Prescot
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  Map sources for Prescot at grid reference SJ4692
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Prescot is a town with the status of civil parish, 8 miles to the east of Liverpool in northwest England. It lies within the historic boundaries of Lancashire.
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[edit] Local Government
The town was contained in the Prescot Urban District in the administrative county Lancashire from 1894. When the administrative counties were abolished in 1974 the district became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside.
[edit] History
Prescot's name is believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon Prescota-cot, meaning a settlement or cottage owned or inhabited by a priest.
From c1593, into the early years of the 17th century, Prescot was home to the Prescot Playhouse, a purpose-built Shakespearean theatre.
During the 18th and 19th centuries it was at the centre of the watch and clockmaking industry. This ended with the failure of the Lancashire Watch Company in 1910. In later years BICC Cables [1] was the main employer in the town.
[edit] Places of Interest
The town's main tourist attraction is now the local clock museum. On the edge of the town is the famous estate of Lord Derby, which includes Knowsley Safari Park. Lord Nelson would visit Prescot to see his mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton, whose house still exists on the High Street.
[edit] Famous Prescotians
- Actor Sue Johnston (Brookside, The Royle Family)
- Actor Sam Kelly (Porridge, The Two Ronnies, All or Nothing)
- Organist Professor Ian Tracey of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
- Nonsense-poet and artist Edward Lear
- Lord Stanley, one-time Governor General of Canada after whom the Stanley Cup and Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, was named
- Stuart Sutcliffe, early member of The Beatles attended Prescot Grammar School
- Danny McCall, former Brookside actor and star of West-End hit The Sound of Fury, based on the life of Billy Fury
- Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson was once a Member of Parliament for Huyton, incorporating Prescot
- Shakespearean actor John Philip Kemble was born in Prescot. His house has since been demolished, but the road has been renamed Kemble Street. The John Kemble Pub stands on this street in his memory.
- Professor Sid Watkins, world-renowned neurosurgeon who served twenty-six years as the FIA Formula One Safety Delegate and Medical Delegate, head of the Formula One on-track medical team, and first responder in case of a crash.
- Classical pianist Paul Lewis, who featured as a soloist at the 2005 Last Night of the Proms, was a student at Prescot Grammar School.
- David McCabe - Lead singer out of the Merseyside Band 'The Zutons'
- Actor Daniel Craig (the most recent James Bond), Cheshire-born, but raised in Prescot
[edit] References
Prescot Origins and History. Accessd 29 December 2005
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- About Prescot and Rainhill News and views from the local area
- Arts in Prescot News about arts and entertainment in the area, including the Annual Prescot Festival of Music and the Arts
- Historical Archives Local government collection of pictures, photos and information about the town
- The Prescotian Site for alumni of the historic Prescot Grammar School
- Prescot Parish Church
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