Queen Elizabeth II Coronation celebration 1953

The first four photos here, were taken of the neighbours and families of Sussex Terrace when they gathered together to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The last photo is of a Coronation party held at The Albion pub. I have listed all the people I can remember, in no special order. If I have forgotten anyone or got their name wrong, I am very sorry.

All the photographs will open a large screen version in a new window if you click on the image.

1953 Coronation party in the Albion Pub

Sussex Terrace party

Mr & Mrs Smith; Mr & Mrs Coats; Mr & Mrs Dowdes; Mr& Mrs Hubbard; Mrs Cooper; Mrs Bryant; Mrs Anksmon; Mrs Harriet; Alan Coats; Willie Cove; Judy Coats; Ricky Novice; Paddy Dowds; Evelyn Coats; Wendy Harriot; Shirley Coats; Brenda Summerford; Peter Smith; Terry Martin; Michael Smith; Terry Harriet; Joyce Novice; Roger Smith; Lynda Coats; Bob Martin; Georgie Coats; Bobby Smith; Jimmy Dowdes; Mrs  Novice; Carol Coats; Tony Diagastino(DON for short).

Albion Pub in Albion Hill party

Mrs Don (Diagastino); Mrs Eileen Smith; Christopher Smith; Mrs Winnie Smith;Tony Don; Joany Bryant; Joyce Novice; David Hubbard (Ginger); Wendy Harriet.

If you recognise yourself, or anyone else, please leave a comment below.

Comments about this page

  • The ladies in the photo  look beautiful. They must have been very hard times but they made the effort. I wish I had been around at that time.

    By Julie Annets (19/06/2011)
  • Joy, Such lovely photos, thank you for sharing them with us. I lived at 26 Sussex Terrace but missed out on the celebrations as I was not born until just a few weeks after the event. My sister Lynda, almost five years my senior, missed out too. She was in the Royal Alex Children’s hospital having been admitted there to have her tonsils removed. Mum spent most of the day with my sister at the hospital where, no doubt, they held their own parties for the children, so she missed out too. Mum did, however, buy some raffle tickets in aid of the Sussex Terrace street party and won a prize. It was a white glass coronation fruit bowl with red crown and lettering. She treasured this for many many years until it accidentially got broken. Last Sunday afternoon, Mum sat with me studying the above photos which brought back many happy memories. Some of the people she recognised and named straight away, others took a while and some she is still struggling with; not suprising really as it was over 58 years ago and her eyes are not as good as they once were. One particular elderly lady who she recognised but whose name escapes her, appears in photos 2, 3 and 4. In the second photo she is standing between Kathy Harriott and Connie Dowds and has her hand on the shoulder of the small boy in front. Mum has “racked” her brains over this lady’s name. Perhaps you could put her out of her misery? Regards, Suzie.

    By Suzie S (19/07/2011)
  • Hi Suzie, thank you for you nice comments, glad you and your mum enjoyed the photos and were able to recognise some of them. The lady your mum refers to is Mrs Cooper who lived next door to us in number 23 and the mother of Benny Cooper, she was also a good friend to my mum (Winnie Smith nee Reeves). What’s your mum’s name? 

    By Joy Pantelli (11/09/2011)
  • Hello Joy, These photos are fantastic. We’d love to use them as part of our Tarner Stories project. It may be that we could include them in our community project book and website. We’d love to hear from you. Please email us at info@tarnerstories.org for more details.

    By Jess Huffman (16/01/2012)
  • Hi Joy (and anyone else!). I work at BBC South East and we’re putting together a programme which will feature footage of the Queen’s coronation and how people in the region celebrated. I’d be very keen to speak to anyone who features in these photographs. If you’re one of those people and reading this, please contact me on 01892 675 648. Thanks very much.

    By Emily Craig (17/04/2012)
  • Lovely to see these photos; my Great grandmother and Grandfather are Mr and Mrs Hubbard.

