down to Euston tube station
The station was controversially rebuilt in the mid-1960s, including the demolition of the Arch and the Great Hall, to accommodate the electrified West Coast Main Line, and the revamped station still attracts criticism over its architecture. Euston is to be the London terminus for the planned High Speed 2 railway and the station is being redeveloped to handle it.
Euston road, London,England, UK, NW1 2DU
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,@HotpixUK,Dick,Kerr,Co,lever,silver,rolling stock,Dick Kerr controls,Dick Kerr control,United Electric Car Company,tramways,driver control handle,driver,driving,handle,Lisbon tram,Lisbon,Portugal,history,historic,machinery,machine,control,controls,English,Electric,System,chrome,chromed,finish,handles,type DBI,Form K,Preston Works,Preston,lancs,Lancashire
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy PCTA6N - Dick, Kerr and Company was a locomotive and tramcar manufacturer based in Kilmarnock, Scotland and Preston, England.
W.B. Dick and Company was founded in 1854 in Glasgow by William Bruce Dick. The company were initially oil refiners and manufacturers of paint used for coating the bottom of ships. They had depots and works in Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Barrow-in-Furness, Cardiff and Hamburg by 1890. From 1883 the company joined with John Kerr and under its new name, expanded into stock-photo/gotonysmith-Tramway.html?sortBy=relevant&pseudoid=237DAF28-A4ED-4448-8173-C0E81ABEEC6F Target=_Blank>tramway equipment and rolling stock and built around fifty locomotives up to 1919.
In 1890 it took limited company status, as railway and tramway appliance makers and as iron and steel founders and electricians. There was a public offer of shares to acquire the engineering and contracting company of the same name - reasons given were the advancing years of the senior partner and the need for investment to expand the works at Kilmarnock including a modern iron and steel foundry.
Until the late 1890s the company had largely produced steam tram engines, but soon afterwards it became one of the largest manufacturers of electric tramway cars.
The company facilities in Preston, Lancashire, were acquired in 1893 along with the railway and tramway plant activities of Hartley, Arnoux and Fanning who had been bought out by Kerr Stuart and Company.
In 1917 they acquired the United Electric Car Company of Preston.
Lisbon, Portugal
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,@HotpixUK,Dick,Kerr,Co,lever,silver,rolling stock,Dick Kerr controls,Dick Kerr control,United Electric Car Company,tramways,driver control handle,driver,driving,handle,Lisbon tram,Lisbon,Portugal,history,historic,machinery,machine,control,controls,English,Electric,System,chrome,chromed,finish,handles,type DBI,Form K,Preston Works,Preston,lancs,Lancashire
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy PCTA6P - Dick, Kerr and Company was a locomotive and tramcar manufacturer based in Kilmarnock, Scotland and Preston, England.
W.B. Dick and Company was founded in 1854 in Glasgow by William Bruce Dick. The company were initially oil refiners and manufacturers of paint used for coating the bottom of ships. They had depots and works in Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Barrow-in-Furness, Cardiff and Hamburg by 1890. From 1883 the company joined with John Kerr and under its new name, expanded into stock-photo/gotonysmith-Tramway.html?sortBy=relevant&pseudoid=237DAF28-A4ED-4448-8173-C0E81ABEEC6F Target=_Blank>tramway equipment and rolling stock and built around fifty locomotives up to 1919.
In 1890 it took limited company status, as railway and tramway appliance makers and as iron and steel founders and electricians. There was a public offer of shares to acquire the engineering and contracting company of the same name - reasons given were the advancing years of the senior partner and the need for investment to expand the works at Kilmarnock including a modern iron and steel foundry.
Until the late 1890s the company had largely produced steam tram engines, but soon afterwards it became one of the largest manufacturers of electric tramway cars.
The company facilities in Preston, Lancashire, were acquired in 1893 along with the railway and tramway plant activities of Hartley, Arnoux and Fanning who had been bought out by Kerr Stuart and Company.
In 1917 they acquired the United Electric Car Company of Preston.
Lisbon, Portugal
Description
Keywords: GoTonySmith,@HotpixUK,Tony,Smith,UK,GB,Great,Britain,United,Kingdom,English,British,England,problem,with,problem with,issue with,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of,Images of,Stock Images,Tony Smith,United Kingdom,Great Britain,British Isles,Lancashire,Preston,Railway station,wide,wideshot,platform,platforms,transport,intercity,city,Preston city,Virgin Trains,TOC,platforms 3 & 4 island
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy GXXPPJ - Preston railway station in Preston, Lancashire, England, is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, roughly half-way between London Euston and Glasgow Central (206 miles from London Euston, 194 miles from Glasgow Central). It is served by Northern, Virgin Trains, and TransPennine Express services, plus Caledonian Sleeper overnight services between London and Scotland.
