My Account
George V, King of Britain and the Dominions, was crowned on June 22, 1911, and Warkworth kept pace with larger centres by commemorating the day with pomp and ceremony. Due to the mud in the main street, the procession, led by the town band and the county territorials, and including children from local schools, proceeded along Whitaker’s Deviation into Neville Street, and gathered at the Warkworth Town Hall site. Here a stage was erected beside the partly-built walls. Miss Phoebe Southgate presented a silver trowel to Nathaniel Wilson whose task it was to lay a block of white marble 17 inches square. The inscription read as follows:
This stone is laid in commemoration of the Coronation of King George the V by N. Wilson Esq. Chairman Warkworth Town Board June 22, 1911.
A number of new buildings were taking shape in Warkworth at this time including the Town Hall, new post office and Rodney County Council chambers. It should not be overlooked that the band rotunda, on Church Hill, also reaches the 100-year mark this year. One of the speakers at the opening ceremony remarked that Warkworth itself could be said to be founded on concrete, so it was fitting that the base of the rotunda was of such permanent material.
Built by G.H. Phillips, who submitted the lowest of five tenders, it is of colonial style and occupies an area once considered as a site for the Town Hall. Two memorial plaques are incorporated in the base of the structure; one to King Edward the Peacemaker and the other to commemorate the Coronation of King George V. The building qualified for a coronation subsidy of £75 which covered half the cost; the balance being met by public subscription.
On opening day, a procession began at the police station and made its way through the town arriving on the hill at 3pm. The grounds were planted in shrubs by volunteers and presented a park-like appearance. Mrs Pulham donated a seat and her generosity led others to follow her example. The speeches on the day were interspersed with musical items by the band. The situation being so close to two churches caused some problems at first. One citizen wrote to the newspaper asking why the band was playing on Dr Shoesmith’s paddock instead of using the rotunda, which the public had provided? It seemed Sunday afternoons were used for children’s religious instruction and the band music caused unwelcome distractions. Wider roads have made the little park somewhat smaller but the band rotunda still sits in a commanding position. It was joined by the Soldiers’ Monument in 1931, which was moved from its original location near the town bridge.
