| Date | 1 June 2012 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | WN-0003 |
| Volume | WLHG in the News |
| Collection | WLHG in the News |
Transcript
Lasting Jubilee memories
Views of the past by Elias Kupfermann
IN WINDSOR there are many surviving monuments celebrating the jubilees of Kings and Queens.
The earliest was constructed in celebration of the Jubilee of George III in 1809, an obelisk in Bachelor’s Acre.
An ox roast was held, which has now become tradition, with one being held on Queen Victoria’s jubilees of 1887 and 1897 and in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee of the present Queen.
An ox roast will take place on Monday at Alexandra Gardens, to mark The Queen’s 60-year reign.
In 1887, a statue celebrating Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee was unveiled at Castle Hill. The statue of Queen Victoria was cast in bronze and designed by Sir Edgar Boehm. The cost was covered by subscriptions from Windsor residents.
In 1897, as part of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, a decorated canopy was built over the Jubilee statue. Although this appeared to be stone, it was actually made of painted canvas and wood. This same method was used for an arch at Windsor Bridge.
Also as part of the Golden Jubilee, the GWR station, in Thames Street, was refurbished and the Diamond Jubilee Archway at Station Approach, the only permanent archway to survive, was built.
One monument which, sadly, did not survive from Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee was a fountain, built in 1887 by Henri J Henry of Queensmead, now Brigidine School.
The fountain stood at the junction with King’s Road and Osborne Road.
Much to public outcry, the fountain was dismantled in 1940 with a view to moving it elsewhere in Windsor. The fountain was last spotted within the council nursery, in Maidenhead Road, in the 1940s, but its whereabouts are now unknown.
If anyone has any information about where it might be, email observernews@berksmedia.co.uk and put ‘Fountain‘ in the subject.
The latest monument to survive was a fountain adjacent to the Guildhall commemorating the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.
The celebrations for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which will take place this weekend, will no doubt see many more monuments, such as a sculpture of two of the Windsor Greys used to draw carriages for all state occasions and during Royal Ascot week.
There also plans for a new Jubilee window at The Guildhall, in High Street, by the Royal Albert Institute Trust.
Similarly, exhibitions celebrating past jubilees and Royal occasions will be held at the Windsor And Royal Borough Museum in The Guildhall and at Windsor Library.
CELEBRATIONS: Above, decorated canopy for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Left, a rare view of a Golden Jubilee statue for Queen Victoria, in 1887 near Brigidine School. Copyright Windsor And Royal Borough Museum.
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