Last updated 15:53, Wednesday, 28 May 2008

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THE most famous visit to West Cumbria by the young Queen Elizabeth was on October 17 1956, when she officially opened the world’s first commercial nuclear power station Calder Hall.

It was just three years after her Coronation when she performed the opening and visited other parts of the borough on that visit.

The previous year, on November 24, 1955, Prince Philip had donned a hard hat to go down the anhydrite drift mine during a royal visit to the Marchon works.

The Duke of Edinburgh returened in the 1980s to open the new Sellafield Visitor Centre.

Her Majesty went to Marchon herself in 1980 and was greeted by a wintry blizzard.

HRH Princess Mary had also visited Marchon in 1954.

In 1964 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother came to Whitehaven and on October 21 officially opened the new West Cumberland Hospital. On this tour she also visited the Rosehill Theatre.

And in October 1969 HRH the Duchess of Kent officially opened the Solway Hall as part of the expansion of Whitehaven Civic Hall.

In 1978 HRH Princess Alexandra officially opened the Royal British Legion flats at John Gaskell Court, Whitehaven, and in 1986 the new police station at Whitehaven.

In 1972 the Queen Elizabeth visited West Cumbria again and stayed at the Westlands Hotel, which ironically was back in the news this month having failed to find a buyer at an auction.

Prince Charles toured the Edgards uniforms factory in Whitehaven in February 1985 and also visited St Bees Public School in March 1993.

Princess Anne also visited the St Bees school when it marked its 400 year history in June 1983 – and in 1987 to open the new magistrates courts in Whitehaven. She also visited in 1993 to lay the foundation stone at Westlakes, Moor Row.