Ancestor Gateway Forum - STAMFORD MEMORIES GATEWAY (Lincolnshire England) used as PRIDE and PREJUDICE FILM SET New Topic  |  Search Thread Topic: The Coronation 1953 Topic Originator: Mike Laughton Post Date June 4, 2013 @ 7:00 AM  The Coronation 1953 Mike Laughton June 4, 2013 @ 7:00 AM Reply  |  Email  |  Print  |  Top All the nostalgia on TV surrounding the 60th Anniversary of the Queen's Coronation has jogged my memory of how we celebrated the event in Stamford. I was ten-years-old at the time and  I remember  the Marquess of Exeter had arranged for three television sets to be placed in the Assembly Rooms (now the Stamford Arts Centre Ballroom) so that people without their own TV sets could watch the Coronation. But so many townsfolk turned up that we couldn't get anywhere near the televisions with the result that only a handful of people who had hoped to see the event on TV actually got to watch it. Fortunately the Rank Organisation made a film of the Coronation in colour and this was released in Cinemas all over the country, including Stamford, within a few days of the ceremony. I think the Coronation  film was called "A Queen is Crowned". Coronation Day itself was a miserable rainy day. The highlight for children of school age in the town was two big tea parties (one for Under 11s and another for the Over 11s) in a giant marquee which had been specially erected for the event on the Recreation Ground. Those of us who were under 11 were presented with a blue Coronation beaker at school while the over 11s were given a Coronation mug at the tea party. For some reason I missed the under 11s tea party but was allowed to attend the over 11s party so I finished up with a souvenir beaker and a mug. I still have them both. Anyone else have similar memories of Coronation Day?