2023 Coronation of King Charles III
2022 Proclamation of King Charles III
2022 Platinum (70) Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth
2012 Diamond (60) Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth
2022 Golden (50) Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth
1977 Diamond (25) Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth
1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
1945 VE day (Victory in Europe)
1902 Coronation of King Edward VII
1897 Diamond (60) Jubilee of Queen Victoria
1838 Coronation of Queen Victoria
Gwydir Street displays
My own window display
The post box on Riverside got crowned, so did the Dinky Door next to it!
This eco-friendly crown was outside Trinity, near the Isaac newton apple tree. Note the sly crack "To mark the Coronation of Trinity alumnus His Majesty King Charles III".
Gwydir Street did a dawn chorus in Mill Road cemetery. Quite a good turn-out for 5am! (The last photo proves we did get up at dawn.) Sorry about the poor quality of photos - the light was too low for my camera. We heard chiff chaff, stock dove, as well as blackbirds, robins, great tits, and LOTS of pigeons!
Gwydir Street planted a Ceanothus 'Concha' outside dales Brewery.
From the Cambridge Independent:
The city of Cambridge will celebrate the coronation of King Charles III with a celebration and pageant event this Sunday (May 7), inviting 2,000 guests from the city and surrounding region. Attendees will be selected by local charities working within the community. In particular, the organisers of the event will also be working closely with local charity Romsey Mill to invite 1,000 disadvantaged individuals and families from Cambridge city and surrounding areas to attend this day of celebration. The event will take place in the afternoon and will include a feast, pageant and entertainment. Attendees will each be assigned a table from which they will be able to view the festivities and enjoy a meal, provided by some of Cambridgeshire's finest producers... The Feast on the Piece will take place on Parker's Piece - the very location of the coronation feast held to honour the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838 [see below]. Held 185 years later, the 2023 event will echo this grand moment in the city's history.
Other local street parties, one on St Matthews Piece, and one in Mackenzie Road.
Cambridge allows all points of view...
King Charles III was proclaimed king outside Cambridge Guildhall, next to the market, 11 September 2022. This was read by the High Sheriff. Then we all cried "God save the King" and sang the Natyional Anthem, trying to remember to alter all the pronouns....
Lighting the beacon on Castle Hill
Gwydir Street Community Tea 2022
A house in Gwydir Street wished to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth in 2012.
There was a street party as well. Click here for more photos.
Gwydir Street had a street party during Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee weekend (June 1st 2002). This is part of the picnic, outside the Cambridge Blue. Click here for more photos.
Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee was in 1977, as shown in this display in a sweet shop on Mill shop. The Union Jack was painted, but the centre display was entirely made of sweets. In Cambridge, the beacon was lit from the top of Castle Mound - the closest approach to a mountain locally. Ely had to light a rocket from the top of the cathedral! The pubs were open all day, a rare event then.
Cambridge Market Square with coronation decorations
Queen Elizabeth's coronation was in 1953, the year after her father, George VI, died. I was born in that year, which is why I have these souvenirs.
I found this in a charity shop in 2022.
Gwydir Street celebrating the end of war in Europe (VE Day) in 1945. You can see an air raid shelter in the background. This can also be seen on the page for no. 60.
From Mike Petty's column "Memories" (26 February 2003) in the Cambridge Evening News.: Dorothy Allen was born at number 44 in 1932 and remembers the street party held at the end of the war. She remembers there was a fancy dress competition; she went along dressed as the girl from the Mackintosh s Toffee tin and won third prize in her category.
Click on photo for a larger version.
Devonshire Road's VE Party. Jim Wingett (ex 49 Devonshire Road) wrote to me saying "The vicar on the right of the photograph is the Reverend Rushton from St. Barnabas Chuch Mill Road. The girl to the left is Mary Gardener, next to her is her sister whose name I forget, then John Sprague, next and hidden from view was me. To the right is an unknown infant and next to him is my brother Michael who still lives in Cambridge. I believe the lady standing at the left was Mrs Zeobel who escaped from Nazi Germany. The second kid in from the right is my brother Michael worrying that there don't seem many buns for all those people."
This medallion was found in a garden shed in Gwydir Street. It commemorate the coronation of Edward VII 'King of Great Britain and Ireland, Emperor of India' in 1902. The other side says 'Borough of Cambridge - George Kett JP Mayor - Coronation Year' with the city coat of arms.
