Preston Guild Collectables - 1972
for pictures of 1972 collectables, see the 1972 album
1972 was the year of Donny Osmond singing "Puppy Love" and of velvet loon pants. Perhaps more in keeping with Preston's strong working tradition it was also the year of national miners strikes and power cuts, and later in the year Preston Dock was severely affected by a dockers strike. In the United States of America five men burgled a building called Watergate.
It was against this backdrop that the 1972 Guild celebrations took place. The egalitarian trend of the 1952 Guild continued, and although there are many more 1972 commemorative pieces available in comparison to 1952, most of the china and pottery designs of this period are similar, and many are made by the same manufacturer. Many items other than china or pottery were mass produced, and in 1972 items such as a Preston Guild pack of cards would have been quite novel.
The 1972 Guild Mayor and Mayoress were Fred Grey and his sister, Evelyn, and they do not appear to be commemorated on any of the pottery of the time, but their images do appear on the medals. Fred Gray had been in the cotton trade, and worked in the RAF during the war and later worked in the family jewel business. He had been involved in local politics since 1939. Sadly Fred died in April 1973, with 37 days to go before the end of his Guild Mayoral year of office. The New Town Hall, which is depicted on the back of many of the 1972 pieces, was demolished in 1963, following a serious fire after a Police Ball in 1947. The now nationally famous - mainly for concerts and snooker competitions - Preston Guild Hall was not finished in time for the 1972 celebrations.