The North Union Railway opened a station on the site in 1838. It was extended in 1850, with new platforms under the separate management of the East Lancashire Railway, and by 1863 London“Scotland trains stopped here to allow passengers to eat in the station dining room. The current station was built 1880 and extended in 1903 and 1913, when it had fifteen platforms. A free buffet for servicemen was provided during both World Wars. The East Lancashire platforms were demolished in the 1970s as connecting lines closed. Only six platforms remain in regular use today.
As well as intercity trains to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley, the station is served by local trains to other parts of Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Yorkshire.
Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire , England, PR1 8AP
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Keywords: GoTonySmith,HotpixUK,@HotpixUK,Black Country,West Midlands,Midland,England,UK,WS1,view,housing,block,WHG,WATMOS,TMO,TMOs,1960,1970,160s,1970s,Walsall Housing Group,houses,flats,RTB,Right To Buy,leaseholder,leaseholders,traditional,modern,buildings,architecture,cladding,tenants,skyscraper,skyscrapers,Brookes,Preston,Bywater,house,rent freeze
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2R64TRE - Elevated view across Walsall town centre towards a cluster of multi-storey residential tower blocks in the Paddock area, with the wider Black Country landscape extending beyond. The photograph contrasts the large modernist apartment towers on the skyline with the smaller red-brick houses, workshops and traditional buildings occupying the foreground and middle distance.
Several high-rise blocks dominate the view, their repetitive rows of windows and balconies forming a distinctive post-war housing skyline. These taller residential buildings reflect the extensive construction of municipal and social housing undertaken in British towns and cities during the decades following the Second World War. Tower blocks were intended to provide modern homes at higher densities, often replacing older housing judged overcrowded or unsuitable.
The foreground contains a more varied and closely packed townscape of red-brick terraced properties, pitched roofs, chimneys, small industrial buildings and enclosed yards. This layered arrangement illustrates the mixed architectural character of central Walsall, where nineteenth and early twentieth-century development sits alongside later council housing and larger redevelopment projects. The contrast between low-rise neighbourhoods and high-rise flats provides a visual record of changing approaches to urban planning and residential development.
Walsall forms part of the Black Country in the West Midlands, an area shaped by manufacturing, metalworking, leather production and industrial expansion. Its urban landscape includes surviving workshops, traditional housing, civic buildings, commercial development and post-war residential estates. The grey sky and subdued winter or late-autumn colours add a documentary quality to the scene.
The image is suitable for editorial themes involving Walsall, the Black Country, council housing, social housing estates, tower blocks, urban regeneration, housing policy, post-war architecture, working-class n
Walsall, Black Country, West Midlands, England, UK, WS1
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Keywords: @HotpixUK,HotpixUK,GoTonySmith,logo,Victorian,brass,vehicle,engine,steam,field,fayre,two,several,traction,traction engine,summer,Friend Richard,Alan Atkinson,Preston,steam roller engine,Friend,steam power,steam powered,roller,Cheshire,England,UK,show,green,red,in steam,steaming,fields,display,history,fair,fairs
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy 2BXPYHW - . Recorded at Cheshire, England, UK, this image forms part of the visual history of the locality and the activity, building, object or service shown. The view specifically shows Friend Richard,Alan Atkinson,Preston,steam roller engine, Cheshire,England,UK. The photograph also carries associations with heritage asset, place identity, conservation architecture, public realm, local character, historical comparison, local history, urban change, heritage landmark, before-and-after reference, cityscape history, built environment, traditional masonry, and architectural contrast. The subject remains useful for current coverage of embodied carbon and heritage conservation, not least because of the contrast between historic fabric and modern development. The photograph fixes materials and construction within Cheshire, England, UK at one identifiable point, providing a benchmark against refurbishment. The subject also sits alongside documentary photography, regional identity, community identity, archival record, social history, period building, conservation interest, and architectural character. References to Richard, engine, steam, Friend, and Atkinson give the picture a strong period identity and tie it closely to the named subject. Around Cheshire, England, UK, apparently routine features can become historically useful once businesses close, buildings change use or familiar street details disappear. A further contemporary connection is embodied carbon and keeping older buildings useful without erasing their character in a form that can be compared with future views of Cheshire, England, UK. The image also provides a reference for energy retrofit and keeping older buildings useful without erasing their character within the real-world context of Cheshire, England, UK. The wider significance includes maintenance and keeping older buildings useful without erasing their character within the specific setting of Cheshire, England, UK.
