Late in the afternoon of the 8th September 2022, a number of Colchester Civic Society members were gathered together at the Town House for a briefing about Colchester’s Town Deal Funding. Just as the meeting was drawing to a close, the very sad news of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth ll was announced by the BBC. How lucky we were that the Bishop of Colchester, one of our Vice Presidents, was with us, as what followed was one of those moments in life that all those present will never forget. Bishop Roger stood, interrupted the meeting, and told us all what had happened. He called for a minute of silence. I have never known such silence. It was absolute. It was eventually broken by the Bishop who spoke the following words:
Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord
And let light perpetual shine upon them.
May she rest in peace.
You will no doubt have seen the portrait of the Queen, shown in this news-post, because it has been used by the BBC as the definitive image of the Queen during their recent broadcasts. What you may not be aware of is that the 2.4 metre X 1.5 metre portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Richard Stone hangs in the Moot Hall in Colchester’s Town Hall.
It was commissioned by the Borough of Colchester, following a request to the Queen’s private secretary by Sir Bob Russell. The work on this portrait spanned three years and was completed in 1992.
Speaking to the BBC recently Richard Stone said he was “extremely proud” his work was chosen by the BBC as a “definitive image” of Her Majesty for its obituary broadcasts. The full transcript of Richard Stone’s interview with the BBC is available via this link
Queen Elizabeth II: Essex artist delighted portrait chosen by BBC – BBC News