Preston, Lancashire after 1948, Preston became home to a significant number of Asian and Caribbean Commonwealth immigrants, who mostly worked in the manufacturing industry. However, an economic decline hit the town once again in the 1970s, capped by the closure of the Courtaulds factory in 1979 (nearly 3,000 job losses) and the decline of the docks on the River Ribble, which finally closed in 1981. Mass unemployment was firmly back in Preston by the early 1980s, although it was now very much a national crisis due to the recession of that time. The rehousing of families from town centre slums to new
Preston Hall, Preston-on-Tees a variety of species of butterflies and other animals), rowing boat hire from RiverShack and the volunteer-run Teesside Small Gauge Railway. Following the failure of a scheme to build housing on the site, the decision was made to transform Preston Hall into a museum and to use the grounds as parkland. The museum opened to the public 1953. In April 2008, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £3.7 million towards a major refurbishment of the building and the museum's collections. After its redevelopment, Preston Park Museum & Grounds now has four themed galleries, telling the stories of the