The year was 1952: food rationing was still in force, beer was 1/9d a pint, Britain’s best-selling car was the Morris Minor, and Princess Elizabeth had acceded to the throne following the death of her father King George VI.
The planned coronation the following June was keenly anticipated, and no more so than in Bisley, which ringed the change by crowning its first ‘flower queen’ at its annual flower show and fete that August.
In doing so the villagers started a tradition that continues to this day, broken only in 2020 when the Coronavirus pandemic meant the annual event was unable to take place.
This year, with the Coronation of King Charles III still fresh in people’s minds and the crowning of their 70th flower queen about to take place, the organisers of Bisley Flower Show and Fete are looking to bring together previous holders of the title for a special reunion at the event in The Show Field off Cheltenham Road in Bisley on Saturday, August 26.
‘We hope to make this year’s flower show and fete a right royal occasion by welcoming back many of our former flower queens, and their attendants, as our guests of honour,’ explains fete organiser Sue Bradley.
‘We have been crowning a flower queen since 1952, and since 2021 we’ve had a flower king, too.
‘Sometimes different generations of the same families have been our flower queens and for many people it’s a source of great pride.
‘Bisley Flower Show and Fete is a big day for people in the village and for many former residents who now live further afield and make a point of returning for the event.
‘It always features a huge marquee bursting with quality exhibits that have been grown, cooked and made by local people, along with a wide variety of stalls, fun activities for children and Bisley’s famous teas.’
Bisley’s first flower queen was Edna Clissold, later Cook, who had no fewer than six attendants, including a boy dressed as a butterfly.
Edna returned to the flower show and fete in 1977 to crown that year’s queen Kath Hale, and again in 2002 to place a circle of flowers on the head of Hannah Wheeler.
‘I was the Silver Jubilee queen,’ recalls Kath, who now lives in Bussage.
‘My auntie Jacqueline Hale was a flower queen before me, and in 1999 my daughter Jenna Chudley was crowned. It was strange seeing her sitting there 22 years after I had sat on the throne and more than 40 years after my auntie had been there.
‘My nan, Cecily Hale, made the dresses for the early queens; she made a lot of wedding dresses for local people too.
‘Early on the attendants’ dresses were all different colours and nan used to starch them. She made the crowns out of flowers.’
Being the flower queen was a big moment for an 11-year-old girl, says Katherine.
‘Back then the queen was one of the girls who were leaving Bisley Blue Coat Primary School that year and voted for by people in her class,’ she recalls. ‘I had six attendants, including a page boy, Nigel Cook, and I had to wear a golden cape. I remember going to my nan’s house in Wells Road to get dressed and I think we arrived at the flower show and fete in a horse and cart.
‘I had to sit on a big throne. It did feel very special.’
Among Katherine’s attendants in 1977 was Kim Trinder, who went on to become the flower queen in 1978.
She’s remained in the village and is still actively involved in the fete, helping to provide the teas on the day.
For Kim, who is now a curate in Bisley, being the flower queen felt a privilege.
‘It was an incredible day,’ she says. ‘I remember my mum put my hair up in a special bun, and when I was crowned the flowers were held in place with a criss-crossing of string, which meant the crown wouldn’t say on my head very well. I didn’t mind, it was such a lovely experience.’
Emily Bradley was the flower queen in 2017, by which time the recipient’s name was drawn out of a hat. She was crowned by retired GP Dr Pat Pearson, who lived in the village.
‘It was a fun day, although at the time I used to wear trousers all the time and a lot of people remarked how they’d never seen me wearing a dress before,’ she recalls. ‘We arrived on the back of a vehicle provided by Graduate Gardeners, who are based in Bisley.
‘It had been decorated with flowers the evening before and looked really nice.’
Former flower queens and kings at Bisley Flower Show and Fete are invited to contact Sue Bradley by phoning 01452 770337 or sending an email to: susan@cornerstonesmediaservices.co.uk
