Queen Elizabeth II made an official visit to Hammersmith Hospital on Du Cane Road in 1955. PICTURE: H&F ARCHIVES
By Hannah Milton, Archivist at Hammersmith & Fulham Council
From her time as a princess to her splendid jubilees, Her Majesty the Queen’s relationship with Hammersmith & Fulham lasted more than 70 years.
Researching the Queen’s relationship with our borough was a treasure trove of discoveries. It included newspaper reports on The Queen’s frequent visits to Horse Shows at White City and Olympia, film footage of the borough’s contribution to Her Majesty’s Coronation and The Queen’s state drive through Fulham in July 1953.
Thanks to our partners – London Screen Archives – you can view the film footage for free.
As the Archivist at H&F Council, I am responsible for looking after the historical records kept in the council’s archives.
One of my favourite parts of this job is diving into records to uncover stories and make them accessible for all. Sometimes it is frustrating, but it’s always interesting to research archival collections and it can make me feel like a detective searching through a wide variety of sources for clues.
Key to the research into The Queen’s relationship with H&F were our wonderful local newspapers. Preserved in our archive’s stores, they are available for anyone to browse. Here I found clues of where to look, revealing photographs of The Queen’s visit to the Ideal Home show with her sister Princess Margaret in 1965 and her role in re-opening the Lyric Theatre in 1979.
The research, however, was not mine alone. Thanks to the work of the local history librarians of the past, records and images of the royal families visits to our borough have been meticulously gathered and catalogued.
We hope to continue this tradition and will be adding the Books of Condolence and the Proclamation Declaration from Sunday’s ceremony to our collections for future generations to see.
Visit the H&F Archives
Why not pop down to our Archives to discover the history of Hammersmith & Fulham for yourself?
In our open access collection you can browse local histories, rummage through our information index, and explore images of the past. Our archives, stored offsite, can be found using our online catalogue. Why not try searching your street? Or maybe even your name? Discover the history of Hammersmith & Fulham with H&F Archives and Local Studies.
Hammersmith & Fulham Archives are open Mondays and Tuesdays from 10am to 5pm, with a 1-hour closure between 1pm to 2pm. Contact us via email at archives@lbhf.gov.uk.
