Preesall, ENG - Postcode - PR3 6HS

Description of Preesall, England

Lancashire, England is home to Preesall, a town, a civil parish, and an electoral ward. Eastern bank of the River Wyre estuary, comprising Knott End-on-Sea, Pilling Lane, and the village of Preesall (known as Preesall with Hackensall until 1910). In the 2001 census, 5,314 people were counted as living in the parish of Preesall; by 2011, that number had increased to 5,694.

History of Preesall

In the 9th and 10th centuries, the area to the east of the River Wyre was invaded and settled by the Danes. Located in the Hundred of Amounderness, Preesall is listed as Pressouede in the Domesday Book (1086). 

Preesall, meaning "a hill and a heath," and Hackensall, perhaps derived from "Haakon," a Viking seafarer who sailed up the River Wyre and set up encampment in the 10th century, are both likely of Norse origin. This estate, along with most of the surrounding area, was first awarded to a bowman serving under Prince John in 1190, and then came into the possession of the Fleetwood family in the 16th century. After the Rossall Hall estate was ruined by water in 1656, Richard Fleetwood constructed Hackensall Hall as a replacement. Parrox Hall, a nearby mansion, was also constructed about this period and has been in the Elletson family's hands since 1690. Affirmed Use of Citation Needed

Hackensall Tide Mill in Preesall is a well-known archaeological site. Documentary evidence suggests this mill was operating before 1260, and the OS 1:10,560 maps from 1848 pinpoints its location. In the county, this looks to be the sole tide mill, and just a few of basic medieval mill remains have been excavated. Due to the rarity of surviving physical examples of medieval watermills across the country, any such examples are likely to be of national rather than regional significance.

Geography of Preesall

Preesall Beach is the name given to the stretch of sand that extends between the communities of Pilling, Preesall, and Knott-End. The "Sea Wall" is a sea defense that keeps Preesall safe from the ocean's high tides. From Knott End-on-Sea, you can walk to Pilling along the sea wall, which passes over an abandoned WWII stone pillbox hidden amid the rocks near the Preesall pumping station.

There are several bodies of water to the west of the village proper. These are known as the Flashes. Subsidence from salt mining in the 1920s and 1930s developed them, leading to the shutdown of the mines in 1931. Until the 1980s, ICI maintained its usage of the mines and surrounding land for brine pumping.