Student Accommodation

Preston

Preston University

Preston is a picturesque city in Lancashire surrounded by stunning countryside and plenty of attractions. In 1828 the University of Central Lancashire was founded in the city as the ‘Institution for the diffusion of knowledge’, and that’s been its motto ever since.

Today, the university is one of the largest in the UK with a student and staff community approaching a whopping 38,000. Internationally, the University has academic partners in all regions of the globe and even has a thriving campus in Cyprus! Amongst its fabulous portfolio of around 400 undergraduate and 200+ postgraduate courses, the university has developed degrees in disciplines such as Fashion and Forensic science.

UCLan

Life at UCLan is filled with plenty of vibrant, cultural, and friendly activities to keep you and your friends entertained whilst studying here. The city itself is super safe to live in. If you’re on campus at night you can hop on the UCLan Safety Bus and get back home in no time (runs between 10-4:30am). In terms of wellbeing, The University of Central Lancashire was at the top of the 2020 Student Welfare League Table in 2020! During the 2018/2019 academic year, the University’s total spend on student wellbeing services was a massive £6.2 million.

Getting around the campus itself couldn’t be easier, and it’s only a short stroll from Preston city centre, Preston railway station and Preston bus station. There’s also an SU bus, which runs across the region, dropping students off for just £1 each way.

Facilities

For facilities, you’re spoilt for choice when studying at UCLan, with a medical centre, pharmacy, pre-school centre and multi-faith Centre all on campus! The on-campus medical centre and pharmacy offers appointments, travel vaccinations and advice. There are also nurse practitioners available who can treat a wide range of conditions and offer on the day bookable appointments.

There’s a vast array of on-campus cafes, canteens and coffee shops all serving up scrumptious food and energising coffees to kickstart your day. All of the UCLan food outlets have been awarded a 4 or 5* food hygiene rating by Lancashire County Council and the Food Standards Agency.

Library

Need to crack on with some studying? The UCLan library building provides mega comfy study spaces, open 24 hours a day in term time, perfect for night owls! As well as thousands of books, audio-visual materials and journals, there are around 700 computers in the library, as well as photocopiers, printers, and scanners. You can also borrow laptops from the laptop loan area on the ground floor of the library during staff hours if you need to work remotely.

Students Union

The Students’ Union has a wide variety of societies, whatever your passion, they’ve got it covered. They provide a fantastic platform to meet people with similar interests and build relationships. You can submit a form on their website and the SU will pretty much do all the work for you and work out what society suits your interests the most.

The Best Places To Eat

In terms of food, there’s plenty of scrumptious places to eat in Preston, for great value too! The city centre is full of chain and independent restaurants bursting with a range of traditional and international menus to suit everybody’s taste.

International Dishes

For authentic Caribbean dishes, take a trip to Coco’s Soul Food on Friargate, serving up a variety of soul food destined to make your taste buds tingle. From the grill, we’d highly recommend the African chicken skewers, served with one side and a selection of dips, get ready to tuck in! If you fancy something a little chicer, why not try out the Olive Tree Brasserie in the heart of the city for some moreish Mediterranean food.

Takeaways

Fancy a quick and easy takeaway? RK Dining is super close to UCLan, offering piping hot Indian takeaways, perfect for a Netflix binge with your friends. They have an amazing range of starters and mains for you to sink your teeth into, brimming with authentic flavours! The chickpea curry and masala paneer are a firm favourite amongst visitors, providing plenty of yum flavours.

Fine Dining

If you’re wanting a more lavish evening, take a trip to Bistro Pierre and enjoy some authentic French dishes in a warm and welcoming setting filled with rustic interiors. This fine eatery is located smack bang in the city centre next to plenty of fabulous bars if you want to make a night of it. For starters, we’d recommend the Goan king prawns sautéed with Indian spiced butter for a real kick. Popular mains include the hearty Boeuf bourguignon and the Thai fishcake served with pommes frites, crunchy slaw and sweet chili sauce.

Other Places

There’s plenty of places to eat right on your doorstep around UCLan too, whether it’s a warming coffee and a cake or a quick bite before lectures. Harrington Kitchen in the Harrington Building have a vast array of tasty meals on the menu including macaroni cheese with garlic bread or a speciality Yorkshire pudding with mash potato and vegetables. You’ve also got The Coffee Lounge on the ground floor of the Vernon Building, Food for Thought on the ground floor of the library and the Factory Café on the ground floor of the media library. Take advantage of ‘Happy Hour’ at The Factory Café between 2 and 3pm every day, where you can receive a free size upgrade on any hot or cold drink from the range!

Other popular restaurant spots in Preston include Angels Restaurant, Lorenzo’s Restaurant & Bar, The Patten Arms and The Silk Route. The Patten Arms is a little way out of the city centre, but very well-known for their traditional Sunday roasts!

