Coronation Day 1953

A Great Celebration

By Janis Chambers

My mum made the Herald costume with material from my aunt who was in the rag trade. My dad made the trumpet from bits and pieces from his shed. There was a competition for best fancy dress and I won that. Can't remember what the prize was. After the photos in the street my dad took a photo of me in our back garden.

We didn’t have a television but my dad had hired a television from Radio Rentals shop, who I think was in Rose Hill, especially for the Coronation. Our two elderly next door neighbours were invited in to watch it and  I and my sister sat on the floor as we only had four chairs. 

Afterwards  was the  children’s street  party. The mums all got together to make the food and things for the  party and I can remember sitting at a long table in the street with all the children in our small part of Shaftesbury Road , everyone wearing a hat of some sorts and  red white and blue, Union Jacks flying from windows. Mum said her  two small  flags  with wooden canes were from the Coronation of the ‘Old King’ as she always said. I still have those and get them out for Royal occasions.