10 facts you might not know about Lancashire
Who knew there were so many 'firsts' in Lancashire!
Did you know that Lancashire is a county of many 'firsts' and interesting facts? The red rose county is home to the first KFC in the UK, in Preston, and Blackburn was the first town in the UK to take on mass fingerprinting.
Here we've gathered 10 facts about the north west county we call home, take a look through and see how many of these facts you know.
Lancashire facts:
First KFC
The first KFC in the UK opened in Preston in 1965, on Fishergate, and it's still there to this day, with photos of the opening on the wall. On Valentine's Day in 2016 they offered a table service, how romantic.
First motorway
The first motorway in the UK was built around Preston and opened in 1958. Now known as the M6, the motorway was originally called the Preston Bypass. The Bypass was an eight mile stretch of motorway.
Preston North End
Preston North End (PNE) football club was originally founded as a cricket club in 1863.
PNE was a founding member of the football league. In 1887, PNE beat Hyde 26–0 in the First Round of the FA Cup. This is still a record winning margin in English first-class football.
Preston Bus Station
Preston Bus Station was believed to be the second largest in Europe and is now a Grade II listed building.
At one point the bus station had a massive 80 bays, however, the side nearest the city centre has now been converted to a public square, while 40 bays still remain on the other side of the station.
Big Daddy giant crab
Sea Life Blackpool was home to a record breaking crab. Big Daddy held the record for the 'longest leg on a crab' which measured 1.43 m (4 ft 8.5 in), measured on 8th of August 2013.
Mass fingerprinting
Blackburn was the first town in the UK to take on mass fingerprinting following the murder of June Anne Devaney in May 1948.
Blackburn Rovers
Like PNE, Blackburn Rovers was a founder member of the Football League.
Blackburn Rovers' blue and white home colours come from a group of public schoolboys who founded the club in 1875. Their school uniform was very similar in design and colour.
King James I
Hoghton Tower, near Preston, is the location of the sirloin steak getting its name. It is said that King James I knighted a particularly tasty piece of beef saying 'arise Sir Loin'.
The Big One rollercoaster
When it opened, the Big One rollercoaster in Blackpool was the largest and steepest in the world. It held this title until 1996 when Fujiyama in Japan became the highest in the world. It is still a huge attraction to this day, and on certain dates it's possible to climb the Big One for charity.
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College and the surrounding Ribble Valley are said to be the inspiration for JRR Tolkien's best-seller, Lord of the Rings.
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