Gloriana (barge)

The royal barge Gloriana

Gloriana is a 94-foot-long (29 m) British royal barge. She was privately commissioned as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee, and was the lead vessel in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Commissioning

The project to build Gloriana was initiated by Lord Sterling, who stated he got the idea for a waterborne tribute to the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee from her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales.[1] Lord Sterling financed two thirds of the estimated £1,500,000 construction cost of the project.[2][3] Additional backers included Sir Donald Gosling and Canadian billionaire Galen Weston,[4] as well as Monaco-based Israeli shipping and real estate magnate Eyal Ofer.[5] After leading the Jubilee parade Gloriana was presented to the Queen as a gift and is now operated by The Gloriana Trust [www.glorianaqrb.org.uk].[2]

Design and construction

Gloriana at Henley Royal Regatta 2012

Gloriana is a 94-foot-long (29 m) rowing barge. She is powered by 18 oarsmen and 2 electric inboard engines, and can carry an additional 34 passengers and crew. According to Lord Sterling, the design is inspired by Canaletto's London paintings of 18th-century barges.[1] According to The Daily Telegraph, the design resembles the boat used by the Lord Mayor of London in the 1800s.[2]

Construction began in November 2011 at a site in Brentford, and was led by master-builder Mark Edwards.[1] The materials used include wood from sweet chestnut trees from Prince Charles's estate.[1] The sculpture and ornate carvings, decorated in gold leaf, were made by Polygon Scenery.

Gloriana's ornately-decorated oars were made by Windsor, Berkshire-based firm J Sutton Blades, oar-makers since the 1970s.[6]

Service

Launch and naming

On 19 April 2012, Gloriana was transported by road from the factory to the River Thames, being placed in the water for the first time at Isleworth.[1] The Queen officially named her on 25 April 2012, during a visit to re-open the restored Cutty Sark in Greenwich.[1]

Diamond Jubilee pageant

Gloriana was the lead vessel in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, a parade of over 1,000 boats and ships down the River Thames in London, organised as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.[1] She led members of the Royal Family other than the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who were aboard the 210-foot-long (64 m) MV Spirit of Chartwell, a motorised barge.[1][7] Among the 18 rowers were Olympic gold medallists Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent, also former British Olympic rowing crews including James Cracknell, Jonny Searle, Guin Batten, Miriam Batten (Silver medalists at Sydney Olympics in 2000) and Ben Hunt-Davis and also British servicemen – Will Dixon, Rory Mackenzie and Neil Heritage – who all lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan.[4]

During the pageant Gloriana carried eight flags, those of the four home nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland,[8] as well as the flag of the City of London and the flag of Cornwallplus the flag of the Royal House of Stewart and the flag of Tudor King Henry VIII.[9]

Olympic Flame

Gloriana carried the Olympic Flame on the river Thames on 27 July 2012, as part of a flotilla of rowboats.[10] The barge was moored on the Lea Navigation at the Olympic Park in Stratford during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Great River Race

On Saturday 15 September 2012, Gloriana was the leading boat of the Great River Race on the final stretch from Richmond, London to the finishing point at Ham, London. Gold Medal rower Sophie Hosking and Silver Medallist Rob Williams were aboard Gloriana. She was also rowed by youngsters supported by The Rowing Foundation, the Race’s official charity. She passed under Richmond Bridge before mooring up opposite the finish, below Ham House, in time to greet the winner of London's 25th River Marathon. [11]

800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta

Gloriana at Bray Lock, 23 July 2015. In order to travel along the non-tidal areas of the River Thames, Gloriana is fitted with an inboard motor connected to the wheel and rudder. Her oars are stowed on deck when not in use.

On Saturday 13 June 2015 and Sunday 14 June 2015, the Gloriana took part in celebrations commemorating the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. Accompanied by various other royal boats, including the Royal Shallop Jubilant, she journeyed from Marlow to Runymede, the location where the Magna Carta was signed.[12]

Outside of state usage

The Gloriana is currently based in St Katharine Docks, London, where she is kept and prepared for usage. During the summer months, the barge can often be observed travelling between Central London and Henley on Thames, powered by its inboard motors.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Royal barge Gloriana launched on Thames in London". BBC News. BBC. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Queen's Diamond Jubilee barge 'Gloriana' launched onto Thames". The Telegraph. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. ↑ http://www.glorianaqrb.org.uk/gloriana.html
  4. 1 2 Eagar, Charlotte (June 3, 2012). "The greatest show on the Thames for 350 years: £1million Gloriana will lead pageant of 1,000 boats in Diamond Jubilee showpiece". Daily Mail.
  5. ↑ James Pickford, Eyal Ofer donates £10m to Tate Modern extension, Financial Times, July 2, 2013
  6. ↑ "Oars unveiled for the Royal Barge ‘Gloriana’". www.britishrowing.org. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Queen's Diamond Jubilee royal barge design unveiled". BBC News. BBC. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Bartram, Graham (2012). "A Visual Guide to the Flags used in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant" (PDF). The Flag Institute. p. 5. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "Mystery over Cornish flag on jubilee boat is solved". The West Briton. The West Briton. 2012-06-14. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Olympic torch: Thames trip on royal barge Gloriana on relay's final morning". BBC News. 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Team GB Olympians last Hurrah aboard the Gloriana for this years Great River Race". www.richmond.gov.uk. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  12. ↑ http://www.thamesalive.org.uk/magnacarta/

External links

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