About

Crown and Floral display

Old Market Square

Wednesday 1 June to Thursday 9 June

8am to 8pm daily

Nottingham City Council has partnered with major local employer Capital One, and with Nottingham BID to announce plans to fill the Old Market Square with jubilee colour.

From Wednesday 1 June, a replica Coronation crown measuring 4.2m wide x 3.8m high will adorn the front of Nottingham’s Council House. Inspiration for the crown has come from an image used in the photo exhibition of Old Market Square in 1953, when it was elaborately dressed for the Coronation.

The crown has been constructed by Nottingham-based scenic artists Makers.UK, with over 30 years of experience in art fabrication and model-making. The crown is made of painted fibreglass over sculpted polystyrene bonded to plywood and has taken approximately a month to recreate.

Below, in Old Market Square a giant floral jubilee-themed 70 will be created with over 5,100 silver, blue and purple plants.

Covering a total surface area of 57m² , all the plants were grown at the city’s Woodthorpe Park Nurseries, where they have been nurtured in glasshouses since mid-March. Plant varieties include Heliotrope, Petunia, Surfinia, Verbena, Calibrachoa, Festuca, Lavendula, Athyrium, and Tradescantia.

Post-installation, on 10 June, all the plants will be bought back to Woodthorpe Park Plant Shop to be sold to customers with some to be donated to local care homes for the elderly.

A representative from Nottingham City Council said: “It is important for Nottingham to mark such a unique occasion as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It is wonderful that our own award-winning team at Woodthorpe Park has been able to support with the planting of a giant floral display and that we have been able to work with such a talented local company to create the crown. I would also like to thank our sponsors for their valued support on this event.”

Rupert MacInnes, Chief Counsel and Head of Legal, Compliance & External Affairs at Capital One UK said: “As a major local employer, we are very pleased and proud to be able to support Nottingham City Council to commemorate such an important occasion. We hope residents and visitors will have the chance over the Jubilee weekend to view and capture their own memories of this very special event.”

Alex Flint, CEO of city centre alliance, Nottingham BID commented: “We are really looking forward to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and playing our part in helping Nottingham celebrate this prestigious occasion.”

Further information:

Woodthorpe Park Plant Shop –Woodthorpe Plant Shop is built upon a tradition of horticultural excellence. NCC has managed a Nursery at Woodthorpe since the 1920s. In 2015 we decided to invest in a retail unit to sell our surplus plants to the general public. Five years on we have grown into a garden shop with online commerce turning over £350,000. Our mission is to share our knowledge and passion for plants with our customers and sell high quality locally grown plants at affordable prices.

Plant cultivation at Woodthorpe Park Nurseries –The plants were potted on into 10.5cm plant pots, watered and fed each week with a soluble feed. It was too late to grow from seed. Sourced from a reputable supplier within the UK.

Planted actually into the black crates with liners, to absorb as much water as possible.

Blue plants: Helitrope; ‘Honey blue’, Petunia surfinia blue, Verbena santos blue, Calibroachoa dark blue, Verbena Santos, Festuca blue, Lavendula ‘Hidcote’

Silver plants: Athyruim ‘silver falls’, Cineraria Cirrus, Tradescantia ‘zebine’

Capital One UK –Capital One UK issued its first credit card in 1996 and has since grown to become a top ten credit provider in the UK, employing more than 1,500 UK-based associates across two offices in Nottingham and London.

Capital One was founded on the belief that no one should be locked out of the financial system and to help its customers succeed with credit. It has pioneered industry leading tools like its QuickCheck eligibility checker and CreditWise, a free credit score monitor. Capital One offers a diverse portfolio of products including its own Classic Card and Balance Transfer Card, as well as underwriting for a number of partner credit cards.

Nottingham BID –Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID) – a business-led, not for profit organisation working hard to build a better Nottingham and helping to champion Nottingham as a first choice city for shopping, leisure, work and study. Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID), is the organisation behind It’s in Nottingham.