Maypoles of the Thames Valley

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England & Wales

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London

London

TQ1869

Kingston

The town maypole was in the Apple Market. Kingston Museum has a reproduction of the 16th century window from Betley Hall, Staffordshire showing a maypole and morris dancers.


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Kingston Betley Window
Courtesey of Kingston Museum

TQ2273

Roehampton

Roehampton University continue the May Day Festivals started by John Ruskin at Whitelands in 1881 (see below). A May Monarch is elected every year and maypole dancing takes place.

TQ2677

Chelsea

Cremorne Gardens: Illustrated London News 1858
This delightful place of public resort was on Thursday evening (last week) the centre of great attaction, and was crowded by a brilliant company, who were brought together to testify their admiration of the manner in which the spirited proprietor - Mr. T. Simpson, who took his benefit on this occasion - has managed these gardens. As early as three o'clock the gardens were open to the public, when maypole and morris dancing, such as delighted our ancestors, took place in the gardens, which were exquisitely decorated with flags and banners, intended, but for the inauspiciious state of the weather, to have cast a lustre upon the aristocratic fete of the 9th of July. Following the entertainments which we have mentioned, there was slack and tight rope dancing, the drawing-room performances of the Fillis family, and the extraordinary musical marvels of the Brothers Daniels, who perform on the violin in every attitude of Ernst or Paganini, which greatly delighted their audiences. The Marionettes danced and sang as marionettes can only do, when directed by Hugo Vamp. There was the Cirque Orientale, with equaestrians of every nation and clowns of every clime - Wallett, the Queen's Jester, being the leading attraction amongst mimics. It would be in vain to attempt to enumerate all the attractions which Cremorne presented. Bands were perambulating the gardens; and dancers were plying their nimble feet with more zest than usual, because a carpet had been laid down emblazoned with armorial bearings of the ladies patronesses of the late fete. Fireworks - what fireworks we need not say - followed ; and one of the most laughable of ballets, "The Rendevous" wound up the entertainments. As the evening advanced so did the company increase, and Mr. Simpson must indeed have had a real benefit.
The spot chosen for Illustration is the Lawn, one of the prettiest portions of the grounds, and one on which great attention is bestowed to preserve the beauty of its appearance during summer.
The Italian building at the back is a very artistic elevation, and is used for the performance of the Marionettes, which were introduced into England by Mr. Simpson in 1852, and is of sufficient dimensions to contain 1000 persons.

A map of the gardens can be found here: Cremorne Gardens

TQ2678

Chelsea

Whitelands College. John Ruskin suggested the election of a May Queen to distribute the books he donated to the college each year. This developed into an elaborate ceremony (the first one was held in 1881). Maypole dancing with ribbons was introduced to the proceedings probably from nearby Cremorne Gardens (possibly by the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti who frequented the establishment). The first printed instructions appeared in 1884.

Ruskins contribution was that of the May Queen, probably as a memorial to his lady friend, Rose, who tragically died at the age of 31 on 25th May 1875. This is also the origin of many Rose Queen ceremonies. Ruskin forever after associated the hawthorn flowers he had seen on a walk in the Thame valley with Rose's death, he later drew two hawthorn leaves on either side of the entry in his diary for that day. (John Ruskin The Later Years: Tim Hilton 2000), Notice the hawthorn flowers in the picture opposite of 1889, the earlier Queens received a gold cross decorated with the flowers.

Rose
Rose La Touche

TQ2777

Chelsea

Grand Jubilee Masuerade in Venetian Taste 26 Apr 1749. Peace of Aix-La-Chapelle.	Jubilee Ball 24th May 1759. Birthday of George III (then Prince of Wales)

Ranelagh Gardens: Here we see the first pictorial evidence of a ribbon and pole dance in this country with dancers dressed as characters from the Italian Commedia dell'art such as Harlequin and Punch.

TQ2880

London

Mayfair: Site of the famous May Fair held during the first 2 weeks of May on Great Brookfield near Hyde Park. Starting during the reign of James II (when it was situated by a rural crossroads) it was eventually swallowed up by an expanding London in the 18th century. It experienced a large degree of curtailment during the reign of Queen Anne, who thoroughly disapproved.

TQ3080

London

St Mary le Strand: A maypole stood in The Strand on the site of the Church of St. Mary Le Strand. The pole was pulled down by puritans, re-erected in 1661 and finally became part of the base for Sir Issac Newton's telescope in 1717.

TQ3281

London

Gerrard's Hall near Bread Street. John Stow mentions a 40 foot long pole preserved in this building and considered it to be a disused maypole rather the the staff of Gerrard the Giant!

TQ3381

London

St Andrew Undershaft:Now overshadowed by futuristic buildings in the City of London, St. Andrew's Church, Cornhill, was named "Undershaft" in the 15th century because of the tall maypole erected nearby every May Day. When not in use the pole was hung up along Shaft Alley. The custom was discontinued after 1517 when a riot broke out amongst city apprentices.

