The late Queen’s barge, Gloriana, has finally found a new permanent home.
Gloriana played several important public roles in 2012. The barge was commissioned by Lord Sterling of Plaisthow and was officially launched in April 2012.
It led a 670 boat flotilla down the River Thames for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, with Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (now the Prince and Princess of Wales), and Prince Harry aboard as eighteen rowers powered the vessel.
Gloriana also had a starring role in the 2012 London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. The boat was rowed by two 1948 Olympic Silver Medalists (Paul Bircher and Mike Lapage), fourteen current Olympians, and two members from London Youth Rowing. The barge carried the torch from Hampton Court Palace to City Hall.
It was announced in 2020 that the barge would permanently be on display at Morden Wharf on the Greenwich Peninsula as part of a larger redevelopment plan.
In the meantime, the barge has now returned to its semi-permanent home at St Katharine’s Docks in central London close to Tower Bridge.
