The Queen opening Cambridge University's veterinary school in 1955

AS the nation looks forward to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June, Cambridge First will remember each month Her Majesty’s visits to the city over the last six decades, starting with the 1950s. The Queen’s first visit to the city after her coronation was to Cambridge University’s veterinary school in Madingely Road on October 20, 1955. Charlotte Orson reports.

The Queen at the opening of Cambridge University's veterinary school in 1955.

ACCORDING to reports it poured with rain for most of the day but the spirits of Cambridge people failed to be dampened.

And Cambridge University’s veterinary school in Madingley Road was at the focal point of the excitement with the royal visit arranged for Her Majesty to officially open the newly-established department.

Lecturer in animal husbandry at the veterinary school Alison Schwabe recounted the story her late father Philip Schwabe told of the day’s event.

Mr Schwabe was the chief regional officer for the Central Office of Information based at the former government office site in Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge.

It was Mr Schwabe’s responsibility to organise royal visits to East Anglia by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and he worked closer with the Queen’s private detective at the time Commander Perkins to ensure the day went according to plan.

Miss Schwabe - who originally joined the veterinary school for a temporary job on the farm in 1971 - said: “Nobody is allowed to take pictures of the Queen while she is giving a speech.

“But on this day there was a press photographer taking photos and Dad got the eagle eye from Commander Perkins and had to grab this guy by his coattails and pull him back.”

Miss Schwabe explained that the late Kent-based vet Professor Leslie Pugh was brought into Cambridge University to set up the veterinary school and was already acquainted with the royal family.

”He occasionally called in to see the Queen’s horses as well as Churchill’s dog,” she said.

Having spent the first few years of its existence in small temporary buildings, Miss Schwabe said the Queen’s visit followed the completion of the veterinary school’s current neo-Georgian building earlier in the year.

“Everyone had to wear clean lab coats and it was very much a case of ‘these are the academics’ and ‘these are the assistant staff’,” said Miss Schwabe.

“A gift of an oil painting of the Queen’s race horse Aureole and a scroll signed by staff at the Veterinary School were presented to her.”

According to a Cambridge City Council publication entitled Royal Cambridge: Royal Visitors to Cambridge by Marion Colthorpe, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed at Cambridge Station by a mayoral party and were driven to the Guildhall.

The market stalls in front of the guildhall had been cleared away and the city gave Her Majesty the gift of a electrocardiograph for monitoring the hearts of the royal horses.

Onlookers lining the streets were reported to have remarked “isn’t she super” and “isn’t she smashing” as she and Prince Philip passed by.

After giving a speech, the royal couple drove to Newnham College where they were welcomed by the then chancellor of Cambridge University Lord Tedder, who held the position from 1950 to 1967.

Next stop was Trinity College where they were heralded by trumpeters sounding a fanfare with the college choir singing madrigals during a lunch for 275 guests.

After opening the veterinary school, the day’s final visit was to Girton College where, among those introduced to the monarch, were members of the recently-founded New Hall, the third of Cambridge University’s women’s colleges.

Girton College’s gift to the Queen was a biography of one of its founders, Emily Davis and Girton College by Barbara Stephen.

The Girton Review, the college’s termly newsletter, reported that “the royal car moved slowly – very slowly – down the drive, escorted by the joyous and triumphant strains of ‘Vivat! Vivat! Vivat Regiona Elizabetha!’”.