WENDY Taylor (nee Whitby) will never forget the huge street party she attended in Fern Lane, Heston, to celebrate the Queen’s coronation in 1953.
Scores of families joined the party, making their own fancy dress costumes and bringing food.
Mrs Taylor, now 64, with 14 grandchildren, and living near Bath, was just five at the time of the celebrations.
The retired dress-maker, who dressed as a nurse for the occasion, recalls the huge sense of excitement on the street.
“There was the most fantastic community in Fern Lane when I lived there and hundreds of people took their place at the trestle tables for the party,” she said.
“All the children dressed up and the parents made a real effort with the costumes. My younger brother was a doctor, my sister was a women’s magazine and my older brother was Edmund Hillary, who had recently conquered Everest.
“I remember the coronation itself because there were only a few families on the street with TVs so we all gathered round in a friend’s living room to watch.”
Mrs Taylor, who used to attend Norwood Green Junior School, will be in Germany over the jubilee weekend but still plans to celebrate with her family.
Do you remember the Fern Lane party, or any others held in Hounslow to celebrate the Queen’s coronation? If so, please get in touch.
