Cloughton business owners share fond memories of Her Majesty The Queen’s visits

Offering a right Royal welcome to Her Majesty, the staff of the Blacksmiths Arms in Cloughton, where the Queen will be eating her first ever pub lunch, and village blacksmith Alan Readman(R).
From left, Daniel McLean (chef), Jill Armitage(chef), Danielle Hinchliffe (waitress), David Arnall(head chef and joint owner), Tony Arnall(landlord), Josie Toase (housekeeper), Lorna Arnall (head waitress), Gemma Arnall, Jean Arnall (joint owner) and Mr Readman. — Offering a right Royal welcome to Her Majesty, the staff of the Blacksmiths Arms in Cloughton, where the Queen will be eating her first ever pub lunch, and village blacksmith Alan Readman(R). From left, Daniel McLean (chef), Jill Armitage(chef), Danielle Hinchliffe (waitress), David Arnall(head chef and joint owner), Tony Arnall(landlord), Josie Toase (housekeeper), Lorna Arnall (head waitress), Gemma Arnall, Jean Arnall (joint owner) and Mr Readman.

Retired blacksmith, Alan Readman, worked in Cloughton, part of the Duchy of Lancaster Estate owned by the Queen.

Mr Readman met Her Majesty on several occasions and paid tribute to the Queen’s calming manner.

He said: “We were very fortunate, due to certain circumstances, to meet the Queen four times.

Sitting where the Queen was seated for her lunch, front, Tony Arnall, and Jean Arnall, back, Gemma(L) and Lorna Arnall, and David Arnall.

“The first was in 1975 when she came to a garden party at Scalby Lodge,

“It was a great day, the Queen spent time looking at Mr Johnson’s horses, they had very good quality breeding, she knew what she was talking about regarding her horses.

He recalled how he, his brother Mick and their wives Teresa and Dawn had been part of a line-up to speak to Prince Philip and the Queen at a Buckingham Palace garden party in 2005.

He said: “The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were working together, one complimented the other.

Ready to meet the Queen, Cloughton blacksmith Alan Readman, at his forge.

“The Queen said to me “And who are you?” and I replied “ We are a family of Blacksmith’s in Cloughton village, Duchy of Lancaster.”

Mr Readman met the Queen for the third time at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in 2007.

He said: “The final time was when she came to the Blacksmith’s shop in Cloughton and met myself and my nephew Damian who was shoeing a horse.

“She cornered me, as there was a photo of my father shoeing a horse in the 1950’s.

An Evening News photo of the Queen's 1975 visit

“She looked down and said “And who’s that?”, pointing to my father.

“I replied “That’s me fath-er” in a broad Yorkshire accent

“She turned and said “Oh, that’s your dad”, correcting my English.

“She said everything with a smile, I felt a bit tucked in after that!”

The Royal Party chat to Damian Readman in 2010

“I thought how lucky I was, I was the only one left as my brother had died the year before and my father had died in ‘76.

“I was representing them as well as myself and that was an honour and a pleasure.

Tony Arnall, landlord at the Blacksmith’s Arms in Cloughton met the Queen and served her her first ever pub lunch during her visit to the area in 2010.

Mr Arnall said: “It was the perfect day, not a cloud in the sky,

“I had to send the menu for the Queen to choose what she wanted.

“There were 68 guests and whatever Her Majesty chose, everybody had the same.

Alan Readman and nephew Damian Readman with Royal memorabilia

“She ate it all and her Lady-in-Waiting said she’d never seen the Queen eat so much.

“It was a lot of work, but the day went fantastically. My mum sat on her table and spoke to the Queen and referred to me as “My son, Tony,” and the Queen replied, “oh, yes, yes, yes, I know Tony” but I think she only knew me for that day.

“We were all really sorry when we heard, my wife shed a few tears like a lot of people,

“You always thought she was invincible, thought this time would never come,

“She was a lovely person, a very beautiful woman, her skin was like porcelain, and you got this aura that you were in the company of someone really special, she did make you feel at ease.”