Invitation to contribute to royal history project
HISTORIC England has launched an interactive education tool which will display hundreds of images of the Queen visiting key heritage sites across England during her reign.
Trips to St Ives in Cornwall to meet the harbour town’s lifeboat crew in 2013 and Maiden Castle in Dorset in 1952 to see an archeological excavation are among dozens of photographs on the searchable website that includes images from around the country and across the decades.
There are also images of Her Majesty at Truro Cathedral in 2002 to mark the diocese’s 125th anniversary and at Torquay Pavilion and harbour in July 1988 to mark the 300th anniversary of the land of William of Orange, later William III.
A set of pictures shows her at Devonport on June 3, 2010, making her second visit to the then flagship of the Royal Navy, HMS Ocean. She first named the helicopter carrier in 1998 and came a third time to rededicate the vessel in March 2015.
The story map resource has been created by Historic England’s Heritage Schools team to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and will help school children learn about some of the significant places she has visited in their area of the country.
Funded by the Department for Education and run by Historic England, the Heritage Schools programme aims to help school children learn about their local heritage and its significance.
From opening important civic buildings like town halls and schools, to visiting museums, sports grounds and pubs, the map shows the huge variety of heritage sites the Queen has visited both during and prior to her reign.
The story map not only teaches children about the Queen’s role as our monarch, but also highlights the heritage she has visited that is right on their doorsteps.
Alongside the images, there is information about when and why the Queen visited, as well as a brief history of the site itself.
Many of the buildings are listed on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE), and children and the public can take part in the Platinum Jubilee commemoration, and make history, by contributing their own images, drawings or information about the building to the NHLE through Historic England’s Enriching the List project.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “This interactive map shows the incredible variety of sites the Queen has visited in the past 70 years. We hope schools, teachers, parents and the wider 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 Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “Queen Elizabeth II is the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee and Her Majesty’s dignity, commitment and grace continues to inspire people all over the world. It’s so important that children have the opportunity to learn about the Queen’s life, and millions will soon have access to the brilliant interactive story map, and the Department for Education’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration book, which will begin to arrive in schools this month.”
Find the map online at https:// historicengland.org.uk/servicesskills/education/teaching-activities/ platinum-jubilee/