City & Guilds Art School team decorates Royal Barge for Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
On Sunday 3 June 2012, HM Queen Elizabeth II sailed down the Thames on the ‘Spirit of Chartwell’, the vessel elevated to the status of Royal Barge for one of the largest pageants in the river’s history and one of the high points of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations
The barge’s most prominent feature, the large prow sculpture as well as the canopy on deck were designed by Alan Lamb, Head of Historic Carving at City & Guilds of London Art School, and executed under his direction by a team of more than 40 students, tutors and alumni who for a period of five months concentrated all the skills taught across the School’s curricula. The design was inspired by ornaments of 17th and 18th century royal equivalents but on a much larger scale. It was a great honour for the School to have been entrusted this important commission, which uniquely allowed to demonstrate its commitment to keeping alive historic craft skills of the highest order. Watch a short video of the making of the prow below.