Silver trays and mayoral chains. Ceremonial maces and commemorative keys. Trophies presented at moments of civic pride, and jewels worn by the members of clubs that served their communities for decades. The Council Regalia and Silverware collection holds objects that might, at first glance, seem purely ceremonial, but look a little closer, and each one tells a story about the people and the places of Wyre.
Some pieces speak of formal civic life. Wyre Council’s ceremonial mace, the mayoral chains of Fleetwood Urban District Council dating from 1934, and the chairman’s chain of Poulton Urban District Council from 1900 are the material expressions of local government, objects that have presided over meetings, inaugurations, and public occasions across more than a century of community leadership. The ceremonial trowel marking the opening of Cleveleys’ new promenade in 1927 captures a moment of civic ambition, preserved in silver long after the occasion has passed.
Others reflect the bonds between Wyre and the wider world. Among the most distinctive pieces is a silver platter presented to the Borough of Fleetwood by the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses on the occasion of a visit by HMS Fleetwood to the port in June 1949 — a tangible link between a proud fishing town and the Royal Navy vessel that shared its name. Elsewhere, a silver lion presented to the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment in 2018 speaks to Wyre’s continuing ties to the armed forces.
Community life beyond the council chamber is represented too. The Regalia and Jewels of the Inner Wheel Club of Thornton Cleveleys, spanning from the club’s founding in 1938 through to its closure in 2021, are a poignant record of more than eighty years of fellowship and service. The Ian Perkin Memorial Trophy, the Buccleuch Perpetual Cup, and the President’s chain of Poulton-le-Fylde Chamber of Trade all speak to the organisations and individuals who shaped civic and commercial life in the borough.
Taken together, these objects are more than silver and gold. They are the physical memory of Wyre’s public life, passed from hand to hand, worn on civic occasions, and now preserved here so that the communities they served are never forgotten.
