Jubilee - West Midlands Region

Royal Shakespeare Theatre

The Queen and Prince Philip opened the new theatre on 4 March 2011. The original theatre opened in 1879 after funding was secured, largely by the efforts of the brewer Edward Flower and his son, Charles.

The building was designed by William Frederick Unsworth and Edward John Dodgshun and included a museum, water tower and library. In 1926, a fire destroyed much of the building and a new theatre, adjoining the original, was designed by Elizabeth Scott. Opened in 1932, it was the first major public building in Britain to be designed by a woman.

A building project, to expand and modernise the theatre, began in 2007. This included a new 1040 capacity theatre space, a rooftop restaurant and improved backstage facilities for actors and stage crew.

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Ludlow Castle

The Queen visited the Museum and the Ludlow Festival at Ludlow Castle on 10 July 2003. This was the first time a monarch had visited Ludlow in 300 years. Ludlow Castle was built by the Normans as a fortress against the Welsh.

It was home to the de Lacy and Mortimer families and was later the base for Richard Plantagenet. It features examples of architecture from the Norman, Medieval and Tudor periods. In 1322 its owner, Roger Mortimer, conspired in the overthrow of King Edward II.

In 1501 Prince Arthur honeymooned with Catherine of Aragon in the castle, before dying there the following year. From Between the late 15th and 17th centuries, it was the base for the Council of the Marches of Wales.

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Dudley Castle

The Queen visited Dudley Castle and Zoo on 24 June 1994, to open the new Interpretation Centre. The original Norman castle was built by Ansculf de Picquigny in 1070. The castle became home to the Paganel Family, and then the Lords of Dudley.

In 1537, the Sharington Range was added by John Dudley, who later became Lord Protector to Edward VI. In 1575, Queen Elizabeth I visited the castle, which was also considered as a possible location to imprison Mary Queen of Scots.

After being held as a Royalist Garrison in the Civil War, key parts of the castle were slighted. Since a devastating fire in 1750, the castle has been a ruin.

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Worcester Guildhall

The Queen and Prince Philip attended a reception at the Guildhall, on 11 July 2012, during her national Diamond Jubilee tour. The Guildhall dates from 1721 and replaced an earlier building.

It has always hosted musical events, including the Three Choirs Festival, featuring choirs from Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester. In the 18th Century, Worcester’s MPs were elected there. The Guildhall also housed a courtroom and a prison below the building.

For much of the 20th Century the building was the headquarters of the Worcester County Council and now houses Worcester City Council.

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Dudson Centre, Hanley

The Queen opened the Dudson Centre on 28 October 1999. The Dudson Pottery factory was established by Richard Dudson in 1800. It produced attractive domestic ware until James Thomas Dudson took over the company.

He saw the opportunities provided by the expansion of the railways, tourism and the hotel trade. Dudsons became specialists in producing tableware for the hospitality industry. By the 1980s the Hope Street factory was no longer suitable for production and the factory moved to Tunstall, until production ended in 2019.

In 1994 the Dudson family donated the Hope Street site to the voluntary sector. The centre houses the Dudson Museum and facilities for voluntary and community organisations. As part of this visit the Queen received a garland of flowers from members of the Hindu community who use the centre.

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Shrewsbury Castle

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Shrewsbury Castle on 24 October 1952. The Queen inspected Army cadets, as part of their visit to Shrewsbury School, which was celebrating its fourth centenary. Still eight months before her coronation, the visit was one of her first as the new monarch.

Shrewsbury Castle was built after the Norman Conquest and was extended by Roger de Montgomery c1070, as a defence against the Welsh. Some outer parts of the castle were lost as the town expanded. Some repairs were made after the English Civil War and, again, from 1780, by Thomas Telford.

From 1924, it served as the town’s council chamber and, since 1985, the castle has housed the Regimental Museum of the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry.

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Ironbridge Tollhouse

The Queen visited Ironbridge on 10 July 2003, as part of a wider visit to Telford, during the town’s 40th anniversary celebrations. She walked across the Iron Bridge and visited the Toll House, which is now a visitor centre. The Iron Bridge was the world’s first bridge to be constructed from iron and was built in 1779, by Abraham Darby III.

