News

News feeds |

Celebrated with pride

For many people their first experience of television came with Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on July 2, 1953 - 45 years ago this month.

"Television linked Newark with London," said the Advertiser, "with the glitter of the London processions and the coronation service in Westminster Abbey being clearly seen by Newark people crowded around TV sets in churches, chapels and cinemas as well as in private houses.

"In the darkened sitting room at the Millbank old people's homes on Millgate, there was not a dry eye in the place as 12 elderly ladies saw the Queen crowned.

They were veterans of four previous reigns but never before had the coronation meant so much to them, thanks to TV.

"All Newark watched; and later, all Newark celebrated." And what celebrations they were.

Coronation day was designated a public holiday and street parties, the like of which had not been seen since VE Day, were held at many places around the town.

Every child under the age of five was presented with a souvenir coronation spoon by the Corporation, while more than 400 senior citizens were entertained at a coronation tea in the Town Hall the following day.

Coronation Day began in Newark at 7.30am with the 'firing' of the parish church bells, including the ringing of "two Royal salutes of 21".

A concert in the Market Place during the afternoon by the Ransome and Marles band began the outdoor celebrations which later continued on the Sconce Hills.

Here, in spite of a most unseasonal bout of wind and rain, crowds gathered to see games, a deer roasting and a theatrical pageant inspired by the crowning of England's first Queen Elizabeth in January 1559.

Entitled "Queen Elizabeth and her Court", the pageant lasted for about 15 minutes and involved a cast of 35 - all local people.

It was presented in the form of a flashback when a modern soldier in battledress (played by Mr Fred Stoakes) struck up a conversation with the Town Crier, Mr Bert Hall.

They talked of the present coronation and their regret at not being able to compare the two Elizabeths.

At this point the scene faded into history as Queen Elizabeth I appeared (played by Mrs Mary Hopewell) and, after a fanfare of trumpets, began a regal speech which drew parallels between the two reigns.

Members of the Newark Choral Society sang madrigals to give the production an authentic feel. Other events scheduled for Sconce Hills that afternoon included a comic football match (played with a rugby ball), a tug of war, maypole dancing and even a display of chariot racing.

The climax, however, was the ceremonial roasting of a deer, portions of which were served in the form of sandwiches.

Originally it had been the council's intention to roast an ox, but this was vetoed by the Ministry of Food there being, they said, no precedent at previous coronation festivities in the town.

The day ended with the lighting of a bonfire on Beacon Hill which formed part of a country-wide chain.

If anything could have added to the euphoria that surrounded the national celebrations on Coronation Day then it was the arrival of the news that Mount Everest had at last been conquered, and by British climbers.

And in Newark the news added to the sense of rejoicing when it was revealed that one vital element in the success of the expedition - the climbers' boots - had actually been developed in the town.

They were the work of Mr Robert Lawrie who, during the second world war, had run a shoemaker's shop on Stodman Street.


Here, in addition to making boots for local residents and the army, Mr Lawrie began to attract the attention of the government particularly for his specialism in Alpine footwear.

As the war progressed Mr Lawrie became involved in top secret military projects making special boots worn on commando raids in Norway and for sailors on Arctic convoys.

Although after the war Mr Lawrie relocated his business to London, it was as a result of his wartime work in Newark that he landed the contract to supply the boots which conquered Everest.

Much of what was achieved in Newark on Coronation Day 1953 survives now only as cherished memories in the minds of those who were present on the day.

The spirit of optimism -when for a moment the country really did believe it was on the verge of a second Elizabethan age - may still be glimpsed through one or two more permanent memorials which were erected around the town.

In the grounds of Newark Castle a tulip tree (liriodendron) was planted by the mayor, Dr Denys Hine, and in Beaumond Gardens off London Road, two man-made memorials were begun - a part shelter and a giant open-air draughts board (pictured).

The draughts board was officially unveiled on Coronation Day with the opening moves of the first game being made by the mayor and Mr D. P. Blatherwick who had presented the draughts board to the town.

The park shelter, meanwhile, was the work of the Newark and District Association of Building Trades Employers and the Newark and District Federation of Building Trades Operatives -built by the latter using materials supplied by the former.

Both features still survive in Beaumond Gardens today, but have sadly lost much of the air of civic pride which heralded their inauguration.

Over recent years the brick shelter has suffered much from vandalism and is now fenced off in an unsafe condition.

The draughts board has weathered out the years somewhat more successfully but where, I wonder, have the giant draughtsmen gone and how long is it since anyone has been able to enjoy a game there?

Perhaps with the millennium fast approaching the time is right to rejuvenate these monuments and return them to their intended status as reminders of the birth of England's second Elizabethan age.

ABOVE: One of Newark's abiding memorials to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953 - the giant open-air draughts board in Beaumond Gardens off London Road. Here councillor Mr D. P. Blatherwick (who donated the draughts board to the town) is seen making an initial move in the first game after the board had been declared open by mayor Dr Denys Hine.

<Back