Recollections of a Busy Life: Being the Reminiscences of a Liverpool Merchant 1840-1910Forwood, William Bower, Sir
History
Recollections of a Busy Life: Being the Reminiscences of a Liverpool Merchant 1840-1910
Forwood, William Bower, Sir
Forwood, William Bower, Sir, 1840-1928; Merchants -- England -- Liverpool -- Biography
The Fenians had been very active in Liverpool, and during the evening at
Croxteth I was told by the aide-de-camp that the Prince had received
several threatening letters, to which his Royal Highness paid no
attention, but he would be glad to know if every precaution had been
taken for the Prince's safety. Although I was able to assure him that
every precaution would be taken, this intimation made me feel anxious
and I drove from Croxteth to the police station in Liverpool to consult
with the superintendents as to what more could be done. We were
compelled to drive the Prince and Princess for two miles through that
portion of the town inhabited by the Irish; we therefore decided to
quicken the pace of the carriage procession, and to instruct the
out-riders to ride close in to the wheels of the royal carriage. These
precautions were however fortunately not necessary, for right along
Scotland Road the Prince and Princess had the heartiest reception, and
when we turned out of Byrom Street into Dale Street it was with a sense
of relief that I turned to the Prince and said, "Sir, you have passed
through the portion of Liverpool in which 200,000 Irish people reside."
He replied, "I have not heard a 'boo' or a groan; it has been simply
splendid."
We had taken some trouble to obtain a very pretty jewelled
bouquet-holder for the Princess, and it was sent to the florist who was
making the bouquet. In the morning he brought it to the Adelphi Hotel,
broken in two. I showed it to Admiral Sir Astley Cooper, who was one of
the suite. He said, "Whatever you do, have it repaired." Every shop was
shut, the day being a general holiday. The boots at the hotel at last
thought of a working plumber, and to his hands the repairs were
entrusted. All he could do was to solder the handle to the
bouquet-holder, and he did this in such a clumsy fashion that great
"blobs" of solder protruded themselves all round; but it held together
and the bouquet was duly presented by the Mayoress. During the drive
from the dock the Princess, showing me the holder, exclaimed how lovely
it was; alas! my eyes could only see the "blobs" of solder! At Croxteth
that evening, while the presents were being exhibited to the guests, the
holder broke in two, and the story had to be told.
The three young princesses were entertained all day at the Town Hall by
my daughters. Princess Maud managed to evade the vigilant eyes of Miss
Knollys, and unattended made her way into Castle Street amid the crowd.
LORD MAYOR.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account