The Tollhouse is estimated to have been built by 1835. It may have either replaced, or extended, an earlier building. Until 1950, all pedestrians, without exception, had to pay a toll to cross the bridge. A sign, still visible today, advised: 'Every officer or soldier whether on duty or not, is liable to pay toll for passing over as well as any baggage wagon, mail coach or the Royal Family.'  

In 1932, an elephant walked across the bridge to promote Chapman's Zoo-Circus. Whether or not the elephant paid a toll is not known!

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Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory

The Queen and Prince Philip visited the Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory on 1 March 2001 to unveil a plaque, as part of the company’s 250-year celebrations.

The factory’s story began when Dr John Wall and William Davis experimented with materials required to copy the porcelain made in the Far East. They secured funding from 13 local businessmen and established the factory in 1751. In 1783 John Flight bought the company and, after a visit by George III, the factory gained a royal warrant, becoming the Royal Porcelain Works.

The 19th and 20th centuries saw a succession of different owners of the works. Eventually, the Royal Worcester was bought by Portmeirion Pottery. Production moved entirely to Stoke on Trent and production work ended at the Worcester factory in 2009.

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Birmingham Council House

The Queen visited Central Birmingham on 12 July 2012, as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. In 1871 Birmingham Council decided to build a purpose-built council building and a design competition was held. H

Henry Richard Yeoville Thomason won and the Council House was completed in 1879. It was soon extended, with the addition of the Museum and Art Gallery and the Corporation Gas Department. Above the main entrance is a mosaic by Salviati Burke and Co. of Venice and a carved pediment depicting Britannia receiving the manufacturers of Birmingham.

Victoria Square was once occupied by Christ Church, which was demolished in 1899. The Square was pedestrianised in 1993 and a new fountain and sculptures by the Indian sculptor Dhruva Mistry were added.

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Hereford Cathedral

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip first visited Hereford Cathedral on 24 April 1957. During the the visit, the Queen also opened a new sale ring at Hereford Cattle Market. The Queen has been to Hereford on at least 7 occasions. In 1976, she distributed Maundy Money at the Cathedral.

The remains of Ethelbert, King of the Angles were interred at Hereford Cathedral, after he was murdered at the Palace of King Offa of Mercia’s. The Cathedral, re-built after the Norman Conquest, is dedicated to St Ethelbert, jointly with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It houses one of the four copies of the Magna Carta, dating from 1217, the Mappa Mundi - Richard of Holdingham’s Medieval map of the world - and the largest chained library in Europe.

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58 and 59 Mardol, Shrewsbury

On 24 October 1952, crowds lined the pavements, on both sides of Mardol, as the Queen was driven from Shrewsbury Castle to Shrewsbury School. There, she opened a new terrace to commemorate the school’s 400th anniversary.

Mardol connects Mardol Quay, alongside the River Severn, with the town’s main shopping area. There are no less than 35 listed buildings along Mardol alone, representing a wide range of architectural styles. Some buildings originate from the 15th and 16th centuries.

58 and 59 Mardol is a former shop and public house, dating from around 1800. It can be seen next to the front car, just behind the ‘Long may she reign’ banner, in the photograph.

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Coventry Cathedral

The Queen laid the foundation stone for the new Coventry Cathedral on 23 March 1956. The ‘old Cathedral’, originally St Michael’s church, was destroyed by incendiary bombs on 14 November 1940.

The current cathedral is Coventry’s third. The original Cathedral of St Mary was founded by Loefric and his wife, Godiva, in 1043. The architect of the current cathedral, Sir Basil Spence, designed a spectacular modernist building, famous for its use of concrete, etched and coloured glass, sculptures and altar tapestry.

The builders of the new cathedral were John Laing. Coventry Cathedral houses the Ministry of Peace and Reconciliation. The Queen returned to the cathedral on 25 May 1962, to witness its consecration.  

