Commemorative Plate for the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953

Description:

This china plate was produced to commemorate the coronation of Elizabeth II which took place on 2nd June 1953 at Westminster Abbey, London. The plate was produced by Washington Pottery located in Hanley, England. Many other similar items were produced at the time and are still very collectable today. A commemorative china mug was given to all schoolchildren.

Elizabeth II was 25 years old when she acceded to the throne upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952. The coronation was held more than one year later because of the tradition of allowing an appropriate length of time to pass after a monarch dies before holding such festivals.  During the service, Elizabeth took an oath, was anointed with holy oil, invested with robes and regalia, and crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

Celebrations took place across the Commonwealth realms and a commemorative medal was issued. It was the first British coronation to be fully televised; television cameras had not been allowed inside the abbey during her father’s coronation in 1937. Millions across Britain watched the coronation live on the BBC Television Service, and many purchased or rented television sets for the event.

Norman Hartnell was commissioned by the Queen to design the outfits for all members of the royal family, including Elizabeth’s coronation gown. The Queens gown was a white silk dress embroidered with floral emblems of the countries of the Commonwealth at the time: the Tudor rose of England, Scottish thistle, Welsh leek, shamrock for Northern Ireland, wattle of Australia, maple leaf of Canada, the New Zealand silver fern, South Africa’s protea, two lotus flowers for India and Ceylon, and Pakistan’s wheat, cotton and jute.

The Coronation Bouquet was made up of white flowers – comprising of orchids and lilies-of-the-valley from England, stephanotis from Scotland, orchids from Wales, and carnations from Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.