A look back at how a Cumbrian village has celebrated Royal events

Milnthorpe likes celebrating ‘royal’ events. Yet,  only once, (while on her  Westmorland tour in 1956), has the Queen actually visited the village.

On other rare occasions, Milnthorpe was graced by King William IV’s widow, Queen Adelaide, who called at the Cross Keys in July 1840.

In 1927 The Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) came through after he had opened the Heversham by-pass –‘The Prince’s Way’ in 1927.

 Subsequently, Princess Anne opened  Hartwell House Care home. Earlier in the 1950s, although she was not glimpsed, the Queen Mother stayed overnight in The Royal train drawn up on the Furness  Branch line overlooking  Milnthorpe Marsh.

Tea party held for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011

READ MORE: Historian announces launch of new book looking back at a village throughout the Queen's reign

Yet, if only to ‘out-do’ festivities in other villages,  Milnthorpe folk have enjoyed putting on a good show. For Queen Victoria’s Coronation, in 1838,  there were sports and a tea party. 

In 1840, a children’s procession with ‘ever-green emblems carried by the teachers’   marked ‘her Bridal Day’  when, also,  ‘200 married people, widows and widowers sat down for a dinner of roast beef’.

Memories, of Victoria’s  Golden and Diamond Jubilees in  1887  and  1897  are still recalled by sycamore trees planted around the Village Green. Around one tree a seat was set up for our Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977.

It was partly provided out of money raised by a history exhibition and a book,  ‘Our Village’.   In 1902 Edward VII’s coronation was celebrated twice because the projected ceremony in June was postponed when the King went down with appendicitis but,  as everything was ready, the Sports and feasts went ahead.  

In 2002 a large cake filled the Church to celebrate The Golden Jubilee

After the actual coronation, in August, the village’s crowning event was a mock ‘sea’ battle on the River Bela featuring  ‘ stove-pipe guns’ and the storming of a ‘ camp’ in Dallam Park.

Nine years later George V’s Coronation was marked by a display of 2000  Bonfires including 24 in Westmorland. Judging by the photos,  Milnthorpe’s beacon was lower than  Heversham’s but from its 350 high sites, on Haverbrack,  9 other fire’s could be seen.

George VI’s  1937 Coronation featured the customary fancy dress parade, which was viewed by village lads from the roof of the recently erected public lavatories. For our present Queen's Coronation in 1953, Roger Bingham won a Fancy Dress prize as ‘Shakespeare’.

He then went up to Heversham where, as the youngest Boy Scout, he lit the Bonfire –and made a speech.  Meanwhile,  down at Milnthorpe, the village Scouts scandalously got drunk, around the fire,  from vintage cider provided by the Squire, Sir Maurice Bromley- Wilson.