TQ3479

Bermondsey

May Day Lost and Found (Evening Standard 1 May 1928)
... An hour later, wandering gloomily through Bermondsey, I found what I had been seeking. From a patch of waste ground came the sound of young laughter and the wheezing of a mouth organ. A dozen small children were moving solemnly in a circle, each grasping in a grubby hand a piece of string about four feet long, the other end of which was tied to the top of a broomstick, the latter embedded a few inches in the earth. The broomstick was crowned with a piece of faded ribbon. I approached the children; asked them what they were doing. They stared at me in silence for a moment, then one little girl, pointing to the broomstick said," Why, this is our maypole. It's May Day today. Didn't you know?"

Opposite > London children improvise a maypole (1892) >>>>

TQ3877

Greenwich

Old Royal Naval College. A May Fayre is held each year with Maypole Dancing, Music, Punch and Judy, Green Man, various stalls etc.
Greenwich was also the site of a May Fair until 1870.

TQ4863

Orpington

Maypole Road

Windsor

Windsor Forest

SU7173

Reading

St. Laurence's Church: May Bower set up in church door and a stand erected to seat spectators. Church accounts read: 1498-9: It(em) rec(eived) of the gaderyng of Robin Hood. 1501-2: It rec of the May Play callyd Robyn Hod on the fayre day. 1529: It to the carpynt for ij days toi make a lader of the May Pole and for hys mete and drynk. 1557: It. payed for a supper to Robyn Hood and his company when he cam from ffynchamsted.

SU7575

Sonning

Sonning Churchard : c1569 "The church wardens of Sonning time out of mind have used one time in the year to set a summer pole within the churchyard and there unto make a pastime for the commodity of the church, which thing our Vicar now denyeth to be used without his licence" These traditional revels were connected with Saint Siric.

SU7472

Earley

St. Peters School. May Day celebrations held 1909 - 1958. One of the many school May Days up and down the country inspired by the events at Whitelands Teacher Training College (1880s to present day)
Origin of Earley Folk Dance Group See History of Group

SU8571

Binfield

Stag & Hounds Pub
It is said that the young Queen Elizabeth I watched from an upstairs window of the old hunting lodge as the local people danced around the maypole on the green. I have added a maypole from an old engraving to the picture on the right to give an impression of what the old maypole may have looked like. An Elm tree which once marked the centre of Old Windsor Forest stood next to the pub and its old stump could be seen until quite recently (just to the right of the building in the picture taken in 2001)

SU9181

Burnham

The Maypole Inn , Maypole Road

SU9676

Windsor

Peascod Street. Maypole and Parish church from a drawing by Wenceslaus Hollar c 1666.

SU9550

Worplesdon

Wood Street Village. Maypole stood until 1828 but decayed soon after. Renewed in 1871 along with the custom of garlanding by the children. The present pole was renewed in 1953 for The Queen's coronation and even by then an annual May Fair was still held on the green. Maypole dancing now takes place in July when the Wood Street Show is held.

Weather Vane
Wood Street Village Sign

Wood Street Maypole

SU9949

Guildford

Maypole: Stood at the junction of the London and Epsom Roads. In 2 sections with cross trees, it stood like a ships mast. Distances to and from Guildford were measured from it. It still stood in the 1840's although associated celebrations had ceased.
Summer Pole: Erected in the Castle grounds every year on the Saturday of May Day Bank Holiday weekend. A procession starts at 10.30am reaching the castle grounds at 12noon where the pole is erected and dancing takes place. After lunch the morris men dance down the High Street reaching the Castle Grounds at 4pm to take the pole down again for another year.

TQ0073

Wraysbury

A tall maypole with a peacock vane stood until the middle of the 19th century.

TQ0075

Horton

A large Elm Tree stood on the village green and there was a tradition that it was planted to commemorate the death of a child from the Crown Inn opposite who was accidentally killed when the maypole fell on this spot.

TQ0764

Weybridge

Oil painting by unknown local artist of maypole dancing c1750 at Monument Green.
Elmbridge Museum Weybridge

Weybridge Maypole

Chilterns	.	Chiltern Hills	.
SU9893	Chalfont St.Giles	Maypole Dancers : Adult Team Chalfont St.Giles Community Website	.
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KennetE	.	Kennet East	.
SU5267	Thatcham	A drawing of 1833 shows a tall maypole in the village centre.	.
SU5865	Aldermaston	Mentioned as late as 1890.	.
SU4388	Ardington	Maypole Clump (on downs south of village)	.
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Oxford	.	Oxfordshire	.
SU2791	Longcot	The last remaining maypole in The Vale was said to be at Longcot . Men from the surrounding villages of Uffington, Ashbury and Lambourne would steal it and terrible fights would break out. When the Uffington gang resorted to boiling water, the parson, fearing further bloodshed, ordered it cut up for firewood to be given to the poor at Christmas.	.
SU4996	Abingdon	Market Place	.
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KennetW	.	Kennet West	.
ST6783	Iron Acton	.
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Gloucs	.	Gloucestershire	.
SO8405	Stroud	Paganhill This maypole was erected in May 2004, preserving a tradition in Paganhill dating back to the mid 17th century. It was made possible by the generosity of Mr Tim Lodge and celebrated Stroud's 700th birthday. This fibreglass pole replaced the previous wooden ones which were painted or replaced each Whit Monday and danced around by local children.
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