CORONATION ROBES

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27226, 18 December 1953, Page 10

CORONATION ROBES

Plans For Exhibition In Christchurch DISPLAY IN OLD ART GALLERY The exhibition in Christchurch ot coronation robes and regalia, worn by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Her Majesty's coronation, replicas of the regalia of England and other items associated with the coronation, will be free to the public. The City Council is staging the exhibition, which will be opened next Wednesday afternoon at the old art gallery and will close on Tuesday, December 29. The Queen made the exhibition available.

Robes and regalia included in the exhibition are: the parliamentary robe of State; the supertunica; the Duke of Edinburgh's robe and coronet; the Queen's gloves; the Coronation Bible; the regalia table cover and embroidery; the Royal box aprons; the Queen’s faldstool; the homage stool; peers’ chairs and an abbey stool; the abbey fabric; the abbey gold carpet; the abbey blue carpet; and replicas of the regalia of England. The supertunica will be in a glass display case, and the rich colours of the various robes, carpets and frontals, and the jewels of the regalia will be made to show to the best advantage by ample floodlights. The show case for the supertunica is so difficult to handle for display that six men. including two carpenters, will be required. The City Council has arranged for eight men, including a carpenter, to assist the Internal Affairs Department’s staff of three with the unloading and erection of the exhibits.

Although the exhibition is complete the council will set it off with bunting, potted palms and plants ir the background. The crowds which have inspected the display so far in New Zealand have been so big that arrangements for traffic control have had to be made. At the art gallery the public will be admitted at one door and will leave by another. Special precautions to prevent dust rising on to the exhibits, especially the robes, have been planned, and smoking in the gallery will be prohibited.