Sunday video: Rain fails to dampen Jubilee spirit across Yorkshire

The record-breaking pageant sailed through the heart of the capital where jubilant crowds gathered to acknowledge the Queen’s 60-year reign and celebrate the country’s maritime heritage.

The number of revellers passed the expectations of organisers, who said an estimated 1.25 million people lined the banks of the Thames.

And Guinness World Records hailed the event a world record as 670 verified boats completed the pageant route to set a new milestone.

The persistent rain left performers in the pageant and the public soaked and bedraggled, but the Queen was greeted by a sea of red, white and blue as she looked out from her royal barge surrounded by her family.

She braved the rain without an umbrella and stood beneath an ornate canopy to review the flotilla from her royal barge.

One skipper of a Dunkirk “little ship”, Ian Gilbert, 61, from Shepperton in Surrey, summed up the mood of the occasion, describing it as unique.

He said: “This isn’t going to happen again in our lifetime. I don’t think anyone will put a show like this on again in our lifetime.

“We’re particularly proud because we had the biggest contingent of any association and I think that shows the importance of these little boats to the country and to the sovereign.”

Closer to home, umbrellas to combat the teeming rain, crowds swarmed into Chatsworth on Sunday to enjoy the country estate’s huge Jubilee party.

The heavy rain seemed to have little impact on visitor numbers, as revellers from all over the world chose to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee at the seat of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

Although picnickers chose to avoid sitting outside on the gardens’ soaked 100m-long trestle table, there was plenty for guests to do inside the house, which hosted an exhibition bearing Royal memorabilia such as the state chariot used by the late 11th Duke of Devonshire, his wife the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and their son, the current Duke, to travel to the Coronation in 1953.

Visitor services manager Paul Hayes said the extravagant party had been a year in the making.

He added: “This weekend has been like a labour of love, as we’ve spent so long getting everything ready.

“On Saturday we opened the gates at 10.30am and for the first half hour nobody sat down on the long street party table, so I was starting to worry.

“But, come lunchtime, there was no space at all. It was full of people who’d brought their own picnic hampers, and were drinking Pimms and champagne from our special champagne bar.

“One woman was here to celebrate her 85th birthday, with three or four generations of her family, and others had brought their own flags along to wave and were playing games on the lawn.

“It was a brilliant atmosphere, and Chatsworth is the perfect place to celebrate the Jubilee.”

An old-fashioned fairground area was set up in the extensive grounds, complete with a coconut shy and hoopla, while there were also vintage cars to view from all 60 years of the Queen’s reign.

Chatsworth head guide Heather Redmond said: “We’ve had a constant stream of people coming through, despite the weather – it’s the British spirit.”

Elsewhere in South Yorkshire, more unique venues for street parties included a ward at Barnsley Hospital.

Organiser Vicky Faxon-Wastnage said that many of the patients remembered the Coronation well, and added: “Being in hospital doesn’t mean that they have to miss out.”

And dogs also had their very own party at the More For Paws centre in Dodworth, Barnsley.

Owner Jeni Weaver said: “We wanted to organise a Big Jubilee Lunch so that all our dogs could join in the celebrations while their owners attended their own street parties.

“It’s been a lot of fun playing games and having a dog food Jubilee lunch for over 30 dogs.”

• More stories, pictures and video throughout the weekend