Gloriana (barge)

Gloriana is a 90-foot-long (27 m) British royal barge. She was privately commissioned as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee, and was the lead vessel in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

The project to build Gloriana was initiated by Lord Sterling who got the idea for a waterborne tribute to the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee from her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales. Lord Sterling financed much of the estimated £1.5m construction cost of the project with additional financial donations being gratefully received from Mr. Eyal Ofer, The Gosling Foundation , The Weston Foundation, Lloyds Register and The Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation.

Gloriana was presented to the Queen who asked that the barge be operated on her behalf by The Gloriana Trust assisted by Thames Alive.

Gloriana is a 90-foot-long (27 m) rowing barge. She is powered by 18 oarsmen and two electric inboard engines, and can carry an additional 34 passengers and crew. According to Lord Sterling, the design is inspired by Canaletto's London paintings of 18th-century barges. According to The Daily Telegraph, the design resembles the boat used by the Lord Mayor of London in the 1800s.

Construction began in November 2011 at a site in Brentford. The team consisted of naval architects Stuart Roy and Ed Burnett working with Project Manager Damian Byrne MVO and the build team was led by master-builder Mark Edwards of Richmond Bridge Boathouses. The barge is built of wood using traditional methods and includes flooring from sweet chestnut trees from Prince Charles's estate. The sculpture and ornate carvings were made by Polygon Scenery and finished in gold leaf and fine hand painting by Hare & Humphreys.

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