FORTY years ago, the Wyvern theatre was officially opened by the Queen and Prince Philip.

The day was September 7, 1971, and the weather was wet and windy, but nothing was going to dampen the spirits of the crowds that had gathered to watch history in the making.

The Wyvern was opened as part of the first stage of Swindon’s £7.5m Civic Centre, which also included a technocentre, a citizen’s information bureau, exhibition centre, bar, discotheque, sub-post office, shops and offices.

Dressed in a pale lemon princess-line wool coat and a white hat with lemon-edged brim and large gold buckle, the Queen stopped and talked to the crowds in Regent Circus.

The Royal carriage slightly overshot the red carpet when it arrived at Swindon station, which, until moments before the Royal arrival, was still being vigorously vacuum-swept.

The Queen and Prince Philip were greeted by Lord Margadale, Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, who introduced them to members of the official welcoming party. They then left the station and were greeted by a cheering crowd of 300 as they drove away in a glass-roofed official car.

Coun Palmer, who invited the Queen to inaugurate the centre, said at the time that the day was ‘a memorable day in the history of Swindon’.

He said: “The last occasion when the reigning monarch paid a civic visit to Swindon was in 1924 when King George V and Queen Mary came to our town. Many of the older citizens still recall with pride this occasion.”

In her speech, the Queen said she was delighted to open the new Civic Centre. “Considerable imagination has been shown in the design of this project and Swindon can rightly be proud of it,” she said.