Coronation cushions – Braintree’s unique gift to honour Diamond Jubilee
LUXURY fabrics woven by Warner and Sons in 1952 for Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation have been used to create a unique gift to the Royal Household from the Braintree district in recognition of the Queen’s outstanding public service over the last 60 years.
The cushions were made from the Wymondham design owned by the Crown and woven by Warner and Sons in 1952 for Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation on June 2, 1953 at Westminster Abbey.
Based on a late 15th century Italian design, Wymondham in gold and cream was used to decorate the annexe to Westminster Abbey that housed the participants while they waited before the ceremony and where the newly crowned Queen ate her lunch after the coronation.
The presentation coincides with the exhibition ‘Celebration: Royal designs by Warner & Sons for Coronations and State Occasions’ at the Warner Textile Archive which opened on June 6. It has been specially assembled to shed light on the Warner Company’s prestigious role as supplier of fabrics for coronations and other royal events from the nineteenth through to the 20th century.
The 1953 coronation is a focus, showcasing the regal velvets, silks and cloth of gold produced by Warner & Sons for that occasion.
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The exhibition will also highlight Warner & Sons fabrics used for earlier royal occasions, including a sample of a silk damask woven by Warner & Sons in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The exhibition will run until the end of February 2013.
Cllr Lynette Bowers-Flint, chairman of Braintree District Council, was delighted at the collaboration between Braintree District Museum Trust Ltd who own the Warner Textile Archive and the council, saying: “It is a tribute to the skill of the weavers of Warner and Sons, that fabric was woven for the coronations of Edward VII, George V, George VI and Elizabeth II.
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“This is a reminder of Warner’s role in royal events and a token from the District in recognition of the Queen’s outstanding public service over the last 60 years.”
