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Seating for 1,000 people had been provided in the station
forecourt and the station exit had been transformed by a
magnificent archway, representing a castle keep, bearing
the words THE FOREST WELCOMES THE QUEEN. The Royal ladies
travelled together in an open carriage and while the Duke
of Connaught rode beside, the Lord Mayor rode behind.
The royal procession was led by the Royal Horse Guards and
a troop of the Honourable Artillery Company and the carriages
of many dignitaries from the City of London Corporation
also joined in, as it made its way up the hill to the
Royal Forest Hotel.
The hotel, which was built in 1880, had been tastefully
decorated with red drapes, flags and Chinese lanterns
and here, too, special seating had been constructed for
spectators. Next door the Queen Elizabeth's Hunting
Lodge had been renovated from "the ancient and weather-
beaten structure" to something which the Victorians
considered a more typical tudor timber-framed building,
although contrary to expectation the royal procession
passed by without stopping. The royal progress continued
along Rangers Road, skirting Connaught Water, through
Fairmead Plain and on to High Beach, and everywhere vast
crowds cheered as the Queen passed, bands played, and the
Forest itself provided a most charming backdrop with the
new spring leaves refreshed by the night's rain.
Meanwhile the guests invited by the City of London
Corporation (including peers, members of the House of
Commons, members of the City Corporation etc.) had
travelled to Loughton Station where 190 private carriages
had been requisitioned to take them to High Beach. Here
a vast semi-circular grandstand had been constructed facing
across the Lea Valley, to seat them and a small pavillion
had also been built so that when the royal procession
arrived the Queen's carriage was driven under the awnings
and Her Majesty could take part in the ceremony without
leaving her seat. First, the City Recorder read the loyal
address and the Queen answered "I thank you sincerely for
your loyal and dutiful address, and it gives me the
greatest satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful Forest
to the use and enjoyment of my people for all time. I
thank you for your continued solicitude for my welfare."