Ahead of the coronation of King Charles III on 6 May, Catherine Curzon traces the origins of British coronation traditions, from street parties to the first televised coronation <\/p>

On Saturday 6 May, Westminster Abbey will echo once again to the sound of the sombre Coronation Oath as Charles III is crowned, and the country will celebrate our new monarch, just as we have throughout the centuries. However, the glittering ceremony, replete with crown, orb and sceptre, and the resulting celebrations will also be watched live by audiences around the world, and even be available on demand to stream on computers and smartphones at the touch of a button. It is a uniquely modern way to usher in a sovereign.<\/p>\n

As well-wishers gather days in advance of the event at Westminster Abbey, they\u2019re following in time-honoured footsteps, because watching the procession in person is something that spectators have done for centuries. When young George III and his teenage bride, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, were crowned in 1761, enterprising homeowners who lived along the parade route of the procession rented out their windows and perches on scaffolding, while soldiers took bribes to let spectators onto the front row and even rented out their uniforms. So many well-wishers crammed into the specially erected grandstands on the night before the ceremony that they were banned from lighting fires to keep warm, in case they sparked an inferno.<\/p>\n

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In a time before mass video or radio communication, people still came together to celebrate. Across the country pamphlets and newspapers<\/a> breathlessly reported on coronation plans, and provided rich portraits of the day itself. A coronation has always been an excuse for a party.<\/p>\n

When Queen Victoria was crowned in 1838, she offered a fresh new hope to a country that had grown tired of the excesses of her Georgian<\/a> predecessors, and our ancestors celebrated with a fervour that left some commentators reeling. Described by the Examiner<\/em> as a \u201cnational ovation\u201d, the vast range of festivities easily drowned out Coronation Day protests in the north of England. The majority of people were thrilled, with the first of more than 400,000 well-wishers pouring into London a week before the ceremony. They were hungry for a fair in Hyde Park that would offer free entertainment over four days, not to mention an impressive firework display in Green Park.<\/p>\n

Around the country, money was raised so that the neediest members of society could take part in the celebrations too. Food was central to many special events \u2013 children in Bristol and elsewhere were treated to a dinner of roast beef and plum pudding, and in Newcastle the Northern Liberator<\/em> encouraged donations to a subscription feast for \u201cthe out-door poor\u201d. Parades, often involving schools and local dignitaries, were also common throughout the nation on Coronation Day before the introduction of broadcast media, and in 1838 members of Friendly Societies in Stockton-on-Tees formed a procession to properly honour the young queen.<\/p>\n

Church services were held as well to honour the newly crowned monarch, and civic entertainments laid on in a masterpiece of mass celebration. There were fancy-dress balls, and children were given coronation cups in Liverpool. A public banquet and firework display were arranged in Edinburgh, along with a grand bonfire on Arthur\u2019s Seat as the skies over the UK lit up in celebration.<\/p>\n

The 1902 coronation of Victoria\u2019s eldest son Edward VII saw similar scenes, with oxen roasting in Oxford and Londoners celebrating in public parks, while in Marple, Cheshire, pupils from Sunday Schools paraded through town before tea, games and dancing. The day closed, as it did all over England, with a firework display. As the 20th century progressed, those ox roasts and subscription dinners found their modern expression in street parties, when neighbours came together in the middle of their road to celebrate.<\/p>\n