Historic footage of the Queen’s visit to Macclesfield four years before her coronation has been revealed.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh came to the town in 1949 as part of a three-day tour of the Midlands.
The amazing footage from AP and British Movietone shows 14-year-old schoolgirl Shirley Hankinson presenting the princess with a bouquet of pink carnations at Macclesfield railway station on behalf of the children of Macclesfield.
Shirley then gets into the Royal car and joins the Royal Procession as it visits the town hall which is decorated with a huge banner saying ‘welcome’.
Huge crowds gathered in the streets to catch a glimpse of the future Queen as the procession drove to the Brocklehurst silk factory.
The YouTube film shows a youthful would-be Queen walking through factory in between the looms and chatting gleefully to workers before “admiring the lustrous patterns and designs”.
The film also shows Ruth Collier, the weaver who made a wedding dress for the princess’s wedding, a gift from the town.
