The Thames was brought alive on 3 June 2012 with clanging bells, tooting horns and piercing whistles and recalling both its Royal heritage and its heyday as a working river. When the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant takes place, it will showcase one of the largest flotillas ever assembled on the Thames and the biggest collection of historic vessels.
As crowds of Londoners and tourists will line the route to catch a glimpse of the Queen, they will see more than 1,000 vessels including Dunkirk little ships, Dragon boats, Narrow boats, steam boats and tugs, towing boats, kayaks and canoes from all corners of the Commonwealth. Among them will be two Manx vessels; a lifeboat from the historic LADY OF MAN ship (the last vessel present at Dunkirk to survive), now converted as a cabin cruiser and VITAL SPARK– one of four replica Viking longboats built to be used in the annual world championship Viking longboat races, held in Peel, Isle of Man. Both vessels have significant stories behind them and will play their part in one of the biggest occasions the UK will see this year. At the centre of the pageant will be the Royal Barge, the SPIRIT OF CHARTWELL, decorated in red and gold and carrying the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, who is now Lord High Admiral in the Royal Navy.
The armed forces, fire, police and rescue services will be represented and passenger boats, carrying up to 30,000 flag-waving members of the public will take part in the floating celebrations of the Queen’s 60 years on the throne.
This magnificent miniature sheet, approved by the Queen, will capture the essence of the day’s atmosphere and better still, as a licensed product, a percentage of the sale of every miniature sheet will go to the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation, the charitable trust set-up to raise funds for charitable projects through The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.
The GLORIANA is a 28.6-metre-long (94 ft) British royal barge. She was privately commissioned as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee, and was the lead vessel in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
The project to build GLORIANA was initiated by Lord Sterling, who stated he got the idea for a waterborne tribute to the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee from her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales. Lord Sterling financed the estimated £500,000 construction cost of the project. Additional backers included Sir Donald Gosling and Canadian billionaire Galen Weston After leading the Jubilee parade GLORIANA will be presented to the Queen as a gift.
GLORIANA l is a 28.6-metre-long (94 ft) rowing barge. It is powered by 18 oarsmen, and can carry an additional 34 passengers and crew. According to Lord Sterling, the design is inspired by Canaletto's London paintings of 18th-century barges. According to The Daily Telegraph, the design resembles the boat used by the Lord Mayor of London in the 1800s.
Construction began in November 2011 at a site in Brentford, and was led by master-builder Mark Edwards. The materials used includes wood from sweet chestnut trees from Prince Charles's estate. The ornate prow sculptures, including Father Thames, are carved in Jesmonite and decorated with gold leaf.
On 19 April 2012 GLORIANA was transported by road from the factory to the River Thames, being placed in the water for the first time at Isleworth on 19 April 2012. The Queen officially named her on 25 April 2012, during a visit to re-open the restored CUTTY SARK in Greenwich.
Dim 28.6 x 3.66 x 1.22m., length of keel 21.34m. Building cost £1 million.
The GLORIANA was the lead vessel in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, a parade of over 1,000 boats and ships down the River Thames in London, organised as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. She led members of the Royal Family other than the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who were aboard the 64-metre-long (210 ft) MV SPIRIT OF CHARTWELL, a motorised barge. Among the 18 rowers were Olympic gold medallists Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent and British servicemen – Will Dixon, Rory Mackenzie and Neil Heritage – who all lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During the pageant GLORIANA carried ten flags including those representing England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the City of London and Cornwall.
Isle of Man 2012 50p sg?, scott?
Source: Wikipedia and various internet sites. Isle of Man Postal website.
Information from Capt A Palmhof