It was smiles all round when the Queen was greeted by a huge crowd of shoppers at the Westgate Centre in Oxford.
She and the Duke of Edinburgh were surrounded by wellwishers in March 1976 to see the completed shopping centre, which first opened 50 years ago in 1972.
The Oxford Mail reported: “The bells of St Ebbe’s Church rang out as the Queen and the Duke arrived in Oxford today.
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“The area around Westgate was lined with thousands of people waving Union flags and a loud cheer went up from Pennyfarthing Place as the Royal car pulled up and the Royal couple stepped out.”
They were given a guided tour of the shopping centre, pausing to talk to shoppers and children from South Oxford Middle School.
The Queen then officially opened Oxfordshire County Council’s £1.5m offices in New Road.
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During a tour of the offices, the Duke, introduced to a staff member responsible for collecting money, quipped: “I see, you grind the faces of the poor in the dust - and the rich as well.” Both laughed.
Afterwards, the Queen and the Duke had lunch, cooked and served by students at Oxford College of Further Education.
Later, the Queen opened a new block of flats at Jesus College and the day ended with visits to the Radcliffe Science Library and New College, where the college choir sang music presented when Queen Elizabeth I visited.
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In 1972, the £1.8m shopping centre opened with a large Selfridges and a Sainsbury’s.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
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