    By Gina Charmaine-Gibbs (01/04/2013)
  • Hello Gina, are you, by chance, related to the Gibbs family who lived in Sussex Terrace, at number 4 (1891 census) and at number 11 (1901 census)? Suzie

    By Suzie (03/04/2013)
  • Hi Suzie, my family lived at 26 Sussex Terrace. My nan was Mary Gayford and her mum was Ellen Hubbard. My Auntie Bren and her husband Jim Martin also lived there …think they moved from Apollo Terrace when it collapsed. I remember it a bit as I was quite little when I played there in 1965 and have some photos of me and my cousin playing in the street.

    By Gina (07/04/2013)
  • Message for Suzie. ….. Are your relatives Emma and wally Mitchell from 26 Sussex terrace as my family were at 25 and my aunt remembers them, I was at my aunts today looking at photos of me and my cousin at sussex terrace when I was little in the 60’s

    By Gina Charmaine-Gibbs (07/04/2013)
  • Hi Gina, lovely to hear from you. Yes, Emma and Wally were my relatives. I am proud to say, my family lived in Sussex Terrace for over 100 years. The earliest record I am aware of is a Baptism entry in 1887 for the first born, a son, of my Great Grandparents, Alfred and Emma Mitchell, who were then living at number 3. The 1891 census then records them as living at number 9 which they shared with Emma’s sister Sarah and her husband. Another sister of Emma, Elizabeth Gibbs, was recorded as living at number 4 – any connection with you? In 1895, Alfred and Emma Mitchell had a second child, a daughter Elizabeth who was my Grandmother; the address on her Birth Certificate reveals they were then living at number 11. Elizabeth grew up and in 1914 married Wally Woolgar. They had a daughter, Sophie, born the following year. While Wally was busy abroad fighting in WW1, Elizabeth took on the tenancy of number 26. Just prior to WW1, my Great Grandparents’ son (and brother of Elizabeth) died in tragic circumstances. He left behind a small baby, also called Emma Mitchell, who was “taken in” and brought up by her Grandparents (my Great Grandparents). Alfred and Emma Mitchell along with baby Emma Mitchell moved into number 26 also. My Grandfather, Wally Woolgar, returned from WW1 and the following year my Dad, also called Wally Woolgar, was born at number 26. In 1923, Elizabeth Woolgar nee Mitchell died, also in tragic circumstances, leaving behind my 3 year old Dad and his sister. Although my Dad and Auntie Sophie still had their father, he was working six days a week earning a living, so yet again Alfred and Emma Mitchell took on bringing up two more grandchildren. Just after the end of the Second World War, Alfred died aged 80. This left living at number 26: Emma Mitchell senior, Emma Mitchell junior, Wally Woolgar senior and Wally Woolgar junior. Sophie had, by now, married and moved out. After my Dad married my Mum, they also lived at number 26 with my elder sister and then along came me! In 1954, Emma Mitchell senior died, aged 84. Following this, my Mum, Dad, sister and I moved out of Brighton, due to my Dad’s job. This just left Wally Woolgar senior and Emma Mitchell junior who were actually Uncle and Niece. My Grandfather Wally died in 1963 leaving Emma living alone in the three-storey number 26. In the late 1980s she moved across the road to “Glenleigh”. She died, a spinster, in 1993. Explaining a 100 years of “who was who”, especially as christian names were repeated, was never going to be easy, but I hope it has made sense. It is nice to know your family remember my family. Best Wishes

    By Suzie S (11/04/2013)
  • Did you know the Regans?

    By Shelly Regan (21/10/2013)
  • Hi My Grandmother was born at 31 Sussex Terrace December 1911 to my Great Grandmother Florence Daisy Holmes aged 17 at the time.She was working as a Domestic servant and sadly the fathers name was not present on her birth certificate.There was a story that the father was the son of the people who owned the house my G Grandmother worked in.I don’t know where to start looking for where she may have worked ?Any suggestions would be really great.

    By Josephine Batkin (15/10/2020)
  • My grandparents are the Coates family, George and Winifred, my mum is Carol Coates and all my aunts and uncles are in the photos. My grandparents were wonderful people.

    By Justina Akehurst (14/11/2021)

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