The king is dead, long live the king.
Street parties were a characteristically British phenomenon, which trace their origin to 1919, when residents decorated their streets and held "peace teas" for the local children to mark the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles that formally ended World War I. Until recently, children, sitting down to tea, were always the focus of these celebrations. Street parties became a tradition, and were organized to observe all major national days of celebration.
The photograph below records one such celebration, which was held in West Albert Street, Salford in 1937 to celebrate the
Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on 12 May.
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Street Party in West Albert Street, Salford 1937
click on images to enlarge |
My grandmother, May (née Cawdery)
Taylor can be seen standing on the left. She lived on the corner of West Brownbill Street and West Albert Street at
23 West Brownbill Street. May would have been about 39 or 40 years old when the photograph was taken.
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| West Albert Street was off Cross Lane |
