The day the crowds came out to cheer The Queen as she visited North End, Portsmouth – Retro

Above we see Her Majesty The Queen passing the Odeon cinema in London Road, North End on a tour around the city after the Coronation Fleet Review.
HM the Queen’s cortege passes the Odeon, North End with cadet band on parade. Photo: Jerry Crane.HM the Queen’s cortege passes the Odeon, North End with cadet band on parade. Photo: Jerry Crane.
HM the Queen’s cortege passes the Odeon, North End with cadet band on parade. Photo: Jerry Crane.

On Wednesday, June 29, 1977, the Queen, along with a large cortege of cars, left the South Railway Jetty at 10.45am to begin a tour of the city.

I am not too sure of the route the tour took but in these photographs loaned by Jerry Crane, the then-manager of the Odeon cinema, we see the cortege passing north along London Road.

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Can anyone tell me what the route was after passing through North End?

The Queen’s cortege heads north along London RoadThe Queen’s cortege heads north along London Road
The Queen’s cortege heads north along London Road

Jerry Crane employed a unit of local naval cadets to parade outside the cinema to play the national anthem as the royal cortege passed by.

They can be seen in the picture, right.

Jerry tells me he cannot remember where the unit came from but they certainly excelled in their playing.

Below, are some of the thousands of people who came out to cheer and wave as Her Majesty’s cortege passed north along London Road, North End.

Here we see the Queen passing the Odeon cinema in London Road, North End in 1977. Photo: Jerry Crane.Here we see the Queen passing the Odeon cinema in London Road, North End in 1977. Photo: Jerry Crane.
Here we see the Queen passing the Odeon cinema in London Road, North End in 1977. Photo: Jerry Crane.

Does anyone know where the cortege was heading?

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And below we get a closer look at The Queen as delighted well-wishers take photographs of her.

I do enjoy it when someone sends me a photograph of a place in Southsea that’s dear to my heart.

The picture on the opposite page is looking south along Napier Road.

A location dear to my heart, Napier Road, Southsea decorated for the 1953 Coronation.  Photo:Mike Smith collection.A location dear to my heart, Napier Road, Southsea decorated for the 1953 Coronation.  Photo:Mike Smith collection.
A location dear to my heart, Napier Road, Southsea decorated for the 1953 Coronation. Photo:Mike Smith collection.

On the immediate left, on the corner of Collingwood Road, is Mr Miller’s grocery store.

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Where the lady with the light coloured coat is on the left pushing a pushchair is Dock Mill Cottages and just past her is the junction with Wisborough Road.

On the opposite corner is Vernon Barstow’s grocers.

My late maternal grandmother, Ruth Sutton, lived at number 11, Wisborough Road and opposite, at 4, Moulin Avenue, lived my mother’s sister Gertrude Saunders.

I used to spend many summer holidays between their homes.

I’d like to think that was my mother with me in the pushchair. Who knows.

As can be seen, the street is decorated for the coronation of our present Queen Elizabeth II.

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To think, this is all those years ago and we still have the same head of state reigning over us. How lovely.

Mike Smith sent me this photograph and he is researching Napier Road.

If anyone would like to contact him with more information about the area please do so.

You can reach Michael by emailing him on [email protected]