Delivering Innovation

The funeral of Her Majesty the Queen was watched by millions of people around the world, as well as thousands more who lined the streets of central London to pay their respects. In order for the event to go as smoothly as it did, an incredible feat of collaboration and expertise between FM Conway and Westminster City Council was required, with hundreds of people working tirelessly in the run up to the event.  

As the term maintenance provider across highways, lighting, drainage and structures within the City of Westminster, where the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen took place, FM Conway was at the heart of preparations for the event.

Instructions for what to do in the event of the Queen’s death were in place for many years, under the code name ‘Operation London Bridge’, including the route of the funeral procession, and places like Whitehall, Parliament Square and outside Westminster Abbey, were designed for that day.

Challenges and Solutions

Through FM Conway’s self-delivery ethos, we were seamlessly able to bring in resources from all of FM Conway’s divisions and our suppliers, and help deliver an event fitting the importance of the situation.

When FM Conway widened footways in Whitehall, the scheme was designed in the knowledge that it was part of the ceremonial route. A full-scale trial of the route along Whitehall was replicated at a naval facility to check that the carriage and procession would work.

The Westminster Term Maintenance team knew that, in the event of these tragic circumstances, part of its role would be to dismantle the street furniture on the ceremonial route. But it soon became clear that there would be many other imperative things to do to prepare for the funeral and the events leading up to the day.

Around the time of the funeral, there were five planned work schemes on the ground which needed to be backfilled, made safe and all trace of works presence removed within 72 hours. One of those sites was on The Mall, and the TV cameras were on-site immediately, which meant FM Conway teams were under extreme pressure to clear and make the site safe as quickly as possible.

The Structures team was also called into action to carry out surveys of basements under the roads around the procession route to ensure they could take the weight of temporary security barriers. Engineers worked in the properties inside and outside of standard operational hours to get full surveys completed.

The Water & Drainage Management division also played an important part, ensuring all the gullies on the route were empty. The roads being used in the procession were covered in sand, so that the horses and carriages didn’t slip, which presented a challenge to drainage infrastructure. After each practice – and the event itself – our teams cleared the gullies of sand.

Outcomes

With FM Conway’s suppliers for traffic management, lighting and signs on standby for all eventualities, it allowed our teams to react quickly to any request. With the Cycle Highway through Green Park, the diversion route was agreed with Transport for London, after which our teams designed all the new signage, and by that afternoon were fabricating the signs for collection the next morning.

In addition to carrying out planned ceremonial work, FM Conway also supplied traffic management to the Metropolitan Police, set up lights for the BBC and for people queuing for the lying-in-state, and repaired a collapsed manhole in Chelsea on the eve of the funeral, where the dignitaries were due to assemble for the funeral service.

“This was an incredible feat of logistics and nimble activity that would not have been possible if not for the high level of collaboration, partnership and support showcased between Westminster City Council and FM Conway. At a time when the world was watching, our strong partnership ensured that one of the biggest events in this country’s history was delivered to the highest of standards.”

Phil Robson, head of operations at Westminster City Council.