Carpet Queen Elizabeth II used in 1953 kept in Nyeri
Ms Sarah Sessions with the Queen’s carpet at St Phillips ACK Church, Naromoru in Nyeri county on September 9, 2022.
A blue carpet that was used by Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation on June 2, 1953 is well-preserved by Ms Sarah Sessions, a worshipper at St Philip’s Anglican Church at Naromoru, Nyeri County.
Moments after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth ordered that a piece of the carpet be sliced and sent to the little-known church located along the Nyeri-Nanyuki highway.
It was part of the carpet that was laid in Westminster Abbey in London for her coronation 69 years ago.
A day before King George VI died on February 6, 1952, the then Princess Elizabeth had attended a divine Sunday service at the church.
After the morning church service, Princess Elizabeth planted a tree outside the church and proceeded to the nearby Sagana Lodge (currently the Sagana State Lodge) and Treetops Hotel where she stayed. The ancient Brazilian rosewood tree she planted is still standing tall to date.
Ms Sessions has been a member of St Philip’s Anglican Church since 1984 and has been the custodian of the blue carpet.
“The carpet was used by Queen Elizabeth II to walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey during her coronation. She remembered St Philip’s Anglican Church where she had attended a morning service and ordered that a piece be cut from it and sent here,” Ms Sessions said on Friday as she eulogised the Queen.
“We have taken care of it all those years because it is a reminder of her connection with the church and her steadfast leadership. We sent our condolences to her family and the people of England,” she added.
It was at Treetops Hotel, situated deep inside Aberdare National Park in Nyeri, where she received news that his father had died. It was then that she ascended to the throne. The royal connection to St Philip’s church is strong, with Queen Elizabeth II’s coat-of-arms proudly hung inside.
The church has also reserved an old piano, a pew and a Holy Bible that were used when the church was built in 1949. Ms Sessions said the church is organising a thanksgiving service and hopes to incorporate the British Army soldiers based in Nanyuki.
“We are thankful for the connection we shared with the Queen. Two days before she died, she was overseeing the transition exercise of her new Prime Minister, Liz Truss,” she said.
