Tuesday, May 02, 2006

May Day with the Deptford Jack

It was May Day. Something had to happen. In Deptford, the Jack in the Green was abroad, with milkmaids dancing in garlands of silver, and Morris men from Blackheath. The Fowlers Troop have revived the Deptford Jack, recreating it from photos taken in 1906, by local historian and press photographer, Thankfull Sturdee.

This year, the centenary of those photographs, May Day fell on a Bank Holiday, and a horde of people converged, threw a wreath in the Thames, played jazz and Morris music, and danced.

London Pride were represented by the Peters, Noah and Ezra.

Roy's hat was there. It's on the head of the drummer, Gary Norris, in the modern picture, but my camera got stuck on low-resolution, so here's a picture of it in better days. Would Roy approve of this sort of gathering? You bet!

If you want better photos, there some here from Blackheath's avant garde musician, Richard Sanderson, along with a very nice video of the procession.

Here's a couple of (not quite so good) videos, of us dancing with Blackheath. Click here for milkmaids dancing the Nutting Girl.
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