LODGE BANNER REDEDICATION

The members of Preston Guild Lodge No 4408 welcomed the Mayor of Preston Councillor Yakub Patel and other distinguished guests to witness their banner rededication ceremony which was held at Preston Masonic Hall.

During the centenary celebrations of Preston Guild Lodge, the members noted that the lodge banner was in a fairly desperate state. Handmade and embroidered in pure silk by the craftsmen and women of Stephen Simpson Ltd at the Gold Thread Works in Avenham, it is a piece of history and heritage in its own right.

Made in 1927, it was clear that some of the delicate silk had begun to shatter and the embroidery was looking worse for wear. One idea was to put the banner in a frame and buy a new one. But the members felt the tradition and history would be lost. It was decided that the banner must be restored if possible.

The People’s History Museum in Manchester was recommended to the lodge. This is a charity and they have a restoration studio to generate income. This idea sat really well with the lodge’s commitment to charity. A new one was not cheap but expert restoration was even more expensive. The members set up a Fabric Fund to save up to make the repairs. This was expected to take some time and time was something the banner did not have.

A suggestion was made to make an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The banner is a heritage piece and the terms and conditions were reviewed. But why is it a heritage piece? The manufacturer was world famous for gold and silver thread as well as the highest standards of embroidery. Stephen Simpson Ltd had a world reputation and represented the pinnacle of Preston’s textile industry.

The design featured the 1862 Town and Guild Hall, expertly hand embroidered as the centre. Sadly, this building was destroyed by fire in 1947. In fact, the lodge have a cine film of an event in the Town Hall in 1947, just three weeks before the fire and at the end of the film, the burnt-out wreckage has been captured.

That magnificent building was the epitome of Preston’s wealth from its industry. The basic design was created by John Hunt, John was a founder member of the lodge, a renown silversmith and Mayor of the Town in 1927. In that year he received the King of Egypt into the town and was honoured with the Order of the Nile by the King on behalf of the citizens.