WE DON'T GO BACK THAT FAR. WE DO NOW! THE OLDEST SUPERBOOK WE HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT IS 104 THIS YEAR. THE BOOK OF THE HISTORICAL PAGEANT OF THE PRESTON GILD, 1922. A CIVIC FESTIVAL PERFORMED BY 11,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN, WITNESSED BY 100,000 PEOPLE AND IN RESULTING IN ONE BRILLIANT BOOK.
This is that book. Printed and published in Preston in 1922. The Preston Gild was a civic body, originally being representative of the town's tradespeople. Curiously, we have just written about the original Jamie Hawkesworth Preston Bus Station newspaper. Before you think you have been signed up for some Lancastrian local newsletter - it is a coincidence!
The 1922 festivities were coordinated by one A.J Berry who deemed this religious / folklorish celebration, following so soon after the end of the first world war, to be entirely performed by children. This was uncommon not just for Preston but also the rest of the country. In total, 11,000 children dressed up for the three day event, 5000 of which were in a single choir! There are some amazing faces in the seventy or so tableaux photographs.
He, or possibly she, is our current favourite :)
At one point the children spelled out the word PAX, which hopefully everyone reading knows is Latin for peace.
Girls of the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus as Angels in the Mystery Play.
Less religiously minded, are the Nursery Rhyme Folk: Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake baker's man, Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross to see a lady on a white horse, Little Red Riding Hood, and Simple Simon going a-fishing.
There is only one colour plate. The Frontispiece showing the Crib, which was made by Mr. Rutter of the Maitland Street Woodwork Centre. And if that is not Mr. Rutter as Joseph, and actually a child, as advertised, then they are standing on a box under those robes!
At the top: The Bodyguard Of Roger De Poitou. The military bearing of these "young ladies" was sufficiently pronounced to suggest chivalrous knights. They belonged to Eldon Street School.
We are quoting from the book, hence the " " around young ladies.
The Daffodil Girls of Wales. Also quoting the text:
The characters are from Christ Church Girls' School under the direction of Miss Houseman, who was responsible also for the Central Needlework Department of the Pageant. The daffodil is really the asphodel of the Greeks, but apparently by a sort of "punning" etymology (taffy-dil) the daffodil has supplanted the "leek" as the emblem of Wales to accord with the floral emblems of England and Scotland.
Just to give some sense of scale. 100,000 people attended. Preston was not yet a city and only had a population of 130,000 at the time. So, very likely, allowing for everyone who was in it, the emergency services and discounting patients on emergency wards, it would have been damn close to 100% turn out.
The 1922 Preston Historical Pageant was HISTORIC! And the book is the best thing we have seen in 104 years! it is rare now, of course, but that should not stop you buying it on the button below.