Geograph - photograph every grid square

Preston is the last place in the UK to have preserved the traditional Guild celebrations. It only happens once every twenty years, so the next will be in 2032. Preston was granted the right to have a guild merchant by King Henry II in 1179 and also received its first Royal Charter that year.

The Guild was an organisation of traders, craftsmen and merchants. It had the monopoly of trade in Preston. Only its members were allowed to carry out their craft or business. The practice of celebrating the Guild is known to go back to at least 1397, but could be much earlier. The Trades Procession can be definitely traced back to 1762, but again this could have originated earlier.

Today the celebrations carry on for a week or so and include many different processions, and events including musical ones.

The Trades Procession included around 100 floats plus bands, dancers and other participants. It took about two hours to pass by. This series of photographs, a selection of the more interesting parts of the procession, was taken from a temporary seated stand in Earl Street.