This film is part of Free

Coronation Day Parade in Newcastle; Trams and Trolleybuses

A splash of colour in a big Coronation Day parade in Newcastle and an evocative phantom ride through the city after World War Two.

Amateur film 1945 13 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for North East Film Archive

Overview

On the morning of 2 June 1953, the day of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, news broke of Hillary and Tenzing’s triumphant climb. This colourful film of the Coronation parade in Newcastle includes an Everest themed float along with Northumbrian pipe bands, military and youth groups, vintage cycles and fire engine. A second film features a playful ride through central Newcastle just after World War II, its cobbled streets full of trams and electric trolleybuses and life.

The Newcastle Journal described the Coronation gown as “glittery with magnificent embroideries and emblems …” The crowning of Queen Elizabeth introduced a splash of colour and extravagance to a generation used to the drabness and austerity of the war years – black-outs, rationing, brown or blue serge demob suits, no frills utility fashion, and the make-do-and-mend. This film was produced by filmmakers from the Newcastle and District Amateur Cinematographers' Association, one of the earliest British cine clubs, formed in 1927 by James Cameron.