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| City of Wells at Ramsbottom |
On Good Friday I made my way to the East Lancs Railway and got a free round-trip members' ticket. I intended to go straight to Ramsbottom, but it was a diesel, so I got the train to Heywood, hauled by
City of Wells. At Rammy, I was taking some photos when I bumped into my Facebook friend Stephen Porter and we retired to
The Railway for a pint. We were then joined by the
Bury Pace-Eggers, who performed their play. All mummers plays follow a similar pattern: St George fights the Turk, gets killed, then the Doctor appears and cures him. There is then a rematch and St George triumphs! It's all about resurrection.
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| Bury Pace-Eggers at Ramsbottom |
We followed the pace-eggers to the
Irwell Works Brewery which was rammed, and after they finished, enjoyed another pint. I caught the
Union of South Africa train back to Bury, and the bus back to my sister's.
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| 60009 Union of South Africa |
On Easter Saturday, it was a bus to Bury, then to Bacup. The last time I visited this mill town was when a DMU from Bury started running there. As I arrived, I saw a small crowd in the town square - I'd just missed them. So, I had a wander round, found the shortest street in England, and to my delight discovered a vegan pie shop in the market! Then it was a leisurely walk out of town where the Coconutters performed in several locations, accompanied by the Stacksteads Brass Band playing some very catchy tunes.
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| Britannia Coconut Dancers at Bacup |
They start with a bit of listening and pointing, then off they skip tapping their 'coconuts' in time with their clogs. At the
Irwell Inn (closed) they headed back into town where after a dance in the town square they split into two sides, and I bumped into my niece's friend Adele and family. They gave me a lift back, via a micro-pub
Hop in Rawtenstall, where I had a pint of coconut chocolate porter. A great day out.
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| Middleton Pace-Eggers |
After doing nowt much on Easter Sunday, I popped in to
Bury Art Gallery for a quick look on Easter Monday and was pleased to find the little cafe was in business again. I then travelled to Middleton to see their
Pace-Eggers. They were meant to start at 12 at the
Dusty Miller, but there was no sight, I bought myself a half (pints £2.10!) and in they came, loads of them. I saw the play four times, ending up at the Wetherspoons, where I had another pint (of Swordfish). They were being filmed by BBC4 for a series on Utopias. So, it was back to Bury, and on Tuesday caught the tram to Manchester and home. I was disappointed to find the Ian Allan shop had closed, but all in all it was a fantastic week in the North.
Blacking up
Now then, the blacking up of morris dancers and mummers has become a contentious issue, with the Coconutters being barrred from The
Shrewsbury Folk Festival. If I ruled the world I'd do what some morris sides have done and choose another colour of face paint, blue say. It's no good hiding behind 'tradition' when blackface does offend some people today, however unintentionally. The idea is that it was originally a disguise to protect workers from bosses, using coal or cinders. However the Moorish connection does rather undermine that excuse.
More photos on Flickr
Some videos on Youtube
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Clogs, steam, art and pace-eggers: Part 1. Art
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