Before TV, there was drawing
In 1953, the images of the Queen’s Coronation that were beamed round the world were not live broadcast from Westminster Abbey but filmed images of these drawings.
These intricate depictions of what the coronation looked like were made before the event itself, and used to generate footage that was sent out for people around the world to watch alongside the live wireless broadcast that would describe the day.
A lot has changed since the last coronation! So, as a reminder of this, in 2023, to mark the Coronation of King Charles III, the drawings have been placed on display in the Ramsgate Tunnels, alongside other archive materials from the collection.
The drawings are by James Gardner OBE. They are a legacy from when Richard Houghton was working with him at 3DConcepts before establishing HKD with Kate Kneale .
As well as these drawings, Gardner was commissioned to design the public decorations for the coronation. He designed the decorations down the Mall, and a canopied entrance to Kensington Palace.
