The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-07 00:00:00

THE ROYAL VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM.

The Prince of Princess of Wales, attended by
Col. Ellis and the Hon. Mrs. Stoner, left London
on Monday afternoon, at three o'clock, on a visit
to Lord and Lady Aylesford, at Packington Hall,
near Hampton, Warwickshire. Their Royal
Highnesses drove to the Easton terminus of the
London and North-Western Railway, alighting in
the square of the station at the doorway near the
end of the departure platform, near which a large
number of ladies and spectators were assembled.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were met upon
the platform by the Duke of Sutherland, the Marquis
of Blandford, Mr. Moon (chairman), Mr. Hick ersteth
and Mr. Croefield (directors), Mr. Findlay (general
manager), and Mr. Neele (superintendent), of the
London and North-Westeni Railway. Two saloons,
part of the Royal train used by Her Majesty the
Queen when travelling between Scotland and
'Windsor, had been attached to the three o'clock
express, and the space upon the platform opposite
the train carpeted with crimson cloth and divided
by barricades from the snore public portion used
by the rest of the passengers. The train left
Euston at 3 o'clock for its destination; Mr. Findlay,
the general manager, with Mr. Neele, superintendent
of the North-Western line, in charge. It reached
Hampton, the point of arrival, about 6 o'clock in
the evening. A considerable crowd had assembled
outside the little station to get the first glimpse
of their Royal Highnesses, children being there
literally by the wag,gou full. The stationhadbeen
neatly decorated, and a special platform covered
with crimson cloth was built out from the ordinary
platform. On this, when the train drew up their
Royal Highnesses stepped, and were received by
Lord aylesford, who was accompanied by Colonel
Wilkes. As the Princess walked across the stage
to the doorway, some ladies who had got close up
to the platform threw down bouquets of flowers,
a compliment which her Royal Highness gracefully
acknowledged. Two carriages and a brake had
come up from Packington to take back the Royal
party and their attendants the carriages being each
drawnlby four eplendidhorses mounted by postilions
in dark blue coats and spotless white leathers. The
first carriage was open, and around this the crowd
unceremoniously clustered as their Royal
Highnesses took their seats, the people waving
their hats and lustily cheering, whilst the Prince,
sitting bare-headed, and the Princess always smil-
ing, returned the salutation. In the second
carriage the Hon. Mrs. Stoner, Colonel Ellis, and
Mr. Frank Knollys. who had accompanied their
Royal Highnesses from Marlborough House, took
their seats, the luggage was piled up in the brake,
and the party drove off amid loud cheers, through
which the voices of the two waggons full of chil-
were shrilly heard excitedly singing in various
keys odd lines of "God Bless the Prince of Wales.'
The excitement prevalent in Birmingham in
view of the Royal entry increased as the approach
of the Prince and Princess drew nearer. The state
of the streets on Saturday appeared to indicate
that the climax of popular enthusiasm, short of
that which might be expected on the actual day
of the visit, had been reached. But:Tuesday the
condition of affairs intensified in this direction.
The line of the procession coming and going is
unusually long, and wherever the carriages are to
pass barriers have been erected with the consequent
up-rooting of the pavement and the piling up of
paving stones. Up and down the long line of
these barriers the people slowly move, staring up
at the preparations for the illuminations, and
gazing upon the swiftly growing lines of flags that
droop from the tops of the tall Venetian masts. It
having been absolutely decided:that the rates are
to be drawn upon for the necessary funds, no ex-
pense is being spared in the way of making the
ceremonial a succecs. Illuminations on the most
lavish scale are planned, and householders along
the route of the procession appear with one consent
to have been struck by the special suitability of
their houses as coigns of vantage whence the
procession may be viewed, and there prevails the
most distracting profusion offers of "best places."
Windows, seats, first floors, other floors, shops and
windows, balconies, and roofs of houses, all along
the line of route, are crowded with sightseers.
From early morn the two lines of railways have
been bringing in spectators by tens of thousands
from Leamington, Warwick, Stratford, Worcester,
Droitwich, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Shrews-
bury, Wellington, Oakengates, Shifnal, and a score
of other towns along the routes indicated. In
order to marshal the immense host, the greater
portion of the 900 policemen which the borough
boasts have been concentrated on the line of
procession, assisted by the local volunteers. A
gallant offer was made by the Grand Order of
Good Teemplare "to keep the streets," ,5000 good
men and true being guaranteed, all robed in
scarves. The authorities, however, whilst fully
