AS THE nation prepares to celebrate the Queen’s 70th anniversary as our monarch, a new exhibition looks at her connections to the Royal county.
Berkshire Record Office will unveil its regal display from Thursday, May 26, showcasing rare photos from her reign.
Highlights include pictures of how Reading celebrated the Queen’s Coronation back in 1953, including decorations around Jackson’s Corner in the town centre, souvenirs, such as tickets, a programme and a napkin from the 1953 Coronation Carnival in Newbury.
There are also pictures of the silver jubilee celebrations in 1977, including a fancy dress parade, sporting activities at the Town Farm and tree planting in Bisham.
Mark Stevens, County Archivist, said: “The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is a great and unique event.
“Berkshire has been host to many royal occasions over the past 70 years and it is a pleasure to highlight some of these, and, in doing so, to honour Her Majesty’s longstanding connection to our Royal County.”
The Queen’s connection with Berkshire started before her ascension to the throne.
On July 5, 1947, a young Princess Elizabeth was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Windsor at a ceremony held in the Home Park.
As part of the event, she made a declaration to be ‘subject and obedient to all the good order and customs of this borough’ and signed the Freeman’s book.
This is the earliest event demonstrating Her Majesty’s long association with the county that the exhibition covers.
For the coronation, The Reading Standard reported on local activities including ‘processions and parades, carnivals and displays, sports and games and hundreds of teas’.
Neighbouring Newbury held a Coronation Carnival, an event which was reported to be the biggest show ever staged locally. It included nearly 60 decorated vehicles and many fancy-dress characters.
Tickets were issued, entitling holders to a seat on the route of the procession. Souvenirs, such as tickets, a programme and even a napkin from the event, will all be available to view.
Along with events organised by local communities, there was also more formal celebrations held to mark Jubilees. On Friday, May 10, 2002 the Berkshire Golden Youth Event was held at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. More than 1,000 children were invited and the Queen and Prince Philip attended. The youngsters demonstrated their skills and achievements in sport, arts, culture, leisure, and community service.
Formal monuments have also been constructed. To commemorate the Diamond Jubilee, the Windsor and Eton Society held a competition for people to design a monument to mark the occasion. The competition was won by teenager Caroline Basra with her design of a spiral of 60 spheres. Her Majesty unveiled this monument, which was installed in the King Edward Court, on October 9, 2012.
Throughout her long reign, the Queen has attended many official events in Berkshire.
Prints on display includes presenting new regimental ‘Colours’ to troops at Sandhurst in 1974; the opening of Shire Hall at Shinfield Park in 1982, to the more recent opening of the Britwell Centre, Slough, in 2013, and a visit to Bracknell to view the redevelopments in 2018.
Cllr Karen Rowland, Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for culture, said: “As we all come together to celebrate the Queen’s lifetime of service as part of her Platinum Jubilee, I’m delighted by the wide range of wonderful events and activities we are hosting in Reading.
“I’m really pleased Berkshire Record Office has added to the Jubilee offer with their fabulous new royal-themed exhibition Happy and Glorious, and I encourage everyone to come along to check out their fascinating displays – or visit the Berkshire Record Office website to find out more.”
This free exhibition runs until Friday, August 26, and is open from Tuesdays to Thursdays 9am to 5pm, and 9am to 4.30pm on Friday.
For more details, log on to whatsonreading.com, or visit the Berkshire Record Office website, www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk
For the many other Jubilee events and activities on offer visit: www.reading.gov.uk/news/reading-hosts-four-day-jubilee-extravaganza-in-june
