The Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant

Today I have been sorting out the photos and video I took last Sunday of the Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant.

Despite the wet weather and some theoretical republican sympathies I had a really enjoyable day. I was impressed by the organisation and the scale of the event. I was even more impressed by those in the oar powered section of the pageant who had to row for several miles in what weren’t the best conditions. I got to see a fantastic range of different boats, some of which were very elegant craft, I particularly liked the narrowboats, and the atmosphere amongst the crowd was great.

I travelled down to London on the train with my parents and we decided that, to avoid the worst of the crowds, we would head to the western section of the pageant route to where the boats were to ‘muster’. We started at Hammersmith Bridge, getting there in time to see many of the boats in man-powered section of the pageant pass under on their way to their assembly point.

We then walked along the riverbank down river getting great views of the boats waiting to join the pageant outside the Harrods Furniture Depository. We then walked around Craven Cottage football ground, through Fulham Palace Gardens, reaching Putney Bridge. From there we decided to cut across the bend in the river and headed through the streets emerging again by the river near a relatively new looking development just south of Chelsea Harbour.

Although we didn’t realise it at the time we were just down from Chelsea Harbour Pier, on the south side of Battersea Railway Bridge, where HM the Queen boarded the Britannia Launch to be taken to The Spirit of Chartwell, the royal barge. So we narrowly missed seeing the Queen but we were able to see the beautiful Royal Rowbarge Gloriana
set off to lead the parade.

I did manage to take some good photos, although I gave up when the weather worsened.

The video is less good quality but I think it gives a sense of the flavour of the event.

This content was originally posted on my old Strange Thoughts blog.