acknowledging the imposing character of
the proposed display, rather cung to old
traditions, and so completed the arangements
wilh the police and the volunteers. Of
course, 'there was a good deal of heartburning
occasioned by the mode in which the tickets for
the Town Hall have been distributed. As long
as the physical difficulty in the way of getting a
quart of beer into a point pot remains unsolved,
such heartburnings will on occasions like the
present have to be recorded, and that is the only
satisfaction the Mayor and the Reception Com-
mittee may have in carrying out this unpleasant
part of their duty. The loudest complaints come
from the Guardian of theslPoor who have had one
ticket each assigned to them, as against half-a-
dozen given to the Town Councillors. Is a guar-
dian of thispoor, plus his wife and family, only as
one to six in intrinsic; value as compared with a
town councillor plus his wife and family? That
is the question which the parish authorities have
formulated and put to the Reception Committee
and the public. It would appear that the agita-
tion which has arisen on this delicate question has
had the effect of goading the committee into
seeing what else could be done. It was iinpossible
to add to the proportion of tickets allotted to the
guardians, but by waylof sop, tickets have been sent
to the parish overseers. The result of this
concession is indicated by a letter which appears
in the local papers, signed" A Grateful Overseer,"
and runs thus "AS one of the overseers of
Edgbaston I have to acknowledge the receipt of
icket No. 672, being about the most distant place
in the great gallery, near the top of the south
window. Any lady or gentleman desirous of at-
tending can have the ticket byapplyings' andhere
the grateful overseer adds his name and address,
The procession left Packinton on Tuesday morn-
ing at about half-past ten, in order to be at the
Birmingham boundary at half-past eleven. Their
Royal Highnesses were received here bytheMayor
accompanied by the Town Clerk, and by the Re-
ception Committee. By the order then adopted,
the escort of the 12th Lancers proceeded first, fol-
lowed by the Reception Committee in carriages,
by the Mayor, Mayoress, Town Clerk, conducted
by mounted police, and next by the Prince and
Princess of Wales and the Earl and Countess of
Ayleaferd. The third carriage contained the Hon.
Mrs. Stoner (lady-in-waiting on the Princess of
Wales), Colonel Ellis,(equerry), and the Hon. F.
Kuollys. An escort of the 12th Lancers closed
the procession. The decorations in Coventry-road
commence at the Bordesley railway arch with
Venetian masts, supplemented by groups of Sags.
In the middle of the junction of roads facing it is a
kind of canopy, formed by Venetian masts and
other ornamentation. An unbroken series of deoo-
rations begin at this point and threading High
street, Bordesley, Deritend, Digbeth, and Bull-
ring. Then proceeding along, the procession
reached the Town Hall, where a congratulatory
address was presented to their Royal Highnesses.
On the departure from the Town Hall, the party
directed their course to the rooms of the Royal
Society of Artists, where they partook of luncheon
the procession passed through High-street, Ball.
street, and Newhall-street. Having visited the
manufactory of Messrs. Elkinton and Co.'s, they
reached that of Messrs. Gillett and Sons, by way
of Mount-street and Graham-street,; and their
route then lay along Fredrick-street. From the
last named establishment they return by Pitsford-
street, Upper Hockley-street, 3reat Hampton-
street, Constitution-hill, Snow-hill, Bull-street,
High-street, and Bull-ring, to the borough
boundary on the Coventry-road.
The day turned out to be everything that
could bed °sired, so far as the weather is concerned.
The morning opened with glorious sunshine and a
gentle bracing wind, as though even the elements '
had laid aside the Burley propensities they invari-
ably evince in this changeful climate, and put on
their most gracious smiles in honour of the
occasion. From an early hour in the morning the
principle streets were crowded with passengers,
the numbers being largely augmented every few
minutes by large contingents coming by train, by
cab, and by every available conveyance iuumagin-
able. As early as eight o'clock crowds of people
who did not care to pay for seats took up "stands"
against the barriers, and there patiently waited
the long hours preceecling the arrival of the pro-
cession. Later on the principal footpaths were
filled with patient crowds, so that locomotion
which in the centre of the street became a matter
of difficulty, on the footpaths almost impossible.
The apace in front of Christ Church, and the site
of the old Post Office held a number of people,
who paid rather high prices for their accomoda-
tion.

The appearance of the streets along which the
royal procession was expected to perambulate are
uutgnificient beyond description. Bennett's Hill
is one mass of garlands of dark green leaves re-
lieved by flags and banners of brilliant hues, of all
shapes, sizes, colours, and nationalities. Looking
down from high-etreet, into the Bull-ring is a most