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Worcester Cathedral

The Queen visited Worcester Cathedral on 11 July 2012, as part of her national Diamond Jubilee tour. An earlier cathedral was founded in 680, with a Northumbrian priest, Tatwine, the first Bishop. The current cathedral dates from 1084.

It contains many architectural styles including Norman and Perpendicular Gothic. The multi-columned crypt is the oldest surviving part of the cathedral. It was built during the time of Bishop St Wulfstan, the Anglo-Saxon bishop who was, unusually, retained after the Norman Conquest.

The cathedral was damaged during the English Civil War and was extensively renovated during the Victorian era. Most of the stained glass and fittings date from this time. The Cathedral is the burial place of King John, Prince Arthur Tudor and former Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin.

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Birmingham Hippodrome

The Queen visited the Birmingham Hippodrome on 29 November 1999, when it became the first theatre, outside London, to host the Royal Variety Performance.  She returned on 11 November 2001 to officially re-open the theatre, after a £35 million re-development.

The original building was funded by James and Henry Draysey, who opened The Tower of Varieties and Circus on 9 October 1899. The whole theatre was lit by electric light and featured a tall tower with an onion shaped top (which remained until the 1960s). It closed just five weeks later.

It re-opened as the Tivoli Theatre in 1900 and it then became the Hippodrome in 1903. Famous performers at the Hippodrome have included Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Frank Sinatra.

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Aston Villa Football Club

The Queen presents the FA Cup to Aston Villa captain Johnny Dixon after his team's 2-1 win over Manchester United at Wembley on 4 May 1957.

One of the world’s oldest football clubs, Aston Villa was founded in 1874, at the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Handsworth, by four members of the cricket team who wanted to remain active in the winter.

The club was a founder member of the Football League in 1888 and dominated English football during the late Victorian era, winning their first league title in 1893-94. Aston Villa moved to their current ground, Villa Park, in 1897. They won the first post First World War FA Cup and their greatest success to date (2022) was winning the European Cup,in 1982.

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The National Exhibition Centre

The Queen officially opened the National Exhibition Centre on 2 February 1976.  The NEC, located beside Birmingham Airport, was built with 7 exhibition halls and now has 18, three of which were subsequently opened by the Queen in March 1989.

One of the country’s most prominent exhibition, conference and event venues, the NEC has staged The Motor Show, Clothes Show Live, BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the BBC Good Food Show Live. It has been the home of Crufts since 1991.

The NEC has also hosted diverse range of musical performers including David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Tina Turner, Queen and the Spice Girls. In April 2020, during the Covid 19 Pandemic, the NEC was converted to an emergency Nightingale Hospital in readiness for treating Covid patients. 

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The Paragon China Works, Longton

Princess Elizabeth visited the Paragon China Works, in November 1949, during a two-day tour of the Potteries. The pottery was founded Star China Company, in 1903, the main partners being Herbert James Aynsley and Hugh Irving. In 1920, the company was re-named the Paragon China Company.

Based at the Atlas Works, on Sutherland Road, the company specialised in breakfast and tea bone china exporting wares to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. In the 1930s, the company began to install electric kilns, with the intention of becoming a smokeless works.

In 1955, the Queen granted Paragon China a Royal Warrant. This followed the Royal warrants granted by Queen Mary (1933) and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (1938). The company was bought by Royal Doulton in 1972 and the Paragon name was discontinued in 1992.

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RAF Cosford

The Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited RAF Cosford on 12 July 2012. Local school children staged a pageant, as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

RAF Cosford opened as a School of Technical Training in August 1938, as the RAF was rapidly expanding. During the Second World War, over 70,000 engine and airframe mechanics and armourers attended courses at Cosford. These included air crew trainees from France, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania. Cosford is now home to the RAF Museum and the National Cold War Museum.

RAF Cosford’s most notable building is the Fulford Block, named after a pioneer of military aviation, John Duncan Bertie Fulton. The huge block was designed by J H Binge, in 1937, to provide accommodation for 1,000 men, with associated mess rooms and administrative offices.

