Our Coronation Day

The 'New Elizabethans': children of King's Heath in Birmingham take to the streets to celebrate a new era with flags and fancy dress.

Shot on 9.5mm film by Ewart Smallwood, this reel provides us with a snapshot of one of the countless local Coronation Day celebrations in 1953. From chimney sweeps to Beefeaters and John Bull to a great opportunity for some men to don a frock; a familiar sight in carnivals of the period. The depiction of non-white cultures is also of its time, but the pride and common purpose is something that shines through the years.