Cheshire, England, UK
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Keywords: St,Elphins,Church,Warrington,The,parish,church,of,the,town,of,Warrington,Cheshire,England.,The,church,is,designated,by,English,Heritage,as,a,Grade,II*,listed,building.,It,is,an,active,Anglican,parish,church,in,the,diocese,of,Liverpool.,Close,to,Farrell,street,College Close,A57,Salisbury St,St,Elphins,Church,Warrington,Cheshire,Borough,Council,WBC,England,North,West,UK,United,Kingdom,Church,Of,England.,The,church,is,dominated,by,its,spire,281,feet,(86,m),high.,It,is,the,seventh,highest,in,the,country,the fifth highest parish church in the UK,after the St. Walburges Church,Preston,St. James Church,Louth,St Mary Redcliffe,and St. Wulframs Church,Grantham Gotonysmith,gotonysmith,Warringtonians,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy CF0MWX - St Elphins Church Warrington Cheshire in the Borough Council WBC area, England North West UK United Kingdom . Close to Farrell street, College Close, A57, Salisbury St.
It is a Church Of England building . The church is dominated by its spire, 281 feet (86 m) high. It is the seventh highest in the country, the fifth highest parish church in the UK, after the St. Walburge's Church, Preston, St. James Church, Louth, St Mary Redcliffe, and St. Wulfram's Church, Grantham.
A place of worship has been present on the site since about 650 and the presence of a priest in Warrington was recorded in the Domesday Book. The earliest fabric in the church is in the chancel and the crypt, which survive from the church built in 1354 by Sir William Boteler. The church was badly damaged by the Parliamentary forces in the Civil War. Following this the tower was rebuilt in 1696 and the nave in 1770. The south aisle was added in the early 19th century. Most of the fabric of the present church is the result of an extensive restoration between 1859 and 1867 by Frederick and Horace Francis. It was during this restoration that the spire was added. The bells were recast in 1698 and again in 1884. In 1950 they were recast again and the clock was replaced.
Within the church, St Ann's Chapel was founded by Thomas Massey, rector of Warrington from 1448 to 1464. It continued to belong to the Massey family until they died out in 1748. The chapel was then acquired by the Patten family who built a vault to bury members of the family, the last being Lord Winmarleigh in 1892. The Lady Chapel was founded and endowed by Sir John Boteler in 1290. He and other family members were buried in the chapel. In 1943 it became the chapel of the South Lancashire Regiment and in 1976 the chapel of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment.
Farrell street, College Close, A57, Salisbury St, Warrington, Cheshire UK,
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Keywords: Platform,2,Bank,Quay,mainline,railway,station,Warrington,Cheshire,UK,at,dusk,showing,Virgin,voyager,train,night,shot,late,evening,preston,northbound,north,bound,gotonysmith,mainline,express,network,rail,Lever,unilever,factory,Bankquay,quey,bankquey,car,park,parking,parked,high,speed,trans,to,Glasgow,improvement,improvements,Virgintrains,freight,kissing,ban,westcoast,west,coast,main,line,to,Glasgow,arriving,departing,arrivals,departures,gotonysmith,Buy Pictures of,Buy Images Of
Description: Tony Smith image Alamy CF0NN4 - . Platform 2, Bank Quay mainline railway station, Warrington, Cheshire UK at dusk showing Virgin voyager train. Photographed on 9 July 2009. Ready to depart. The historical context is that cash, banknotes and banking equipment document the everyday financial system before contactless cards and mobile payments became dominant
Bank buildings, notes, coins, cheques and cash machines also trace the history of regional banking, savings institutions and the changing design of money. In historical terms, railway scenes connect industrial-age engineering with everyday passenger mobility
Station architecture, platforms, signal boxes, ticketing and rolling stock show how the network has evolved from steam and regional companies through British Rail, privatisation and today's increasingly digital passenger railway. The wider historical story is that seasonal and low-light photography can emphasise the relationship between natural conditions and the built environment
Dusk, snow, mist or dramatic cloud often reveal lighting, silhouettes and reflective surfaces that are less apparent in ordinary daylight. The subject remains topical in 2026 because cash is used less often than in previous decades but remains important, particularly for vulnerable consumers and some small businesses
FCA access-to-cash rules require designated banks and building societies to assess local provision and address significant gaps, making images of ATMs, notes and former branches relevant to financial inclusion. During 2026, britain's railway is in another period of structural change as legislation for Great British Railways progresses, bringing infrastructure and passenger services into a more unified publicly owned model
Images of earlier operators, ticket machines and station branding help illustrate how quickly the passenger railway changes. Relevant long-tail terms include currency, sterling, personal finance, cashpoint, payment methods, bank branch, and financial services.
Platform 2, Bank Quay mainline railway station, Warrington, Cheshire UK
