Coronation Arches Explained

The Coronation Arches were a series of four steel arches erected over The Mall, London, for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.^[1]

The arches were designed by Eric Bedford.^[2] The tubular steel arches were floodlit^[3] and were adorned with metalwork crowns and golden cane fan-shaped designs.^[4] Sources describe them as being 70feetor85feetft (orft) in height.^[5]

In a House of Commons debate on 3 December 1953, Minister of Works Sir David Eccles announced that he was considering the arches' fate, and that they may be used in the rebuilding of the Palm House at the Royal Botanic Gardens.^[6] It was later decided that renovation was preferable to rebuilding, and this option was rejected.^[7]

References

51.5057°N -0.1311°W

Notes and References

1. Coronation Arches in the Mall. Civil Engineering and Public Works Review. 1953. 48. 731. Lomax, Erskine & Company.
2. Web site: Yau . Wilson . Architectural news from the archive of the Periodicals Collection: May 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072917/http://www.ribablogs.com/?p=5827 . 4 March 2016 . 15 June 2013 . Royal Institute of British Architects.
3. Web site: Yau . Wilson . Last Tuesdays: A display fit for a queen . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050543/http://www.ribablogs.com/?p=5794 . 4 March 2016 . 15 June 2013 . Royal Institute of British Architects.
4. Web site: The Queen's Coronation. Debrett's. 15 June 2013.
5. The Electrical Journal. 1953. 150. 710.
6. Web site: CORONATION ARCHES, THE MALL (USE). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 3 December 1953. 15 June 2013.
7. Web site: Dr George Taylor & the Bicentennial. Royal Botanic Gardens. 15 June 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20060308184144/http://www.kew.org/heritage/timeline/1945toToday_bicentennial.html. 8 March 2006. dead.