Preston Guild Lodge
Ambassador’ s Lodge No 13, travelled north and Seaton Challen our Grand Master at the time and to whom the Temple is named consecrated Preston Guild Lodge on Sunday 19th October 1952 accompanied by Grace E. Bilantz and many other Grand Lodge Officers attended the meeting.
We are the daughter of Red Rose of Lancaster Lodge No 19 and it was fitting that our first Wor Master should be Annie Laity.
Our first home was Savoy Street in Preston, the ladies at that time bought the Savoy Street Mission, had a floor put in and so we finished up with the Temple upstairs just below the beams and the downstairs as the social room.
Each member gave £100 to the Building Fund which in 1952 was a lot of money and it was many years before they got it back and even then they did not receive interest, we did however receive a lot of help from amongst others Bro Saynor from Blackpool.
Over the years we have initiated 176 candidates and raised three brethren from Centrum Lodge No 48.
After many happy years at Savoy Street we sold the building to
Lancashire County Council who wanted to extend the car park, and looking at the plot now you would never believe that we used to have 60 or 70 at the Installations upstairs and on two occasions had about 80 for dinner downstairs one for Barbara Ingham who failed to turn up for her Installation -she being in an accident on the morning of her big day, and so the following month we had a special dinner for her, and the other was the second meeting of Ad Intellectum, however as I say we left Savoy Street and moved to the De Trafford at Croston for a few years and then to The Mill also at Croston and finally to Chorley, we have had to be adaptable but we are happy here and hope we shall be here for many years to come.