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was in 1897, seen at the top of this plaque on a wall in the old Pye site (now the Gwydir Enterprise Centre) off Gwydir Street. It also mentions Canada, Australia, Africa, W.Indies, N-Zealand, Burmah, Gibralr, Malta, Cyprus, Egypt, Empress of India and Victoria 60 years Queen of Great Britain & Ireland. There is an identical wall plaque in Hough Leyland, also in the following places:
Witney, Oxfordshire
Llandrindod Wells
Beccles, Suffolk
Lincoln (with article)
various locations in Leicestershire and elsewhere (with article)
The Leicestershire article (a newspaper one) mentions a couple of locations in Cambridgeshire: "The plaques were intended for use on the outside of buildings in course of erection in the latter half of the anniversary year (the actual date of the accession in 1837 was June 20). For instance, the foundation stone of the village hall at Fordham in Cambridgeshire, which displays a plaque, was laid in August 1897. In practice, however, the plaques were fixed on older buildings as well, for patriotic display. Two were erected indoors, one in the Victorian-theme dining room of the Queen's Hotel in Birmingham, which was demolished in the 1960s. Its fate is not known. The other is in a public house in Cambridge." [I wonder which one!]
It also describes the background to the plaque. There was an earlier plaque design for 1887. "There is a marked disparity between the numbers recorded for 1887 and 1897. According to contemporary reports, the 1887 celebrations were quite low-key compared with those in 1897. The possibilities of a great celebration in 1897 were first discussed after the 1887 jubilee, though it was not until 1896 that public interest was thoroughly aroused. Industry also responded, including the makers of the plaque, who brought the 1887 mould out of store (had it been carefully stored for this possibility?). They altered the figures to adapt the plaque for 1897 and displayed it on their stand at a building exhibition early in 1897! It was noticed in The British Clayworker of April 1897, with an illustration, stating that it was designed by Stanley Bros of Nuneaton, being manufactured in buff and red terracotta, and also in glazed ware. No mention was made of its use in 1887. Stanley Bros, still in business in Nuneaton, could give me no information, as all their old records had been destroyed. They even searched their mould store for the mould, on the off-chance that it might lie hidden there, but to no avail. The Nuneaton area has a varied supply of clays, ranging from the red Keuper marl (or Mercia mudstone) to the buff, beige and greyish types of the coal measures, all of which are suitable for the plaques." By the way, another reference says "the company [Stanley Brothers] continued on until 1986", which suggests this is an old article!
The Lincolnshire article says "The earlier 1887 plaques were of solid construction but the 1897 version had a partially hollowed back, either to reduce weight or to aid fitting to the buildings. Examples of the plaques were on show at a Building Exhibition early in 1897 and they were described as: 'A Diamond Jubilee Panel. Messrs Stanley Bros Ltd of Nuneaton, have designed a very effective Diamond Jubilee panel in terracotta, which Jubilee houses and memorial buildings will hardly be complete without the use of. The panel was shown in the excellent stand erected by Messrs Stanley at the Building Exhibition, and has a clean and striking appearance. The measurement is 24 by 24, being made in buff and red terracotta, and also in glazed ware.'" Unlike many memorials to this great event, the plaques were not generally placed on major public buildings but were designed for use on any building being erected between the June celebrations and the end of the Jubilee year. This was a time of extensive building activity."
My own feelings about this - there were builders connected with this site, and the building looks Victorian, perhaps a builder's store or workshop, so perhaps one of the builders bought this, perhaps at the Builders Exhibition (see above) to impress his customers! But another possibility is that this isn't the original location, and the plaque got moved here at some point, possibly even fairly recently, to decorate this wall. This is not only the entrance to the Enterprise Centre, but is also a route into the cemetery. I think it's been here as long as I have (moved here in 1979), but I would be interested in any other memories of this.
Click on photo for larger version.
On the 28th of June, 1838, the Municipality of Cambridge organised one of the largest banquets ever prepared at Parker's Piece to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Victoria. The total number of participants was 32,000, with 15,000 diners and 17,000 spectators, at a time when the population of Cambridge was less than 30,000. The dinner itself - for the 'deserving poor' was free - but tickets were sold to the spectators. In total, the diners consumed 1,015 stone of meat, 72 lbs of mustard, 140lbs of salt, 125 gallons of pickles, 4,500 loaves of bread, 1,608 plum puddings of 6.5 lbs each, and 99 barrels of ale (3 pints per man, 1 pint per woman, and 1/2 a pint per child). Not only was it one of the largest banquets, but it was organised in just 13 days!
This information is taken from a display in the Hobb's Pavilion, during the 'Skipathon 2017' (a revivial of an ancient custom of skipping on Parker's Piece on Good Friday).
