The project to build Gloriana was initiated by Lord Sterling, who gained the idea for a waterborne tribute to the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee from her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales. Lord Sterling financed much of the estimated £1.5 million construction cost of the project, with additional financial donations from Eyal Ofer, the Gosling Foundation, The Weston Foundation, Lloyd's Register and the Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation. Gloriana was presented to the Queen, who asked that the barge be operated on her behalf by The Gloriana Trust assisted by Thames Alive.
Design and construction
Gloriana is a rowing barge. She is powered by 18 oarsmen and two electric inboard engines, and can carry an additional 34 passengers and crew. According to Lord Sterling, the design is inspired by Canaletto's London paintings of 18th-century barges. According to The Daily Telegraph, the design resembles the boat used by the Lord Mayor of London in the 1800s. Construction began in November 2011 at a site in Brentford. The team consisted of naval architects Stuart Roy and Ed Burnett working with Project Manager Damian Byrne MVO and the build team was led by master-builder Mark Edwards of Richmond Bridge Boathouses. The barge is built of wood using traditional methods and includes flooring from sweet chestnut trees from Prince Charles's estate. The sculpture and ornate carvings were made by Polygon Scenery and finished in gold leaf and fine hand painting by Hare & Humphreys. Gloriana's ornately decorated oars were made by Windsor, Berkshire-based firm J Sutton Blades, oar-makers since the 1970s.
Service
Launch and naming
On 19 April 2012, Gloriana was transported by road from the factory to the River Thames, being placed in the water for the first time at Isleworth. The Queen officially named her on 25 April 2012, during a visit to re-open the restored Cutty Sark in Greenwich.
Gloriana carried the Olympic Flame on the river Thames on 27 July 2012, leading three flotillas of rowboats. The rowing crew was drawn from the Olympians Rowing Association with Paul Bircher & Mike Lapage stroking the boat with 14 Olympians and two future hopefuls from London Youth Rowing. The barge was moored on the Lea Navigation at the Olympic Park in Stratford during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
On Saturday 15 September 2012, Gloriana was the leading boat of the Great River Race on the final stretch from Richmond, London to the finishing point at Ham, London. Gold Medal rower Sophie Hosking and Silver MedallistRob Williams were aboard Gloriana. She was also rowed by youngsters supported by The Rowing Foundation, the Race’s official charity. She passed under Richmond Bridge before mooring opposite the finish, below Ham House, in time to greet the winner of London's 25th River Marathon.
On Saturday 13 June 2015 and Sunday 14 June 2015, the Gloriana took part in celebrations commemorating the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. Accompanied by various other royal boats, including the Royal Shallop Jubilant, she journeyed from Marlow to Runnymede, the location where the Magna Carta was sealed by King John. On board the Jubilant was the Windsor Magna Carta, a facsimile of the original 1215 Magna Carta currently stored in the archives of the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum.
Outside state usage
The Gloriana has been based in St Katharine Docks, London, where she is kept and prepared for usage. During the summer, the barge can often be observed travelling between central London and Henley on Thames, powered by her inboard motors.
