'Never seen before' footage of Piccadilly Gardens and Manchester is window to a 'bygone era'
05.05.2023 - 05:23
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A newly released film reveals what Piccadilly Gardens and other Manchester city centre landmarks looked like in a bygone era.
The archive footage shows Manchester city centre beautifully decorated to mark the coronations in 1937 and 1953. The film shows Manchester's Town Hall, Central Library and Piccadilly Gardens, as well as Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester.
For most of us, the coronation of King Charles III will be the first we have seen in our lifetime. The new King will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6 alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort - just four weeks shy of the 70th anniversary of his late mother'scoronation.
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At the age of 27, Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953,18 months after her father's death. Becoming the 39th Sovereign to be crowned there and the 14th Queen, an estimated 27 million people watched the coronation on television, while 11 million listened on the radio.
To mark the upcoming coronation, The North West Film Archive (NWFA) at Manchester Metropolitan University has released a compilation of films from their collection, showcasing how people in the North West region have celebrated coronations throughout history. The team from the archive have created a fascinating two minute edit of footage set to stirring music that shows local people celebrating the coronations of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937.
Giving viewers a glimpse into a bygone era, some of the footage featured in