Monuments of jubilation

Transcript

Monuments of jubilation

ROYAL jubilees have been celebrated in England since the medieval period.

The earliest kings to celebrate 50 years of rule were Edward III in 1265 and Henry III in 1377.

The celebration of these medieval monarchs’ reigns were somewhat different to the pomp and circumstance we now associate with the reigns of the House of Windsor.

The celebrations of the early kings consisted principally of religious observances, pardons to certain offenders and criminals, and other acts of piety.

This was so different to the Jubilee of George III held in Windsor in 1809. It is from this date that monuments were erected in Windsor and Eton to commemorate Royal jubilees – Here are some of the monuments which have either survived or have disappeared over the last two centuries:

(Caption text on the right-hand column)

1. Jubilee arch erected to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee (1887) at the end of Slough Road, Eton. The Jubilee arches throughout Windsor were erected by A. Y. Nutt, assistant architect and later surveyor of St George’s Chapel. Although they look like stone edifices, they are constructed of timber and painted canvas. The various Jubilee arches erected throughout Windsor were all temporary structures.

2. A decorated canopy was erected around Queen Victoria’s statue in 1897 in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.

3. The Diamond Jubilee Archway at Station Approach to the Great Western Railway (just off Thames Street) is the only permanent arch to have remained from Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. The arch was erected as part of a general refurbishment of the station in 1897.

4. Plaque on the Jubilee Fountain adjacent to Guildhall commemorating the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.

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