Admission Ticket to the Coronation Banquet of George IV

The coronation of King George IV on 19 July 1821 was followed by a banquet in Westminster Hall. It was reported that the banquet cost more than £25,000, an unprecedented sum. Jean Baptiste Watier, the royal chef, masterminded the feast from 23 kitchens.

This ticket to the banquet is inscribed "Lady Caroline Greville, Aylesford" and numbered '3074'.The design of the banquet ticket is related to the one made for the coronation itself. It is printed on embossed paper with the royal coat of arms at the top and a central blue and white engraving of the Coronation. What is most distinctive about the design is the black and red outer pattern.

The different colours and the pattern was made using Sir William Congreve's patented two-colour printing process, known as ‘compound printing’ that was used especially to combat forgery. Congreve’s printing plates and presses were made at Bryan Donkin’s Bermondsey factory. A specially designed rose engine was devised by Donkin to engrave elaborate elliptical patterns. The lathe worked by rotating an engraving tool that cut lines into a contra-rotating metal plate.