Nights Out

When studying at UCLan, every night is student night! With so many bars, pubs and clubs on offer in this city, you’re bound to have a memorable night out wherever you choose. Did you know? Preston ranks as one of the most affordable cities in the UK to buy a beer, with an average pint costing only £3.50!

Bars

If you’re a lover of cocktails, take a trip to ReView, the home of Preston’s famous 360-degrees bar and one of the most popular venues in the city. Kuckoo is another fabulous indie rock and roll venue popular with students. This edgy bar has an abundance of cocktails and loud alternative music, what’s not to love? For cocktails, we’d recommend the Cara-Mac and the Rainbow Road for your sweetie fix.

Pubs

To start your night off right with pre-drinks, Ships and Giggles at UCLan is a great cosy pub with a buzzing atmosphere and very reasonable drinks prices. If you feel like a dance, Evoqdue is the largest nightclub in Preston, blasting all the latest chart music from EDM, to urban, to classic pop. If you class yourself as more of a craft ale lover, The Continental and The Ferret are great places to have a taste test!

Live Entertainment

If you want to see top bands perform, 53 Degrees at the university have hosted popular musicians like The Pigeon Detectives and Professor Green. Mad Ferret just opposite 53 Degrees also host regular live bands as well as an open mic night, so get those vocal chords warmed up! Roper Hall is another fabulous nightclub you’ll fall in love with, a firm favourite amongst students and regulars. Roper is a cheap and cheerful venue and a great place to meet your new university friends.

Clubs

Into bass music & sound system culture? Exit, just off Friargate, is home to some buzzing club nights for students. Keep your eye out for DROP and more regular Friday nights with plenty of special guests from the world of dubstep, UK bass, jungle, D&B and beyond! Just at the top of Friargate is the Adelphi, another large and busy student pub with a cosy heated beer garden.

Wine Bar

Everyone loves a nice refreshing glass of wine, which is why you need to visit Winedown on Lancaster Road, Preston’s unique underground wine bar & deli counter. Just a hop skip and a jump away from The Guild Hall and The Harris Museum, their constantly changing wine list is home to over a whopping 250 different wines. They have over 20 wines by the glass, over 30 sherries, ports, and sweet wines. Pair that with some tasty British and continental cheeses, pork pies, hummus, olives and homemade chutneys and you’re in for the best time!

Alternative Places

The best part about the nightlife in Preston, is the fact that there’s something for every night of the week, so you’ll never find yourself twiddling your thumbs! If you’re in the mood for a more alternative late-night drinking session, try out The Warehouse. They’ve had super cool bands play there such as Joy Division and The Stone Roses with a three-room venue and a strong Indie ethic. Open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, it’s based in the city centre just a short walk from Evoque.

Football

Preston North End FC first began as a cricket team and can be traced as early as 1863! The now professional football club currently play in the EFL championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club has been based at Deepdale since 1875, now one of football’s oldest grounds in terms of continuous use by a major league club. Until 1961, Preston were usually members of the First Division, but having been relegated after the 1960-61 season, they haven’t yet returned to the top. Whilst studying at UCLan, why not grab some tickets to watch Preston North End FC play? Even if you’re not an avid football fan, it’s always great to find out more about the area you’re going to be studying in and living in for the next few years!

More recently, Preston has been known for producing world class cricketer Andrew Flintoff, and athletic icons such as Helen Clitheroe. It’s not all in the past though, today, you can find a whole host of fantastic leisure venues and clubs filled with sports activities for you to enjoy!

Facilities

Check out the UCLan sports arena, providing multi-sport facilities for university students as well as the local Preston community. There’s so many facilities available for students and the general public to utilise, including three grass rugby pitches, a cricket pitch, four tennis courts and even a 3G floodlit football pitch! If you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate student at UCLan Preston Campus, your sports membership is totally free. The membership gives students access to the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre, the UCLan Sports Arena, and activities delivered by University sports staff including exercise classes/fitness suite instruction.

Sports Centre

The Sir Thomas Finney Sports Centre is a multi-million-pound sports centre, consisting of a double sports hall, fitness suite, cardio zone, activity studios, squash court and changing areas. The centre has hosted major events such as Preston City Games, 6 Nations Junior Table Tennis Tournament and the University BUCS finals. UCLan Activities offer over 35 different sports clubs open to all UCLan students. If your sport of choice isn’t represented at UCLan yet, why not get it started? The university set up new groups each year, so if you’d like to start your own, you can go ahead and do so!

