Queen Victoria's visit to Hull

 "The Queen’s visit to Hull, Friday, and Saturday, October the 13^th and 14^th, 1854, arranged, with considerable additions” by James Smith [L.9.7081]

The Local Studies collection houses four copies of this pamphlet, but one copy in particular caught my attention since it also contains memorabilia from the actual visit itself – including a General Pass ticket to the Railway Station, a dinner invitation in Honour of Her Majesty’s Visit to Hull, at the Station Hotel [image 1], and a menu [image 2]. Where a name has been completed, it is Mr Ivatts. Who he is or whether he gave the memorabilia to Mr Smith or had the copy bound with his ephemera of the visit remains a mystery. However, it was a Miss Ivatts who was responsible for receiving the Royal Guests at “The Station Hotel” and was ordered by Queen Victoria to be in attendance during her visit.  It seems probable that Mr Ivatts was a relative of this Miss Ivatts.

Image 1 - Dinner Invitation in honour of Her Majesty's visit to Hull

The booklet is evocative of the time and the author, James Smith, was obviously a fan of Queen Victoria and the Royal family –

“Royal progresses are events which form some of the most agreeable pages in the history of our country. But there are none of them which will be read of with greater pleasure by future generations than those of her present Majesty. More gorgeous may have been the state in which previous monarchs have travelled – but never in any age, or under any circumstances did crowned head receive more sincere welcome than her Majesty obtains wherever she goes.”

There may have been criticism of the cost of the visit since Smith continues:

“She comes not amongst us to impoverish our resources: but she comes to give an impulse to our trade – to make herself personally acquainted with our local position and advantages – and we feel that in doing so she is exhibiting her sense of identity of interest that exists between us.”

In the Hull City Archives, there is a file of material relating to this Royal visit to Hull which included a detailed analysis of expenses of the trip to the City of Hull [C TCRE/11/26]. This included the hiring of carriages for the Royal party along with bell ringers, illuminations, flags, triumphal arches and medals.  The total cost was calculated to be just over £4,032. Today that works out at approximately £450,000.

It is clear from the book that this Royal visit was, to some degree, a “spur of the moment” event –

“As most of our readers will be aware, the notice of her Majesty’s gracious intention to honour Hull with her presence was only received by the Mayor on Thursday, last week, so that there was little time for preparation.”

However, there had been a planned visit in the previous year which had been cancelled.

“Fortunately, however, the committee which was appointed by the council last year, on the occasion of the then anticipated visit of the Queen, to arrange all the preliminaries, was still in existence, and instantly on the receipt of Sir George Grey’s letter, the members of it were summoned and commenced work forthwith. A meeting was at once held, and various sub-committees appointed – one to superintend the works necessary to be carries out – another to attend the illuminations; a third to arrange the proceedings generally; and so on.”

The author does go into much detail on the meticulous planning that had to be undertaken throughout Hull in a very short time. The Royal party were staying at “The Station Hotel” and the minutiae of the preparations and decorations of both the Railway Station [where the party would alight] and “The Station Hotel” are noted.

Image 2 - Menu from Station Hotel Dinner

The booklet also contains copies of the addresses handed to the Royal party during their stay [seven in total] and details of the number of boys, girls and teachers by individual schools that lined the Royal procession through Hull.

The author makes much of how crowded the streets were to see the Royal party –

“You saw them gathering from every quarter in such numbers that ordinary residents in the town were almost led to wonder where they all have come from. Country cousins has come upon us like locusts”

Interestingly, Smith noted that “the annual visit of the Hull fair was postponed for a day so to enable our visitors to see the Queen.”

The Royal tour through Hull and visits to various establishments are highlighted in this volume in a colourful and descriptive manner but some of it, seen though modern days eyes, leaves a sour taste in the mouth:

“Each school bore its banner with some appropriate device. The one which struck us most as being at once in the best taste and well-conceived, was the banner borne by the workhouse children, which bore the inscription “Poor, but loyal”.

The Royal party left Hull on the Royal Yacht, “Fairy”, from the Pier in order to travel to Grimsby for her next engagement. Prior to her embarking on board, Queen Victoria chose to knight the Mayor of Hull in what appears to have been a spontaneous decision as a “thank you” for hosting such a successful Royal visit.  Thus Henry Cooper, Mayor became “Sir Henry Cooper”.

The author concluded that:

“It has been remarked that the triumphal arch at Whitefriargate Bridge, under which her Majesty passed, stood within a foot of the site of the Beverley Gate, from whence Charles I, was repulsed, What a difference! At no spot on her Majesty’s line of route did she receive warmer salutations or heartier greetings than here”

This volume harks back to a by-gone age which I suspect we may never see again.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, “Unlocking the Treasure Project”