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Cathedral Church of St Philip, Birmingham

The Queen visited St Philip’s Cathedral on 23 March 1989 to give out Maundy Money. St Philip’s Church was built in 1715, in the Baroque style, by Thomas Archer. It was later extended, by J A Chatwin, in the late 19th century.  

When the new Diocese of Birmingham was created in 1905, the church became a cathedral. The first bishop of Birmingham, Charles Gore, believed that, rather than build a new cathedral, St Philip’s could be the seat of the bishop.

Among the cathedral’s most famous features are the Burne Jones stained glass windows. At the start of the Second World War, these were removed to a Welsh coal mine, which ensured they were not destroyed when an incendiary bomb hit the building in October 1940.

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Lichfield Cathedral

The Queen visited Lichfield Cathedral, on 20 July 2011, to attend a service of thanksgiving and present medals to 15 soldiers of the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry, who had completed a tour of Afghanistan. She later laid a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Lichfield Cathedral is the only medieval three-spired Cathedral in the UK and contains medieval Flemish painted glass from the Abbey of Herkenrode. An original, wooden Saxon church was replaced by a Norman stone structure, before building work began on Gothic cathedral in 1195.

In AD 664, the Saxon missionary, Saint Chad, moved the seat of the Diocese of Mercia to Lichfield and was later buried in the cathedral.

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New Street Station, Birmingham

The Queen officially re-opened Birmingham New Street Station on 19 November 2015.  The original New Street station opened in 1854 in a part of Birmingham’s town centre known as the Froggery.

It was built by the London North Western Railway to replace the outdated Curzon Street Station. At the time of its construction, the station featured the largest single-span arched roof in the world. The station was design by Edward Alfred Cowper and constructed by Fox, Henderson & Co. The original platform layout was designed by Robert Stephenson.

The station was completely re-built between 1964 and 1967 and incorporated the now listed signal box. A £550 million redevelopment began in 2010, with the Grand Central concourse opening on 20 September 2015.

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Pebble Mill Studios (former site of)

The Queen visited Pebble Mills Studios, in Edgbaston on 20 November 1981. During her visit she was shown the set of the police series Juliet Bravo.

Pebble Mill Studios were designed by the architect John Madin, who also designed many notable Birmingham buildings in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Central Library.  Pebble Mill was opened on 10 June 1971, by Princess Anne. 

Most famous for being the home of Pebble Mill at One the studios were also the location of many famous television programmes including Midlands Today, Points of View, Gardeners’ World, Doctors and Rentaghost.  It was also the recording studio for the radio series the Archers and Woman’s Hour. Pebble Mill Studios closed in 2004 and the site was demolished in September 2005.

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Colmore Row, Birmingham

The Queen visited Birmingham to officially open to the Great Charles Street Queensway Tunnel, part of a new ring road system, on 7 April 1971. During her visit she met members of the public on Colmore Row.

The photograph shows her outside the National Westminster Bank building on Colmore Row. In the background is 85, 87 and 89, Colmore Row. Originally the Union Club, this building is faced with Derbyshire limestone.

It was designed by H R Yeoville Thomason, who was also the architect for the Birmingham Council House. The building now houses Reuben Colley Fine Art.

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Thinktank, Birmingham

The Queen visited Thinktank when she officially opened Millennium Point, in Digbeth, Birmingham, on 2 July 2002, during her Golden Jubilee tour. During the visit she also met teachers and pupils from Priestley Smith Primary School, Erdington.

Thinktank replaced the earlier Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry. Some exhibits were transferred to Thinktank, whilst some were retained in storage by Birmingham Museums. The whole complex was a £114 million project, funded by Birmingham City Council and the Millennium Commission.

Since then, the Eastside City Park has continued to develop and is also the location of a Birmingham City University Campus, the Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham Academy of Performing Arts.

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The HIVE, Worcester

The Queen officially opened The Hive Library and History Centre in Worcester on 11 July 2012, during her national Diamond Jubilee tour. The Hive is Europe’s first integrated public and university library and is also home to Worcestershire’s Archives and Archaeology Service.

