Interactive story map features Queen’s many visits to region
IMAGES of the Queen’s visits to the North East over the years feature in a new interactive story map launched this week by Historic England.
The map has been produced as an education tool to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and shows hundreds of images of the Queen at sites across England. The map, the work of Historic England’s heritage schools programme and funded by the Department for Education, aims to help pupils learn about their local heritage and its significance.
From opening civic buildings like town halls and schools, to visiting museums, sports grounds and pubs, the map shows the variety of heritage sites the Queen has visited both during and prior to her reign.
Images from the region include the Queen with the Duchess of Northumberland and Alan Shearer during a visit to Alnwick. Another shows the Queen riding on the new Sunderland to Newcastle Metrol Link after officially opening the route at the Park Lane interchange. The Queen arrived in Sunderland on the second leg of her nationwide Golden Jubilee tour in 2002.
A Sunderland picture also shows the Queen viewing a street party at Corporation Quay on her Diamond Jubilee tour. She is also pictured at Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade’s Watch House and museum, at the official opening of the Tyne’s Millennium Bridge, meeting Eram Javid, a member of the Kashmir community in 2005, the official opening of Durham City’s Clayport library, and at Easington Colliery on her Golden Jubilee tour. A picture from Teesside shows the Queen on a visit in 1956. In the image, she pauses to look at a dress, made of 100% Terylene, as she tours an exhibition of goods made from the synthetic fibre at the Imperial Chemical Industries’ works at Wilton.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive, of Historic England, said “We hope schools, teachers, parents and the public will explore the map, discover more about their local historic sites and follow in the Queen’s footsteps by supporting their local heritage.”
The map is available via the Historic England website.