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Preston, Lancashire (England)

image by Jason Saber, 23 March 2012

Description of the Flag
Former flag

Description of the Flag

The "Lancashire Evening Post" reported, 6 October 2010, a proposal of flag for the town of Preston, as follows:

Philip Tibbetts, 26, of West Park Avenue, Ashton, has designed flags for towns and villages across the country and wants the city to have its own. [...]
He started designing flags and attending the Parliamentary Flags and Heraldry Committee in London, creating one on behalf of the Finchfield Community Association, in the West Midlands, which is registered with The Flag Institute's Flag Registry.[...]
Philip, who has worked as a strategist at BAE since 2007, added: "I've contacted the Preston Guild in the hope for a possible Preston flag so I'm talking with them." [...]
Philip said: "The flag is white in reference to the Lilywhite nickname of Preston North End, while the navy blue references the stripes that appear in the traditional kits of both the football socks and rugby club strip shirts. "The navy blue is formed of two crosses, which leaves a thin white gap between them. These represent how Preston is a transport hub central to Lancashire, being a crossroads for both the motorway and railway networks. "The two crosses form the impression of a larger cross indicating the religious heritage of the town. The paschal lamb is on the cross, the traditional symbol of the city."

Philip has also designed 28 flags for the Chorley borough.
http://www.lep.co.uk/news/features_2_1844/philip_flags_up_his_idea_for_city_s_new_ensign_1_1811569
As can be seen on the photo attached to the article, the proposed flag is white is a double blue cross, whose center is made of a blue square charged with the paschal lamb.
Ivan Sache, 9 October 2010

I can report that a flag for the Lancashire town of Preston has been registered, produced by noted vexillologist Philip Tibbetts.

The flag is white in reference to the Lilywhite nickname of Preston North End, while the navy blue references the stripes that appear in the traditional kits of both the football socks and rugby club strip shirts. "The navy blue is formed of two crosses, which leaves a thin white gap between them. These represent how Preston is a transport hub central to Lancashire, being a crossroads for both the motorway and railway networks. "The two crosses form the impression of a larger cross indicating the religious heritage of the town - the name Preston deriving from 'Priest's Town'. The paschal lamb, the traditional symbol of the city that recalls St Wilfrid, is placed on the centre of the cross.
Jason Saber, 23 March 2012

Former Flag

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 14 September 2007

The web page at http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/prestonian/preston.htm reports along with some other information about the city:

"The "PP" in the coat of arms is said by locals to stand for Proud Preston or Preston - Priest's town, this may be because of the historic association of the church and town and certainly in the coat of arms or seal it was originally a standing lamb with banner flag - the emblem of St. Wilfrid. When the parish church changed its name to St. John in Tudor times, the pragmatic townsmen sat the lamb down and it became the emblem of St. John the Baptist. It was the wrong St. John, but they probably thought it would be standing up again soon! With regard to the 'PP' in the coat of arms it is also said it may stand for Princeps Pacis, Prince of Peace or Preston-Preston. In 1376 there were no Ps in the town seal; in 1402 there were three Ps arranged decoratively on either side and below the standing lamb. In later times one of the Ps was lost and the other two ended up below the seated lamb."
James Dignan, 14 September 2007

It has to be said that the white Paschal lamb on a blue field is almost certainly several hundred years old (if not early medieval). The shield displayed on a white ground is, however, new to me, because for at least forty years or so the flag of Preston Borough Council (not often flown) was a banner of arms i.e., a white Paschal lamb on a blue field with PP in gold below. Local tradition, by the way, says that "PP" stands for Proud Preston, but it is not impossible that it does stand (or originally stood) for Prince of Peace. It is also worth remarking that the blue that I have often seen used is much darker than that shown on the image here, but I will try to confirm current practice in the next day or so.
Christopher Southworth, 12 November 2007

I have spoken this morning to His Worship the Mayor of Preston, and he confirms that the City (from any of its offices) no longer flies a flag of its own. He is also unaware of any flag showing a shield on a white ground, that the only flag he knows about is a banner of the town's arms which was occasionally used formerly but which has now been retired (following the Prime Minister's recent request [to make greater use of the Union Flag]) and the Union Flag flown in its place. The Council "replaces the Union Flag with the Flag of St George on St George's day and the camp flag of our local regiment on the anniversary of its foundation".
Christopher Southworth, 13 November 2007

Detail of arms

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 14 September 2007