Preston, borough, administrative center of Lancashire, northwestern England, on the Ribble River, near the Irish Sea. Preston is an important port, handling a large trade with Ireland. It is also a market center for the surrounding agricultural area. Among the many manufactures here are textiles, aircraft parts, machinery, and electrical equipment. Preston is the seat of Lancashire College of Agriculture and Horticulture (1894), the University of Central Lancashire (1992, formerly a polytechnic college), and a grammar school (1550). Preston received its first charter in the 12th century and grew in the Middle Ages as an important market center. In 1648, during the English Revolution, the Parliamentarian forces of Oliver Cromwell defeated the Royalists here. Population (1996 estimate) 134,818.
