The Route of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation

On 2 June 1953, millions lined a historic route through London to witness the royal procession for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The young Princess Elizabeth was just 25 years old when she acceded to the throne after the death of her father King George VI. Elizabeth’s coronation took place a year later, to allow an appropriate period of public mourning. It was the first coronation to be fully televised.

The coronation route

The ceremony lasted just over three hours but took 14 months of planning. Three million people lined the streets of London, some camping overnight to get a prime spot. Specially built stands were erected along the route.

The Queen travelled in the Gold State Coach from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. On her return journey, she left Westminster Abbey and proceeded along a five-mile route, passing through Whitehall, Pall Mall, St James's Street, Piccadilly to Marble Arch along Oxford Street, Regent Street passing Shaftesury Memorial Fountain, along Haymarket through Admiralty Arch and then arriving back at Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace was designed by John Nash. Building began in 1826 and was completed in 1837.

It was originally a large town house, known as Buckingham House, built for the Duke of Buckingham. In 1761, King George III acquired it as a private house for Queen Charlotte and it became known as The Queen’s House. In 1837 Queen Victoria became the first monarch to reside at Buckingham Palace.

The coronation route of Queen Elizabeth II began at the palace. After the ceremony had finished, The Queen’s procession travelled back there. It was here that a vast crowd gathered to see their newly-crowned monarch. Chants of “We want The Queen” began to ring around and The Queen and the Royal Family made the first of several balcony appearances.

At one of the banquets held in Buckingham Palace, Coronation Chicken was served for the first time. A weather-delayed flypast took place at 5pm and The Queen made a final balcony appearance at midnight.

The Mall

The Mall is the road that connects Buckingham Palace and Admiralty Arch. It sits within  St James’s Park  which is a registered park and garden.

St James's Park was formed in 1531 under Henry VIII who bought the ancient leper hospital of St James and rebuilt it as St James's Palace. This was used as a royal retreat from his palace in Whitehall (roughly three miles away).

The Mall was proposed as a ceremonial route in the early 20th century, as seen in many cities throughout Europe. The development was designed by Aston Webb. A new façade was designed for Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial was constructed. The coloured road surface is intended to give the impression of a red carpet leading to Buckingham Palace.

The Mall has been the backdrop of many historic moments and is often the focal point for celebrations. The Coronation Arches were four arches erected over The Mall. The 70-foot floodlit arches were designed by Eric Bedford.

Admiralty Arch

Admiralty Arch not only looks incredible, but it also has a function. It provides access between the Mall and Trafalgar Square. It was built between 1906 and 1911 by Sir Aston Webb as a national monument to Queen Victoria. Webb designed the Queen Victoria Memorial and the re-fencing of Buckingham Palace.

The North Wing of the arch was intended as the new residence for the First Lord of the Admiralty which was to replace Admiralty House. When the First Lord didn’t move in, the flat became the official residence of the First Sea Lords instead.

In 2013, Westminster City Council granted planning permission for the restoration and conversion of Admiralty Arch into a 100-room hotel, private residences and a private members club.

If you want to know more about this Grade I listed building,  please see the list entry  

Marble Arch

Designed by John Nash in 1828, Marble Arch was originally built as an entrance to Buckingham Palace but was moved to its current location in 1851.

One story says that the arch was moved because Queen Victoria’s state coach was too wide to fit through the arch. This was proved false during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation as the Gold State Coach did pass under it during the procession.

Until 1968, it even contained a police outpost. It was never a fully functional police station, but is sometimes refered to as one.

29,000 service personnel marched in the procession, shown here passing through Marble Arch (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain (Eros)

Sir Hugh Casson designed birdcage. Historic England Archive

The Shaftesbury memorial fountain was built to commemorate the philanthropist and social reformer Lord Shaftesbury. The statue on top was originally named Anteros by sculptor Alfred Gilbert. It was later renamed Angel of Christian Charity but has always been commonly known as Eros. As with so many things it has relocated.

Lord Shaftesbury was a committed Christian and social reformer, so when unveiled by the First Duke of Westminster in 1893, many felt that a nude figure in the theatre district wasn't an appropriate representation of Lord Shaftesbury's work and life. It has been relocated twice: once due to building works for a new tube station and once at the outbreak of the Second World War. It was returned to Piccadilly in the late 1940s.

For the coronation, the statue was enclosed in a birdcage structure to protect it from revellers climbing it during the celebrations. The structure was designed by Sir Hugh Casson (who went on to design animal enclosures at London Zoo).

Find out more about this Grade I listed fountain on  the official list entry 

St Stephen's Tavern

Bridge Street connects the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. The procession passed here at the start of the route from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace. It's one of many 'ordinary' places that played a part in this extraordinary celebration. Small taverns that were built in 1875 played, and play, as big a role in the narrative of the story. The view from the balcony would have been spectacular. A view that can still be seen to this day.

Want to know more about this Grade II listed building? Please look at  the official list entry  

Temporary seating around Westminster Abbey. Historc England Archive

Westminster Abbey

The story goes that a fisherman had a vision of St Peter close to the site now known as Westminster Abbey. To this day, the custom of the Fishmongers Company presenting a salmon to the abbey still takes place annually. The origins of the abbey date to around AD 960 when the site was home to a community of Benedictine monks.

Between 1042 and 1052, King Edward the Confessor began redeveloping St Peter’s Abbey to establish a royal burial church. The building took some 20 years to complete. Edward’s Abbey is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. From then to now, it has witnessed the burials of some 30 kings and queens, 16 royal weddings and every coronation since 1066.

For the 1953 coronation, Westminster Abbey was closed to the public while the Ministry of Works supervised a 200-strong work force to transform the church. There was tiered seating for 8,251 guests and the annexe was built (as seen in the 1953 photo). The annexe was designed by Eric Bedford and featured a glass front with models of 10 of the Queen’s Beasts on the outside.

For more information and images of Westminster Abbey, please look at the  official List entry 


Then and now

Then - photos from the Historic England Archive collections.

Now - photos by  Charles Watson . Charles is a contributor to the Missing Pieces Project which everyone can use to share their knowledge and pictures of places on the National Heritage List for England. Charles has contributed to over 18,000 listed places on the List.

About Charles Watson

Charles Watson

"Navigation and mathematics have always been in my blood. It started with a fascination with Ordnance Survey maps when I was at primary school. I took up an apprenticeship in the Merchant Navy. When I left the MN I obtained a couple of dogs and we would go off walking every weekend. After the loss of both dogs, I decided that I needed something else to get me out and about at weekends. I noticed that Historic England had introduced a project entitled 'Enriching the List' [now the Missing Pieces Project]. As London was, by now, my hometown, I came up with hundreds of routes that took in parts of the city that I would not have normally visited. I came to realise that a 'listed building' was not necessarily a building, but could be bollards, post boxes and phone boxes. It's still something I love doing today."

The Missing Pieces Project

Share your images, insights and secrets of England's spectacular historic places.

The National Heritage List for England has over 400,000 entries – tower blocks and tombstones, barrows and bunkers, palaces and pigsties, plague crosses and piers, cathedrals, windmills and rollercoasters.

Many places on the List are well-known and even world-famous. But in some cases there is much that remains unknown.

We invite you to share your knowledge and pictures of listed places, so we can record information, and even unlock the secrets of some places.

We are the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England's spectacular historic environment.  

29,000 service personnel marched in the procession, shown here passing through Marble Arch (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

Sir Hugh Casson designed birdcage. Historic England Archive

Temporary seating around Westminster Abbey. Historc England Archive

Charles Watson