For centuries, Londoners have been fascinated by royal ceremony, not least Sir John Soane. In September 1831, when King William and Queen Adelaide were crowned, Soane acquired a pair of sketches showing the regal coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. In 2022, Sir John Soane's Museum will celebrate HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee with a display of royal memorabilia commemorating coronations and jubilees, from cups and plates to hairpins and bunting. These objects, lent by staff and the local community, show how the British public, from Soane’s time to our own, have participated in royal events through collecting souvenirs and memorabilia.
See your royal memorabilia on display at Sir John Soane’s Museum!
This display is unusual in that all the items included will have been borrowed from Museum staff, visitors, and our local community. A recent call-out for items revealed a treasure-trove of royal memorabilia. Objects include a William IV and Queen Adelaide mug celebrating their coronation in 1831 and providing a direct link to Soane’s time. Brightly coloured glassware celebrating Victoria’s jubilees, commemorative ceramics designed by leading artists including Dame Laura Knight and Eric Ravilious, and themed magazines and biscuit tins are among other highlights. More unusual finds include hairpins celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and a jar of Ma’amite produced for the diamond jubilee in 2012!
Items will be on display in the Museum’s historic kitchens from 25 May to 26 June 2022, inclusive.
Due to an extraordinary response from our local community, we cannot accept any further submissions for items to add to this exhibit. Thank you to all those who got in touch!
