Queen’s Beasts, Westminster Abbey 1953
$20.00 $10.00
Instant royalty-free download — no watermark.
Includes a premium JPG file (typically 3000–4000px on the longest edge), suitable for prints, publications, websites, decor, and creative projects. Your download link appears immediately at checkout once your order is complete.
This authentic 1950s colour photograph captures a bustling scene outside the temporary arrival annexe at Westminster Abbey during the 1953 Coronation celebrations. The image features the full line of “The Queen’s Beasts,” ten six-foot-tall heraldic sculptures created by James Woodford to symbolise the genealogy of Queen Elizabeth II. The sculptures stand in front of the Eric Bedford-designed annexe, which boasts large glass panels etched with national floral emblems and a roofline decorated with heraldic shields. A diverse crowd of spectators in mid-century attire—men in dark suits and women in colourful summer dresses—populates the foreground, while a vintage red double-decker bus is visible in the distance. This archival print is a magnificent record of the “New Elizabethan” aesthetic and a historic British milestone, making it an ideal resource for researchers, editorial use, or as a piece of nostalgic wall art to print.
About Retro Stock Photography
Retro Stock Photography specializes in genuine vintage color photographs from the 1950s through the 1990s, all available as royalty-free instant downloads. Our photos are popular for editorial features, books, magazines, websites, documentaries, advertising, social media, local history projects, creative design, and as unique gifts when printed.
All of our images are scanned directly from original slides and negatives, preserving their authenticity, detail, and character. And because we own the original photographs and copyrights, all of our collection is exclusive to us and not available elsewhere.
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