"Now Picture That" - Preston - cotton

"Now Picture That" is a series of posts which share old engravings and photos of Britain to help you imagine how things looked in times gone by.  

This print gives a great visual of Preston's cotton factories and chimneys in 1862.  What is more interesting though is the activity in the foreground.

The American Civil War (1861-1865) had a direct impact on Lancashire's economy.  The raw cotton from the American cotton plantations was blockaded which resulted in the shutdown of Lancashire mills who had no raw material to work with.  Thousands of unemployed cotton workers were put back into employment through public work schemes.  This image shows the Preston mill-hands being used to landscape Preston Moor Park.  The park had existed since the 1830s, but had limited public access.  Under this back-to-work scheme there were extensive alterations.

Similar work was done at the same time in the development of two other Preston parks, namely Avenham Park and Miller Park.

Original print has the title: "The Distress in Lancashire - Mill-hands at work on Preston Moor."

From the Illustrated London News, 1862.