The facilities are leased from Preston City Council under a 99-year lease that commenced in February 1996.
Preston Cricket Club was established in 1821. Games were played on the Holm [now known as Penwortham Holme] which was an island at that time in the River Ribble.
The first recorded match on the ground was in 1870, when Preston played a United North of England Eleven.
This 1889 map shows Preston Cricket Ground for the first time.
The Sports Club hosted the Preston Guild Amateur Athletics Sports in 1882. The features of the Clubhouse are clearly visible, together with the Park Hotel in the background, now mostly obscured by trees.
Preston Grasshoppers began their playing years at Westcliff.
The Clubhouse is still recognisable in this photo believed to be from the 1880s, with the arched roof and clock still in place – although the clock is now square!
The two small peaks have long since disappeared without trace.
Preston Hockey is believed to date from 1903, although there is some evidence that it existed even earlier.
This date of this photo is unknown, but is titled Preston Field Hockey Team and is believed to date from the 1910s.
It appears to be an early use of PhotoShop technique – given the team is posed in front of the River Ribble with the Tram Bridge in the background.
In 1936, the ground held its first first-class match when Lancashire played Gloucestershire. From 1936 to 1939, the ground played host to 4 first-class matches involving Lancashire, the last of which saw them play Glamorgan. In 1952, Lancashire returned to the ground where they played a single first-class match against Glamorgan.
In this 1937 aerial photo, the cricket square can be picked out, with the tennis courts and pavilion on the right now replaced by the artificial pitch.