WEDDING SCENES

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1933, Page 7

WEDDING SCENES

LONDON CHURCH STORMED

CLERGYMEN’S VOICES DROWNED

Late-eoniers among the 2COO guests invited to the wedding in London on June 29 of- Sir Paul Latham, M.P. for •Scarborough and Whitby, and Lady Patricia Moore, the Earl of Droghea’s daughter, were responsible for remarkable scenes at St. Margaret’s, Westminster.

Hundreds of sightseers (in Parliament Square suddenly saw the huge double doors of the church slammed, and a policeman force his way through the crowd of guests standing - fourdeep in queues in the pathway to the porch. Men in silk hats and morning clothes and women in chiffon dresses and cartwheel picture hats were thrust on one side, and the 'guests found themselves locked out. Mr H. Silvestor, verger of St. Margaret’s took this precaution to prevent the congestion inside the church from becoming unmanageable.

Before the rush started guests whose names did not appear in the specially printed plan of the church, with which the 12 ushers were provided, were shown into the pews at the back, 'and these filled up rapidly, Inter arrivals stood in the aisles and round the front until it was also impossible to pass from one side of the church to the other,

There was not even a clear pathway to- tlie centre aisle for the bride and bridesmaids. With the stream of guests stemmed for the time being the ushers squeezed additional people into the already full news and confiscated some of those seats which had been allotted by name to important guests and were not occupied. The doors were not opened again, however, until the signal was given that the bride’s car had arrived, a policeman taking charge of the door.

When Lady Patricia, in her white s athi bridal gown and attended by white-robed bridesmaids carrying yellow • arums, had joined the bridegroom in the chancel, the door wa,s again opened a few inches and the verger' announced that 20 people could be admitted. Nearly double that * number, however, forced their way into the porch. V Women loft outside pleaded vainly .with the policemen and the ushers. Then someone called out, “The Ducher* •of Westminster is here,”‘and she. with two or three friends, was admitted, but the Duchess of Marlborough, who was standing behind her, was left outside. • •

Gradually other people forced themselves into, the church until several hundreds were standing behind the pews. A hum of conversation almost drowned the voices, of the clergy. • • , • Some of the guests, tired of .standing, left and went on to the reception, and those who had been unable to gain admission to the church icore'mphy—a'mong ■whom were Viscount and Viscountess

Scar&dale—wandered into the iAobey grounds to wait for the bridal procession as it left. St. Margaret’s seats 1100 people, and an additional 200 have been squeezed in occasionally. Among the guests were 200 of the bridegroom’s constitutents brought; from Yorkshire by special train, in addition to which large staffs from the -Earl of Drogheda’s estates were given 'tickets of admission.