3 July 2002: The Queen and Prince Philip sample the distinctive flavours of the West Midlands, with visits to a brewing museum and the Marmite factory Anniversaries of two well known food and drink products were marked during the second day of the Jubilee visit to the West Midlands, Wednesday, 3 July 2002. The town of Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, was celebrating 1,000 years of brewing in the town, as well as 100 years of the production of Marmite, the popular yeast extract spread. On arrival in the town by Royal Train, The Queen and Prince Philip were driven to the market square. From there they walked through the church of St. Modwen's garden of remembrance to the Abbey Garden. The Abbey Garden has been created to commemorate The Queen's Golden Jubilee in an area which was formerly overgrown and neglected. It was, aptly, the monks who originally brought to the town the skill of brewing which has made it famous. The Queen unveiled a plaque to open the Abbey Garden and met some of the local people involved in its creation. From the brewing industry c. 1002 it was on to more modern brewing techniques, with a visit to the Bass Musuem - The National Museum of Brewing - in the centre of Burton. Bass, now known as Coors Brewers Ltd, has brewed in Burton for 225 years. Inside the museum, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh watched a presentation by children from the Bend Oak School drama club about local historical characters. They also viewed displays, encountering some of the drayhorses used to transport beer barrels in previous decades. For the past one hundred years Bass has brewed commemorative Royal ales. The first Royal ale was mashed on 22 February 1902, when King Edward VII visited the company. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were invited to remotely start the mashing processes for special brews named after themselves - 'The Queen's Ale' and 'Duke's Ale'. They unveiled plaques to record the mashings. In the town's Brewhouse Arts Centre, The Queen met representatives from the area's diverse cultures, including members of the South Asian, Caribbean and Muslim communities. The Queen was also introduced to civic leaders from overseas countries twinned with East Staffordshire. Before departing, The Queen watched performances by young Morris dancers from a local primary school, and saw displays of artwork by local high school students. While The Queen encountered some of the area's diverse cultures, The Duke of Edinburgh experienced another distinctive flavour, with a visit to the home of Marmite. The concentrate spread, made from yeast extract, was celebrating its 100th anniversary. The Marmite Food Company was founded in 1902 in a disused malthouse, two miles from the Bass brewery. The location was significant, since Marmite is made from yeast, a byproduct of the brewing industry. During both world wars, tonnes of the spread were shipped to British soldiers worldwide, since the product is high in vitamins. Marmite was considered particularly useful for those soldiers serving in areas such as Mesopotamia, where vitamin deficiency diseases were common. As well as unveiling a plaque at the factory, The Duke of Edinburgh met long-serving staff and visited the environmentally-friendly filtration plant. Before leaving, there was opportunity to sample the product, with a tasting session in the in-house laboratory. Prince Philip rejoined The Queen for the next engagement, a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) at Alrewas. Part of the UK's National Forest, the NMA is a permanent memorial to those killed in action and in the emergency services. Covering 150 acres of reclaimed landfill, the first planting took place in 1997, since when 40,000 trees have been planted. On arrival at the arboretum, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh met groups and individuals involved in setting up and running the NMA, including the Chairman of the Trustees, former filmmaker Lord Puttnam of Queensgate. There was a short service and blessing in the arboretum's chapel, which was relayed to the gathered groups of veterans, British Legion members and members of the public outside. The Queen and Prince Philip planted trees to mark their visit, and 52 doves were released from wicker basket. Two of the doves were donated by The Queen's Keeper of the Doves at Sandringham. The remaining 50 - each representing a year of The Queen's reign - were bred at Long Lartin Prison, Worcestershire, as part of the prisoners' rehabilitation programme. The final destination of the day was the 2002 Royal Show at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. The show was enjoying a welcome return after its cancellation in 2001 due to foot-and-mouth disease. On arrival at the showground, the Royal party travelled by carriage to the Royal Pavilion, where The Queen and Prince Philip met senior members of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. After lunch, The Queen toured the exhibition halls and viewed the 'Towards Tomorrow's Countryside' exhibit - a display put together by various agencies working to improve life in the countryside. The Duke of Edinburgh presented RASE long-service medals and viewed the Quality Livestock Production area, seeing products aimed at improving the quality of food and consumer confidence. The Royal party then visited the Arthur Rank Centre, where The Queen and Prince Philip met volunteers from organisations which supported farmers during the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001. Moving on to the Grand Ring, they presented trophies to owners of winning cattle before departing for London. Back to July index