15. Unveiling the Charter Stone - Her Majesty the Queen
Romsey Town Council had organised a number of events for the 2007 Charter Year and early in April it was announced that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were to attend some of them including unveiling the Charter Stone. This was in time for the planned final round of visits to primary schools to launch the competition (sec 8 above) to identify the mystery figure (inset) carved into the Stone. In response to a suggestion by the project team, the Town Council kindly arranged with the Palace that the winner should present a posy to the Queen. This announcement caused great excitement amongst the children when the visits were made.

With the kind co-operation of the local newspaper, the Romsey Advertiser, the competition was advertised. This contained a riddle giving a clue to the identity of the mystery figure - and the winner was to be announced in the newspaper on Friday 1st June, just one week before the Queen would unveil the stone. Once sealed in wax and now in stone, A lady here of great renown, Who she is and where she lies, Can best be seen with children's eyes.

It was decided to prepare a postcard in time for the unveiling. The weather was unhelpful but Romsey photographer John Scarborough produced a fine picture with the Abbey Church as backdrop. Some of the cards were given to children in the schools and the card is now on sale in several Romsey shops

Although the announcement that the Queen was to unveil the stone was made in April, for security reasons details of the visit were not given until much later. Two weeks before the unveiling, the team learnt that the Queen was to unveil the plaque rather than the stone itself and the plaque should be mounted close by the stone. A sturdy stand to carry the plaque was hastily constructed and Amanda Barratt (inset) of Amanda Barrett Window Dressings in Romsey (www.curtainsandblinds.co.uk) kindly volunteered to make and fit some suitable curtains.

On the morning of Friday 8th June, the team together with Rod Hoyle assembled at 7am to move the stand and plaque into position using a trolley which had been borrowed from builders working on the Abbey Church.

The Queen then proceeded to Romsey Town Hall where she was welcomed by Mayor Mark Cooper. As she left the Town Hall, she was presented with a posy by the winner of the mystery figure competition; seven year old Hannah Beck. Hannah had correctly concluded that the mystery figure carved in the stone was St Ethelflaeda, a patron saint of the Abbey Church (the first line of the riddle refers to the fact that St Ethelflaeda appeared on the wax seal used by the Abbey).

Romsey is an old market town with the famous Abbey at its centre. But although a town, it is a small one and it has much of the atmosphere of a village. Consequently, when a project such as the Charter Stone gets under way, offers of help are always forthcoming.

Hence the team decided to conclude the project by having a champagne party at King John's House to which all those people who had helped in the work were invited. The party took place immediately after the unveiling of the Charter Stone. Everybody enjoyed it and it certainly seemed a fitting conclusion.

Special thanks are due to:
Andrew Waring (Andrew Waring Associates) for designing the foundation.
Frank Green (TVBC Heritage Officer) for carrying out the archaeological watch.
Lady Bessborough for her advice and help with the project.
Amanda Barratt (Amanda Barrett Window Dressings) for preparing and fitting the curtains for the unveiling.
Michael Johnson (TVBC Senior Arts Officer) for his advice and help with the project.
Andrew Ross (Editor, Romsey Advertiser) for his support in publicising the project and the mystery figure competition.
Romsey Town Council for agreeing to arrange insurance and maintenance for the Stone.
John Scarborough for producing the photograph for the postcard.
Romsey Police for their co-operation during installation of the Stone.