Swanley History Group – June 2016 meeting
The topic of our June meeting, ‘A Right Royal Show’, reflected the Official 90th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the same week. Archaeologist and local Historian
Chris Baker showed slides of photographs, taken during events and visits made by various members of Royalty to the Dartford area.
The Town certainly knew how to ‘fly the flag’ for each occasion with every building covered in bunting, flags and lights. Citizens lined the roads and vehicles, including trams and horse-drawn floats, were decked out in flamboyant style
One of the first slides shown was of celebrations in Dartford High Street on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. This event was the first of limited appearances of her in public, after her long mourning period for her Consort
Prince Albert who died in December 1861.
King George V certainly looked like he was enjoying the dances in national costumes performed by the students of The Madame Osterberg College (known locally as ‘The Muscle Factory) in 1918.
Everyone seemed to be having fun in various scenes of Coronation and Jubilee street parties provided by various schools and communities. In one slide the workers from the nearby mill, all wearing flat caps, are shown celebrating the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935 outside the Phoenix, one of four pubs in Lower Hythe Street at that time.
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Members of the Royal Family have also been busy opening all sorts of things in Dartford over the years – including the extension to Livingstone Hospital; North West Kent College in Miskin Road and Stone Lodge Rifle Range. A visit by Princess Anne to open the Out Patient’s Department at West Hill Hospital did not go quite as expected when her helicopter developed engine problems. Mick Jagger looked smart in a pale grey suit standing next to the Duke of Kent at the opening of The Mick Jagger Centre in 2000.
Christina Tyler, Programme Organiser
The topic of our June meeting, ‘A Right Royal Show’, reflected the Official 90th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the same week. Archaeologist and local Historian
Chris Baker showed slides of photographs, taken during events and visits made by various members of Royalty to the Dartford area.
The Town certainly knew how to ‘fly the flag’ for each occasion with every building covered in bunting, flags and lights. Citizens lined the roads and vehicles, including trams and horse-drawn floats, were decked out in flamboyant style
One of the first slides shown was of celebrations in Dartford High Street on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. This event was the first of limited appearances of her in public, after her long mourning period for her Consort
Prince Albert who died in December 1861.
King George V certainly looked like he was enjoying the dances in national costumes performed by the students of The Madame Osterberg College (known locally as ‘The Muscle Factory) in 1918.
Everyone seemed to be having fun in various scenes of Coronation and Jubilee street parties provided by various schools and communities. In one slide the workers from the nearby mill, all wearing flat caps, are shown celebrating the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935 outside the Phoenix, one of four pubs in Lower Hythe Street at that time.
.
Members of the Royal Family have also been busy opening all sorts of things in Dartford over the years – including the extension to Livingstone Hospital; North West Kent College in Miskin Road and Stone Lodge Rifle Range. A visit by Princess Anne to open the Out Patient’s Department at West Hill Hospital did not go quite as expected when her helicopter developed engine problems. Mick Jagger looked smart in a pale grey suit standing next to the Duke of Kent at the opening of The Mick Jagger Centre in 2000.
Christina Tyler, Programme Organiser