On the 12th May 1937 Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George, Duke of York, was crowned at Westminster Abbey, taking the name of King George VI. It was a day of great joy for the country, and the Empire: the constitutional crisis caused by the abdication of George's elder brother Edward, in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, was definitely over.
Stillington celebrated in splendid style, with a gala that included a May Queen, surrounded by her attendants, setting out from Stillington Hall; a purpose built coach; a magnificent parade through the village, with a king and queen, and even a model ship gracing Town End Pond. Fortunately many photographs, and even cine film, of this unique event have survived.
