Preston North End, was founded, as a football club, 133 years ago today. (10th May 1880)
The following is an extract from the local newspaper, Preston Herald, dated 12th May 1880.
“A general meeting of the members of North End Cricket & Football Club was held at the Deepdale Hotel on Monday last (10th May), with Mr. Sudell occupying the chair. It was resolved that the club should join the Lancashire Association Football Union, and henceforth play under their rules. It was also resolved that the name of the club should be altered to Preston Athletic Society & North End Cricket & Football Club.” [North End had been holding athletic meetings at the Deepdale ground since moving there in 1875]
The historic discovery is that the hotel mentioned in this paragraph, the Deepdale Hotel, is not the present Deepdale Hotel situated on St. George’s Road, close to the Deepdale ground, as always thought.
With the assistance of Steve Halliwell, who hosts the Preston’s Inns, Taverns & Beerhouses website, it was discovered that the Deepdale Hotel in the opening paragraph was actually the Deepdale Bridge Hotel, sometimes called the Deepdale Station Bridge Hotel.
As the name suggests, the hotel was alongside the small railway station on the bridge where the Preston to Longridge train ran.
The Deepdale Bridge Hotel was at least 20 years old when that meeting took place, and furthermore, the present Deepdale Hotel was not even built then.
It was situated on the corner of Deepdale Road and Porter Street and the building is still standing today.
It used to be plumbers merchants a number of years ago, under the name of Stan Gorrell but nowadays goes under Barber & Co., Solicitors.
The landlord of the Deepdale Station Hotel (obviously shortened to Deepdale Hotel) back then, was a certain Mr. John Poole whose son Freddie, went on to play a couple of games for Preston North End in the 1890’s.