Building began in 2010 and was a joint project between the University of Worcester, developing its city site, and the City Council, whose library needed updating.

The architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, placed sustainability at the centre of the Hive's design. The building’s climate is managed using natural light and ventilation and the windows open and close automatically depending on temperature, rain and CO levels. The Hive’s toilets are flushed with rainwater. The whole building can be recycled at the end of its life.

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Jaguar, Castle Bromwich 

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Jaguar to officially open the new manufacturing plant on 30 October 1998. During the day, the Queen also visited the new Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the Castle Vale Estate.  

Jaguar began car production in 1935. The Queen visited the Coventry Jaguar factory, earlier in her reign, in 1956. The new Jaguar factory is on the same site that was used for the manufacture of Spitfire and Lancaster planes during the Second World War.

It was built next to the existing the Fort Dunlop Rubber Works that produced tyres. After the war, the factory switched production from aeroplanes to cars. It was set up to produce the luxury Jaguar XE and XF saloon and the F-Type sports car.  

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National Brewery Centre

The Queen and Prince Philip visited the Bass Brewery Museum, now the National Brewery Centre, on 3 July 2002, as part of her Golden Jubilee tour. The museum is located next to the Bass Brewery, at one time, the world’s largest brewery.

 Originally opened as the Bass Museum in 1977 to celebrate the bicentenary of the founding the Bass Brewery, it became the Coors Visitor Centre in 2003. Unsustainable running costs led to the centre’s closure in 2008.

However, after a determined campaign by a group which became the National Brewery Heritage Trust, the Museum was formally re-opened in 2010, by the Princess Royal. Exhibitions focus on the brewing heritage of Burton, a history of brewing techniques and include a collection of historic vehicles.

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Solihull Civic Hall (site of former)

The Queen and Princess Margaret visited Solihull, to open the new Civic Hall, on 25 May 1962. The Civic Hall was Solihull’s first purpose-built cultural venue, hosting a range of events including concerts and boxing events.

Artists such as the Kinks and ELO performed at the Civic Hall. A new council chamber and civic offices were later built alongside the Civic Hall.  All the buildings were later demolished to make way for the building of the Touchwood Shopping Centre, which was also opened by the Queen, in 2001.

Walsall Council House

The Queen visited Walsall Council House on 27 July 1977, during her Silver Jubilee tour of the West Midlands and unveiled a plaque to commemorate her visit and the 600th Mayoralty of the town. 

Walsall Council House replaced three buildings which had previously served as the seat of local government. It was designed by James Glen Sivewright Gibson in the Baroque style. The foundation stone was laid by Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein on 29 May 1902 and the building was completed in 1905.

In 1916 the mayor, Mary Slater, was hit by shrapnel and subsequently died from her injuries during an attack on the council house from a Zeppelin. The Council House continues to house the chamber for the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall.

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Church of St Mary, Stafford

The Queen attended a service of thanksgiving at the Church of St Mary on 31 March 2006, when she came to Stafford to mark the 800th anniversary of the town’s Royal Charter. She later unveiled commemorative artwork in the Market Square.

The Church was built in the 13th Century and excavations in 1954 suggest it was built next to an earlier church to St Bertelin, a hermit and Mercian prince, believed to have founded the town.

The church was developed in the 14th and 15th centuries and restored by George Gilbert Scott in the early 1840s. Lord Aston, a patron of the church, was buried there, in 1639, even though he had converted to Catholicism.

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Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

The Queen visited Sutton Coldfield on 3 August 1957, during the World Scout Jubilee Jamboree, which was held at Sutton Park.

 The building was originally built in 1865, as a hotel, close to the railway station, to accommodate visitors to the town. The tower served as a hose tower for the Fire Brigade. It closed as a hotel in 1895 but was bought by Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson in 1896 who converted it for use as a sanatorium.

It was then bought by the local council and became the town hall in in 1901. This role ceased when Sutton Coldfield was absorbed in the City of Birmingham. It is now an arts and concert venue.

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