1887 Queen Victoria’s Jubilee

As they expected, Newlyn was a-buzz with Jubilee celebrations. The Penzance ones were over, having taken place on June 21^st. There had been a spectacular start to them with a 21-gun salute fired by Mr Runnalls from his quarry on Penlee Point. After that there was an official procession in Penzance, with the Church of England Temperance Society taking a prominent position. There had been dinner for Penzance old people, a procession of children and a subscription dinner in the evening.

The Newlyn celebrations took place soon after the Gotches arrived, having been organised by a committee headed by Mr Payne. The principal feature was the children’s procession, with no fewer than 1,500 children, representing the middle, northern, and southern parts of the town. The northern detachment assembled opposite the Ebenezer Chapel in Boase Street, the southern detachment near St Peter’s Church, while the central division met at the Wesleyan Day School. Headed by the Penzance Artillery band, the children marched to the large square, where Jubilee medals were distributed, and sang Rule Britannia. The Rev Robertson Bardell delivered a short address to the children. The procession then marched to the beach at Street-an-Nowan where the National Anthem was again sung, and an address was delivered by the Rev J Dymond. The procession then proceeded to the grounds of Trewidden which were kindly lent for the occasion by Mr Edward Bolitho. In the evening, there was a torchlight procession headed by Mr J Avery who was mounted upon a donkey. The whole event concluded with a grand display of fireworks from the pier, and a large bonfire was lit on the beach at Street-an-Nowan.

From Pam Lomax,  Newlyn When the Artists Came, published 2021