Other Activities

There are plenty of other sports activities available outside the university too, if you’re after a bit of fun, why not jump over to the Energi Trampoline Park at Queens Retail Park! Get bouncing and jump into the foam pit and have a go at the climbing wall if you’re feeling brave. Attempt to break out of Escape Reality Preston with your friends or enjoy a classic game of bowling at Preston Rock n’ Bowl. Clip n’ Climb Preston has loads of different climbing walls to get stuck into too, so you can be active and have fun at the same time.

Treat Yourself

Are you ready to shop til’ you drop? Whether you fancy visiting the quaint Preston Markets, a spot of high street shopping or maybe some vintage antique shopping, the city of Preston has it all.

Shopping Centres

St George’s Shopping Centre is the heart of Preston’s shopping scene, and has around 68 shops spanning over two main shopping streets, Fishergate High Street and Friargate. This shopping centre has everything you need under one roof, including big store names such as The Body Shop, HMV, Game, River Island and New Look. If you’re in the mood for something different, St George’s has various offbeat stores, whether you want funky stationary or that one of a kind gift, stores like Kenji, Smiggle and Flying Tiger Copenhagen will be able to sort you out.

Fishergate Shopping Centre has served shoppers of Preston for over 30 years, with three floors ranging from fashion and beauty to homeware and food. The shopping centre is smack bang in the centre of town, making it the perfect place to visit when sprucing up your luxury student accommodation. Whether you’re looking for something specific or just browsing, Fishergate has fabulous shops including Debenhams, Primark, and Lush! There’s also a few venues where you can grab a quick bite to eat, to fuel your shopping spree.

Take a trip to Deepdale Shopping Park on Blackpool Road, just north of Preston city centre, easily accessible by car or public transport. If you’re looking for that perfect outfit for a night out, then look no further! With a range of fashion stores including New Look, Next, Outfit and River Island. Why not stop for a nice meal with your friends and make a day of it? You’re spoilt for choice with delicious eateries at Deepdale Shopping Park, including Pizza Hut, Subway, Frankie and Benny’s and Greggs.

Markets

After an exciting transformation, Preston’s Market Hall provides a modern shopping experience in its fancy contemporary glass and timber-clad structure. The Market Hall sits alongside the revamped Outdoor and second-hand markets, and the Box Market. Grab yourself some deliciously fresh and local produce or stop off at one of the quaint cafes and enjoy a nice warm cup of coffee. Within the market, you’ll find a vast selection of goods including hair and beauty products, wigs, bags, jewellery and mobile phone accessories.

The new Box Market currently hosts trading in locally brewed ales, personalised printed gifts, and vintage clothing. If you’re visiting the Box Market, you must visit Johan’s for a delicious artisan coffee and maybe a snack if you’re feeling hungry. Want to grab yourself a bargain? Head to Preston’s second-hand market and you never know what you may find! Just make sure you head there nice and early so you get first dibs at the bargains.

Events And Attractions

Have a boogie at the annual Caribbean Carnival or take on the Run Preston challenge if you’re feeling brave enough! Whatever you choose, there’s plenty of fun activities to get involved with whilst studying in this fabulous city. Preston’s Caribbean Carnival really do bring the streets of Preston to life, lighting up the streets with colourful costumes every summer.

Festivals

The Lancashire Encounter Festival brings together many artists and performers, to bring the streets of Preston alive with pop up markets, workshops, exhibitions and many more. The festival is an authentic voice for Lancashire, celebrating the county’s diverse cultural offer with high quality and high-profile arts. Preston City Council staged its first Lancashire Encounter festival in 2015 as a pilot, because of its roaring success it was agreed that the event should become a bi-annual cultural festival. The bustling streets create a super memorable and vibrant weekend, bringing together the Lancashire County and those further afield. It’s festivals like this that give you the perfect opportunity to get to know more about the city you’re living and studying in!

Running

For any avid runners out there, why not give Run Preston a try? The annual running challenge takes place in September where over 1,500 runners’ line up to compete in the 2K, 5K and 10K challenge! The scenic route takes runners through Avenham and Miller Park as well as the city centre streets.

Museums And Art

There’s so many fun activities to enjoy to really get to know the city whilst studying here! The Harris Museum and Art Gallery is one of the most popular attractions in the city, with a fabulous collection of fine art, contemporary art, fashion, textiles and many more. The beautiful building is a must visit, and a great opportunity for a day out with your friends.

Get Outdoors

For some beautiful scenery, take a stroll around the Avenham and Miller Park with a stunning Japanese water garden, Sebastabol cannon and a café for a bite to eat. If you head out of Preston, there are some really lovely outdoor spots. Forest of Bowland just to the north is an area of outstanding natural beauty, as well as Beacon Fell, Brock Bottoms, Parlick and Fairsnape Fell, giving you plenty of walking opportunities! To the West is the Lancashire coastline, you’ve got Lytham St Annes, Blackpool and Fleetwood, so get exploring, because the Lancashire countryside awaits.