TEN years ago, guns fired in the Museum Gardens, and the streets were alive with celebration for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

York and surrounding areas was filled in village parties and festivals going on for days, and the city celebrated while the Queen rolled through London on her way to St Paul’s Cathedral.

Huge flags lined York matched by the painted faces of the local children, and armies of scarecrows as well as military and Scout bands marching through the streets gave the city a stirring sense of unity and joy.

In London, the Queen rode in the State Gold Coach, built in 1762, while in York the bells of York Minster rang out. Then, as night fell, more than 1,000 people proceeded to Knavesmire to witness the lighting of York’s Jubilee beacon, which united York with the rest of the country in a chain of fire. York’s punks even had a Jubilee event, “God Save The Queen”, at Fibbers.

The Queen visited the set of TV soap Emmerdale, near Leeds, on the last leg of her Golden Jubilee tour, and witnessed the post office going up in flames. She was said to have shown no fear when the explosion went off, while cast members around her reeled.

- Amber King