|
Date: |
|
Description: | For many years Fareham Railway Station had seen members of the Royal Family passing through the station, normally en route to the Isle of Wight. Queen Victoria had died at Osborne House on the island and the funeral train passed through on its way to London. Accompanied by her daughter, Princess Ena (later Queen of Spain), Princess Henry of Battenburg was, however, the first member of the Royal family to visit Fareham on 4 October 1905. She was, at that time, Governor of the Isle of Wight. The station was brightly decorated and among those waiting at the station were local dignitaries, railway staff and the army with their regimental mascot. The scenes were repeated in the town with crowds coming from miles around lining West Street. Escorted by mounted police, the roads lined with bunting and evergreen, Princess Henry proceeded to the official reception at the Connaught Drill Hall. She had come to open a bazaar in aid of funds to improve Holy Trinity Church (the rebuilding of the chancel). She left Fareham in the car of the MP for Fareham, Arthur Lee.
Princess Henry was born Princess Beatrice and was the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert before her marriage to Prince Henry of Battenburg in Whippingham on the Isle of Wight in 1885. As a close companion of the queen before her marriage, she had spent much time on the Isle of Wight and her husband was later made Captain and Governor there. The couple lived there with their four children. In 1896 whilst with an expeditionary force in Africa, Prince Henry contracted malaria from which he died. Princess Henry carried on with royal engagements after his death, and also after the death of her mother in 1901. She succeeded her husband as Captain and Governor of the Isle of Wight and her engagements took her all over the country. Her daughter became Queen of Spain, her brother in law the Ruler of Bulgaria and her godchild the last Tsarina of Russia. She died aged 87 in 1944.
References:
1. Emery, John. 1985. Fareham in old picture postcards, p.67-69.
2. Moore, Pamela. 1990. Bygone Fareham, p. 84-86. | Format: | image/jpeg | License: | http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=gateway&f=generic_sitetext%2ehtm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&cms_con_core_subtype%3acms_con_text_what=copyright&%3acms_sys_group=%22sopse%22 | Rights holder: | Hampshire Library and Information Service - Hampshire County Council | Subjects: | Arthur Lee building Princess Henry railway station royalty Prince Albert street royal visit Prince Henry of Battenburg West Street Princess Ena transport Connaught Drill Hall event Princess Beatrice Queen Victoria bazaar Holy Trinity Church | Temporal: | start=1905-01-01; end=1905-12-31; | Source: | Sense of place SE | Identifier: | http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | image/jpeg | Go to resource |
|
|