6 June 2002: A Jubilee tour of North London by The Queen and Prince Philip A tour of a red double-decker bus, a Hindu blessing and a community reception at Alexandra Palace were among the highlights of The Queen's day in North London. After the fairy-tale Gold State Coach on which The Queen had travelled to St. Paul's Cathedral earlier in the week, it was back to more conventional forms of transport. Starting the day at Willesden bus depot, The Queen boarded a stationary double decker No. 52 bus and met its driver, Tony Farrell. The bus was a brand new model with special facilities to improve access for less able-bodied users and features such as eight security cameras. The Queen's visit to the garage marked the depot's centenary year. In its earliest years, it had housed horse-drawn buses. The visit also allowed The Queen to meet some of the drivers who had worked throughout the four-day Jubilee Bank Holiday. One of the men introduced to The Queen, Eugene Collymore, had not only worked during the Golden Jubilee Weekend, but had also been on duty for the Silver Jubilee celebrations 25 years previously. Meanwhile Prince Philip viewed some of the buses painted gold for the Jubilee and two gold taxis, and talked to engineering staff in the workshops. Before leaving, The Queen and the Duke met support staff including cleaners, canteen workers and administrators and The Queen unveiled a plaque to commemorate the garage's centenary. At Copthall Athletics Stadium in Barnet local people put on a special pageant representing the diverse communities of North London. The parade involved hundreds of people from various community sectors, with floats, carnival costumes, dancers, circus performances and marching groups. After watching the vivid procession, The Queen and Prince Philip met achievers from eight boroughs of North London, before The Queen unveiled a special plaque marking the occasion. The diversity of North London was also celebrated at the next engagement at Alexandra Palace, Wood Green. Hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside to greet The Queen, including young people from the Orthodox Jewish community. Representatives of all the North London boroughs gathered inside for a Golden Jubilee lunch and reception. In the afternoon The Queen visited a Hindu temple. It was her first such visit in the UK, although Her Majesty had previously visited Hindu places of worship in other countries. The Murugan Hindu Temple in Archway serves London's Tamil community. After removing their shoes out of respect, The Queen and Prince Philip were given a traditional Hindu welcome and presented with ceremonial garlands. Priests conducted a purification and blessing ceremony during a tour of the shrines, after which The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh met some of the temple's worshippers. In the community hall, children performed traditional Hindu music and dance for the Royal party. The day finished at Lambeth Palace, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Over 250 schoolchildren joined other guests at a special Golden Jubilee garden party. The schoolchildren were drawn from nearly 50 Church of England schools in the dioceses of Canterbury, Chelmsford, London and Southwark. Others attending included members of the Lambeth Partnership and medical and nursing staff from the St Luke's Hospital for the Clergy, a charity which provides medical care for the clergy and church lay workers. On entering the Palace, The Queen saw two new works of art - a painting and a sculpture - commissioned for the Palace atrium. The area, next to the 13th century crypt chapel, was opened up and developed when the Palace was opened to the public as part of the Millennium 'String of Pearls' project. The garden party took place in the grounds of the Palace, despite poor weather, with music provided by local schoolchildren. Before leaving The Queen planted a commemorative magnolia tree named "Elizabeth" on the east side of the Palace courtyard.                         Back to June index